The Relationship Between Structural Empowerment And Organizational Commitment Among Nurses: A Structured Literature Review

Abstract

Background: The empowerment of nurses is imperative for the provision of high-quality care. The creation of an empowered and supportive work  environment is important to increase the organizational commitment of nurses.
Objectives: The purpose of the structured literature review was to examine relevant past studies to systematically identify the relationship between  structural empowerment and organizational commitment of nurses in healthcare settings,
Methods: Electronic databases searches were conducted in CINAHL, Google scholar, Springer Link, Science Direct, PubMed, OVID Medline, and  Wiley Library covering the period of 2005-2020. Studies involving nurses with evidence of the relationship between structural empowerment and  organizational commitment were included. All included articles were assessed using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and  Meta-Analyses (PRISMA).
Results: A total of 987 papers were identified following an electronic database search and 19 studies were included in the review. Thematic analysis  identified four main themes in the papers; factors influencing structural empowerment and organizational commitment; relationship between  structural empowerment and organizational commitment; relationship between structural empowerment, job satisfaction, and organizational  commitment and relationship between structural empowerment, leadership quality, and organizational commitment. The result confirmed that structural empowerment is strongly related to nurses’ organizational commitment.
Conclusion: Nurses' access to empowering structures such as access to resources, support, information, and opportunities have increased  commitment to their health organizations. There is a dire need for health institutions inclusive of South Africa to invest in empowerment structures  to improve the organizational commitment of nurses by providing a supportive work environment.