An exploration of nursing staff attitudes toward the process of change

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between nursing staff members who have positive or negative attitudes towards the change process and their support or nonsupport for the organizational strategic direction. Differences in attitudes towards the change process and degree of organizational support among nursing staff members with different licensure status were evaluated. This study also identified patterns and trends in relation to nursing staff members’ perceptions concerning factors that helped or hindered the successful change process within their organization. With this information, nursing leaders can better understand employees’ reactions to strategic change and implement steps prior to the change process to gain a more successful outcome. A literature review found little concerning nursing staff attitudes toward the process of change. However, the literature documented the rapid change taking place in healthcare institutions across the nation. The research participants in this study were forty-two nursing staff members in two rural hospitals in northwestern Pennsylvania. The research questionnaire utilized in this study consisted of a demographic section, a seven-point Likert scale that measured attitude and organizational support, one yes or no question with a comment section, and two descriptive questions with comment sections. The attitudinal and organizational support tools used were developed by Dr. Karen Gaertner of Georgetown University. The researcher designed descriptive questions were added to gain further insight into nursing staff attitudes and perceptions about successful or unsuccessful change efforts within their organization. This study concluded that there was no significant correlation between attitude and organizational support. The study did not reach a level of significance when looking at differences between or within the groups. Further research is recommended to verify these results in a larger sample, in more diverse healthcare organizations, and in other geographic locations.