EFFECT OF STRUCTURAL VARIABLES ON THE PERCEIVED UPWARD INFLUENCE OF NURSE EXECUTIVES IN HOSPITALS.
Contributors: Clemson University.
Published: 1992
Number of pages: 129
Subjects: Education, Vocational.; Health Sciences, Health Care Management.; Business Administration, Management.
Description: The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between structural differences in hospitals' organization and operation and the perception of upward influence held by nurse executives. A questionnaire was sent to 300 nurse executives who had completed the Patient Care Administration Program at the University of Minnesota as well as distributed to 17 nurse executives attending Course I of the Patient Care Administration program at the University of Minnesota in July, 1992. The return rate of the mailed surveys was 51.7%. The survey included questions on a number of background variables including age, gender, years in the organization, years in position, highest degree earned, number of beds in the hospital, and the number of fulltime equivalent employees. One section of the survey measured the nurse executives' perceptions of their own upward influence through the use of eight questions based on symbols of upward influence described by Kanter (1979). A third section measured the nurse executives' own organization's structure utilizing the three structural factors of complexity, formality, and centralization. Another section measured the perception of the nurse executives' upward influence regarding these structures in hospitals through artificially created scenarios combining differing levels of complexity, formality, and centralization.

A regression analysis revealed that perceived upward influence was related to centralization. An analysis of the artificially created scenarios also showed that centralization played a significant role in upward influence. There was more perceived upward influence in a decentralized organization. Complexity of the hospitals was a significant factor in the scenarios. Executives felt more upward influence existed in less complex hospitals. A gender difference was also found in the perception of influence in the artificially created scenarios. Females felt complexity mattered only in a highly decentralized organization where they preferred a less complex institution. The only indication that formality mattered was with males. Their perceived upward influence was lowest within a low-formalized and a highly centralized institution.

This study provided evidence that the component of centralization is the key structural factor in perceived upward influence. The evidence that the nurse executive has more perceived upward influence in a decentralized environment should be of great interest to hospital executives since the nurse executive is accountable for the largest portion of the hospital budget and the largest number of employees. Educational programs should be developed to assist the nurse executive in understanding the concepts of upward influence, structural components of organizations, and decentralization strategies.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 54-04, Section: A, page: 1335.

Thesis (ED.D.)--CLEMSON UNIVERSITY, 1992.

School code: 0050.