Journal of Organization and Human Behaviour

Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access
Open Access Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Restricted Access Subscription Access

Influence of Job Autonomy on Ethical Behaviour of Nurses in South Eastern Nigeria


Affiliations
1 Department of Psychology Caritas University, Enugu, Nigeria
2 Department of Psychology, Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Enugu, Nigeria
     

   Subscribe/Renew Journal


The study investigated the influence of job autonomy on ethical behaviour of nurses (181 unmarried and 105 married) from Bishop Shannahan Hospital Nsukka and Niger Foundation Enugu. The Job Autonomy Scale developed by Breaugh and Becker (1987), Breaugh (1999), and the Ethical Behaviour Questionnaire developed by the researchers were used for collecting the data. The hypothesis states that job autonomy will not significantly influence the ethical behaviour of nurses. Regression analysis was used to test the significance of the hypothesis. Job autonomy was not found to be a significant predictor of ethical behaviour. It does not significantly influence the ethical behaviour of nurses (ß = 0.09, ns). The findings and implications were discussed based on the theoretical and empirical back ground and on the Nigerian sociocultural realities. Limitations of the study were stated and suggestions made for further research.

Keywords

Work Method, Work Schedule, Work Criteria, Work Autonomy, Ethical Behaviour, Nurses and South Eastern Nigeria
Subscription Login to verify subscription
User
Notifications
Font Size

  • Aiken, I. R. (1985). Psychology Testing and Assessment (5th ed), Boston: Allyn an Bacon

  • Aja, E. (1996). What is Philosophy? An Africana Inquiry. Enugu: Donze Publishers.

  • Alarie, C. (1996). Impact of social support on women’s health. A Literature Review Annuals of International Medicine, 117(12).

  • Alloway, R. & Babbington, P. (1987). The buffer theory of social support: A review of the literature. Psychological Medicine, 17, 91-108

  • American Nurses Association (2001). Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statement, Washington, DC: American Nurses Publishing

  • Benjamin, L. T. (1994). Psychology (3rd ed) USA: Macmillan.

  • Bianchi, E. R. F. (2004). Stress and coping among cardiovascular nurses: A survey in Brazil. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 25, 737-745

  • Bradley, J. R., & Cartwright, S. (2002). Social support, job stress, health, and job satisfaction among nurses in the United Kingdom. International Journal of Stress Management, 9(3), 163-182

  • Breaugh, J. A. (1999). Further investigation of the work autonomy scales: Two studies. Journal of Business and Psychology, 13(3), 357-373.

  • Breaugh, J. A., & Becker, A. S. (1987). Further examination of the work autonomy scales: Three studies. Human relations, 40(6), 381-400

  • Brock, D. M. (2003). Autonomy of individuals and organizations towards a strategy research agenda. International Journal of Business and Economics, 2(1), 57-73.

  • Buchanan, D. (1979). The Development of Job Design Theories and Techniques, New York: Praeger Publishers.

  • Carroll, A. B. (2003). Business ethics in the current environment of fraud an corruption. Vital Speeches of the Day, 69(17), 529.

  • Cassidy, V. R. (1991). Ethical responsibilities in nursing: research findings and issues. Journal of Professional Nursing, 7(2), 112-8.

  • Cory, R. (2006). Implications for Theology: Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development. Retrieved from: http:// www.wikipedia.org/Lawrence Kohlberg’s.

  • Crane, A. & Matten, D. (2004). Business Ethics. Oxford University Press: Oxford.

  • Datta, D. K., Grant, J., & Rajagopalan, N. (1991). Management incompatibility and post-acquisition autonomy: Effects on acquisition performance. Advances in Strategic Management. Greenwich C.T JAI Press, 7, 157-182.

  • De Collis, T. A., & Koys, D. J. (1980). The identification and measurement of the dimensions of organizational climate. Academy of Management Proceedings, 171-175.

  • De George, R. T. (1990). Business Ethics, Macmillan Publishing Company, USA.

  • De Jonge, J., & Schaufeli, W. B. (1998). Job characteristics and employee well-being: A test of warr’s vitamin model in health care workers using structural equation modeling. Journal of Organisational Behaviour, 9, 387- 407

  • Destefario, T., Clark, H., Potter, T. W. L., & Gavin, M. (2008). The relationship between work environment factors and job satisfaction among rural behavioural health professional. Journal of Rural Community Psychology, E8 (2).

  • Dordrecht, J. B. E. (1992). The challenge of ethical behaviour in organizations. Journal of Business Ethics, 11(7)

  • Fan, L., HO, C., & Ng., V. (2001). A study of quantity surveyors. Ethical Behaviour in Construction Management and Economics, 19, 19-36.

  • Fisher, C., & Lovell, A. T. A. (2000). Accountants and Their Responses to Ethical Issues at Work. CIMA.

  • Francis, R. D., & Armstrong, A. (2008). Personal ethics in a cooperate world. Journal of Business Systems, Governance and Ethics, 3(1), 27-34.

  • Friedrich, P., Lantz, A., & North, K. (2008). Empowerment and health promotion for nurses by competence development in a team-based organization. 12th International Workshop on Team Working, 10-12. Birmingham.

  • General Ethical Foundation (2002). Retrieved from: http://www.stedward.ursurery/norm.htm Goliath, B. (2007). Factors impacting ethical behaviour in Hospitals. Journal of Business Ethics, 1.

  • Hacker, W. (2003). Action Regulation Theory: A practical tool for the design of modern work processes? European Journal of the organizational psychology, 12, 105-130

  • Hackman, J. R., & Oldham, G. R. (1975). Development of the job diagnostic survey. Journal of applied psychology, 60, 159-170

  • Hakman, J. R., & Oldham, G. R. (1976). Motivation through the design of work, test of a theory. Organizational Behaviour and Human Performance, 16, 250-279.

  • Hackman, J. R., & Oldham, G. R. (1978). Development of the job characteristics. Journal of Applied Psychology, 60, 159-170.

  • Hackman, J.R. & Oldham, G.R. (1980). Work Redesign. Reading, MA: Addison Wesley.

  • Hart, S.L. (1991). Intentionality and autonomy in strategymaking process: Modes, archetypes and firm performance. Advances in Strategic Management. Greenwich, CT. JAI Press, 7, 97-127.

  • Hendel, T., Fish, M., & Aboudi, S. (2000). Strategies used by hospital nurses to cope with a national crisis. A Manager’s Perspective International Nursing Review, 47(4), 224-231.

  • Hill, R. B. (2002). Ethics and Values: Essential Components of Technology Education in United States. Georgia, Uni. Publications

  • Humphrey, S. E., Nahrgang, J. D., & Morgeson, F. P. (2007). Integrating motivational, social and contextual work design features: A meta-analytic summary and theoretical extension of the work design literature. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92(5), 1332-1356.

  • Hundley, G. (2001). Why and when are the self- employed more satisfied with their Wor. Industrial Relations, Berkeley, 40(2), 293-316

  • Jackson, S. E. (1989). Does job control job stress. Job Control and Worker Health. John Wiley and Sons Ltd., 26. Johns, G., Xie, J. L., & Fang, Y. (1992). Mediating and moderating effects in job design. Journal of Management, 18, 657-676.

  • Jordan, M. C. (1998). Ethical Manual. Forth edition American college of physicians. Ann Intern.Med, 128(7), 567-594

  • Joseph, J., & Deshpande, S. P. (1996). An empirical investigation of factor affecting ethical Optimism of Nurses. Business and Professional Ethics Journal, 15, 21-34.

  • Kamp, R. (2007). A foundation of ethics. Ethics and Philosophy, 1 Karasek, R. A., & Theorell, T. (1990). Healthy Work: Stress, Productivity, and the Reconstruction of Working Life. New York: Basic Books.

  • Karasek, R. A. (1979). Job demands, Job decision latitude and Mental strain: Implications for job redesign. Administrative Science Quarterly, 24, 285-308

  • Kohlberg, L. (1976). Moral stages and moralization. The cognitive developmental approach in moral development and behaviour. Theory, Research and Social Issues (Ed. T. Lickona). NY: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.

  • Kossek, E. E. & Lambert, S. (2005). Work and Life Integration: Organizational, Cultural and Psychological Perspectives, Mahwah: N.J LEA Press.

  • Lantz, A., & Braw, A. (2007). Job design for learning in work groups, Journal of Workplace Learning, 5, 269-285.

  • Loewy, E. H., & Loewy, R. S. (2004). Textbook of Healthcare, 2. Kluwer Academic Publisher, Boston: M.A

  • McShane, S. I. & Von Glinow, M. A. (2000). Organizational Behaviour. The Mac Graw- Hill Companies:inc

  • Norbeck, J. S. (1985). Types and sources of social support for managing job stress in critical care nursing. Nursing Research, 34(4), 225-230.

  • Nunnally, J. C. (1970). Introduction to Psychology Measurement. New York: Mc Graw-Hill

  • Nwana, T. U. (1997). A Modern Introduction to Philosophy and Logic, Nsukka. Niger Books and Publishing Co. Ltd.

  • Oldham, G.R. (1996). Job Design. International Review of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 11, 33-60.

  • Onyishi, E. I. (1999). The Roles of Locus of Control, Gender and Job Status in Coping with Occupational Stress .Unpublished M.Sc. Thesis , University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

  • Parker, S.K., Williams, A.M. & Turner, N. (2006). Modeling the Antecedents of Proactive Behaviour at Work. Journal of Applied Psychology, 91, 636-652.

  • Penslar, R. I. (1995). Research Ethic: Cases and Materials. Blooming Indiana: University Press

  • Porter, L.W., Lawler, E., & Hackman, J. R. (1975). Behaviour in Organizations, Tokyo: MC McGraw-Hill Kogakusha. Rainbow, C. (2002). Description of ethical theories and principles. Retrieved from:http://www.peds.edu/ethics/ethical princples.htm

  • Raines, M.L. (2000). Ethical decision making in nurses. Relationships among moral reasoning, coping style and ethic stress. Jona’s Healthcare Law, Ethics and Regulations, 2, 29-41.

  • Ray, R. S., Hornibook, J., Skitmore, M., & Zarkada-Fraser, A. (1999). Ethics in tendering: A survey of Australian opinion and practice in construction. Management and Economics, 17, 139-153.

  • Richter, P., Hemman, E., & Pohlandt, A. (1999). Objective task analysis and the prediction of mental workload. New Approaches for Modern Problems in Work Psychology, 67-76. Tilburg, the Netherlands. University Press.

  • Ridley, A. (1998). Beginning Bioethics. New York. St Martins Press.

  • Robertson, D.W. (1996). Ethical theory, ethnography. Differences between doctors and nurses in approaches to patient care. Journal of Medical Ethics, 22, 292-299.

  • Schwartz, J. E., Pickering, T.G. & Landsbergis, P.A. (1996). Work-related stress and blood pressure: Current theoretical models and considerations from a behavioural medicine perspective. Journal of Occupational Psychology, 1, 287-310.

  • Stead, W. E., Worrell, D. L. & Stead, J. G. (1990). An integrative model for understanding and managing ethical behaviour in business organizations. Journal of Business Ethics, 9(3) 233-242.

  • Tanya, G., Maes, S., & Akerborn, S. (2008). Determinants of Job stress in the Nursing Profession: A review. Western Journal of Nursing research, (1)

  • Thompson, J. A., & Bunderson, J. S. (2001). Work-nonwork conflict and the phenomenology of time. Work and Occupations, 28(1), 17-39

  • Um, M., & Harrison, D. F. (1998). Role stressors, burnout, mediators and job-satisfaction: A stress-strain outcome model and an empirical test. Social Work Research, 22, 100-115.

  • Vaananen, A., Toppiren-Tanner, S., Kalimo, R., Mutanen, P., Vantera, J., & Pairo, J. M. (2003). Job characteristics, physical, psychological symptoms, and social support as antecedents of sickness absences among men and women in the private industrial sector. Social Science and Medicine, 57(5), 807-824.

  • Valdez-Martinez, E., Lavielle, P., bedolla, M., & Squires, A. (2008). Ethical behaviour in clinical practise among mexican health care workers. Nursing Ethics, 15(6), 729-744

  • Vee, C., & Skitmore, M. (2003). Professional ethics in the construction industry in engineering. Construction and Architectural Management, 10(2), 117-127.

  • Velasquez, M., Andre, C., Thomas, S. Z., & Meyer, M. J. (2006). What is ethics? Issues in Ethics, 5.

  • Vlerick, P., Mak, R. P., De Smet, P., Kornitzer, M., & De Backer, G. (2001). Scale reliability and validity of the karasek job-demand-control-support model in the beltress study. Work and Stress, 15, 297-313.

  • Vetter, E., Felice, I., & Ingersoll, G. (2001). Self-Scheduling and staff Incentive: Meeting Patients care needs in Neonatal Intensive care unit. Critical Care Nurses, 21(4), 52 -61

  • Warr, P. (1987). Work, Unemployment, and Mental Health, Clrendon press: Oxford.

  • Warr, P. (1994). A conceptual framework for the study of work and Mental Health. Work and Stress, 8(2), 84- 97


Abstract Views: 382

PDF Views: 0




  • Influence of Job Autonomy on Ethical Behaviour of Nurses in South Eastern Nigeria

Abstract Views: 382  |  PDF Views: 0

Authors

Barnabas E. Nwankwo
Department of Psychology Caritas University, Enugu, Nigeria
Gabriel C. Kanu
Department of Psychology, Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Enugu, Nigeria
Tobias C. Obi
Department of Psychology, Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Enugu, Nigeria
James U. Aboh
Department of Psychology, Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Enugu, Nigeria
Soloman A. Agu
Department of Psychology, Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Enugu, Nigeria

Abstract


The study investigated the influence of job autonomy on ethical behaviour of nurses (181 unmarried and 105 married) from Bishop Shannahan Hospital Nsukka and Niger Foundation Enugu. The Job Autonomy Scale developed by Breaugh and Becker (1987), Breaugh (1999), and the Ethical Behaviour Questionnaire developed by the researchers were used for collecting the data. The hypothesis states that job autonomy will not significantly influence the ethical behaviour of nurses. Regression analysis was used to test the significance of the hypothesis. Job autonomy was not found to be a significant predictor of ethical behaviour. It does not significantly influence the ethical behaviour of nurses (ß = 0.09, ns). The findings and implications were discussed based on the theoretical and empirical back ground and on the Nigerian sociocultural realities. Limitations of the study were stated and suggestions made for further research.

Keywords


Work Method, Work Schedule, Work Criteria, Work Autonomy, Ethical Behaviour, Nurses and South Eastern Nigeria

References