Learning Objective #1: Describe the influence of communication satisfaction on organizational climate

Learning Objective #2: Identify the importance of communication satisfaction on organizational climate to nurse administrators

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PURPOSE. This study explored the relationship between organizational climate and communication satisfaction among acute care nurses. FRAMEWORK. Humanistic Thrust and Esprit are two of seven subscales comprising Organizational Climate as described by Martin et al (2004). Humanistic Thrust is how nurses perceive their leader's constructive leadership behaviors. Esprit is how they perceive their peer work group's morale, where social needs are satisfied while enjoying a sense of accomplishment in their job. The definitions lead to the assumption that these constructs are tied closely to positive communication between the nurse and either the supervisor or peer work group. DESIGN. A secondary data analysis used data from a multi-year study of nurses' perceptions of their work environment to examine the validity of two subscales in the Organizational Climate Questionnaire, Humanistic Thrust and Esprit. SAMPLE. The sample consisted of 224 usable surveys. The models were also tested in two additional samples. SETTING. An 800-bed Midwest not-for-profit teaching hospital had an RN workforce of approximately 1300. INSTRUMENTS. Martin's Organizational Climate Questionnaire and Cox's Communication Satisfaction Instrument were used. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS. A significant canonical correlation procedure was followed by two regression procedures. The regression equation for Humanistic Thrust yielded an R-squared of 0.6164, including significant subscales of supervisor communication (p<0.0001), communication climate (p=0.0106), and personal feedback (p=.0266). The regression equation for Esprit yielded an R-squared of 0.3406, including significant subscales of communication climate (p<0.0001), peer communication (p<0.0008), and satisfaction with media quality (p=0.0246). SIGNIFICANCE. Knowing what influences nurses' perception regarding their work group and supervisor is important to nurse administrators. In this time of nurse shortage, retention (an outcome of intent to stay) is an important consideration. Knowing the importance of communication satisfaction to these perceptions guides the nurse administrator in prioritizing to maximize their influence on intent to stay.