Learning Objective #1: Clarify the concept "organizational values" and its importance as a domain of nurses' value sets today

Learning Objective #2: Point to the main findings regarding respondents' organizational values importance perception and their implications

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Background – Nursing practice incorporates goals based on values. The conceptual framework that underpins the approach to values in the 3 studies presented argues that the total values set of a working person consists of 3 domains: personal, professional and organizational values. The organizational domain is our mean area of interest in these studies. The "new business values", are new terminology which has been added lately to nursing paradigms, and are relatively new to nursing education. The studies aimed at examining whether values sets of students and nurses reflect internalization of the "new" organizational values in accordance with the new demands of work environment.

Objectives - Examine and compare values importance perception held by nursing students and head nurses. Examine relationship between values importance perception and demographic characteristics. Examine a change in values importance perception over time, among BA and MA students.

Sample - 496 baccalaureate nursing students, 51 MA students, 71 head nurses, working in general hospitals.

Variables - personal, professional and organizational values; demographic characteristics.

Method - A two-part questionnaire was used.

Main findings – 1.Organizational values, such as competition, risk taking, power and status, were perceived significantly least important by the 3 groups. 2.Gender was found to be significantly related to perception of values importance. 3.No trend over time, in values perception, was found among baccalaureate and MA nursing students.

Main conclusion – Although nurse managers are responsible, today, for the operation of business units many were not prepared for the business- oriented reality and did not yet fully internalize the "new business world" values. There is a need to strengthen the organizational domain in our value sets, as a prerequisite to managerial effectiveness and thereby organizational success.

Implications - Recommendations associated with the nursing education framework and nursing practice will be presented.