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Aims: This study aimed to identify the relationship between nurses' job autonomy, perceptions of organizational policy, and safety performance by identifying the safety performance predictors of nurses working in acute health care settings in South Korea., Methods: Using data from a structured questionnaire, this cross-sectional descriptive study assessed the relationship between nurses' job autonomy, perceptions of organizational policy, and safety performance. In 2016, of the 290 nurses from nine acute care hospitals in South Korea invited to participate in the survey, 254 successfully did. Using cross-sectional data, characteristics of hospitals and nurses were analysed with t tests, one-way analyses of variance, Pearson correlations, and regression models., Results: On a scale of one to five, the mean job autonomy was 3.37, mean perceptions of organizational policy was 3.09, and mean safety performance was 3.75. Statistically significant positive correlations were found among job autonomy, perceptions of organizational policy, and safety performance. Multiple regression results found 44% of the variation in safety performance explained by job autonomy, length of employment, and perceptions of organizational policy., Conclusion: Job autonomy and perceptions of organizational policy were positively related to safety performance. Hospital executives and nurse managers should work to enhance job autonomy and positive perceptions of organizational policy, to contribute to improving patient safety., (© 2018 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

Aim: To identify the degree of group cohesion and social support of nurses in special and general units in hospitals in Korea, and to compare group cohesion and social support between the two groups., Background: The level of commitment nurses have to their organizations has been shown to correlate with work group cohesion and social support., Methods: The participants were 1751 nurses who were working in Korean hospitals. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and were analysed using SAS. The statistical methods included: descriptive statistics, t-test, anova and Pearson's correlation coefficients., Results: Group cohesion of nurses on special wards was significantly higher than for nurses on general wards. No significant difference was found between types of units in terms of social support. The degree of group cohesion was significantly different in terms of the respondents' clinical experience, position, religion, job satisfaction, number of supportive superiors and number of supportive peers. A statistically significant correlation was found between group cohesion scores and degree of social support., Conclusions and Implications for Nursing Management: Hospital management can accomplish their goals more effectively through knowledge of the level of group cohesion, superior support and peer support for nursing staff in accordance with unit specialty., (© 2011 The Author. Journal compilation © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.)

Aim: This paper is a report of a study conducted to examine the influence of self-efficacy and affectivity (individual-level variables) and collective efficacy (group-level variable) on nursing performance among hospital nurses., Background: Previous studies of nursing performance, which have focused on individual factor outcomes, have shown limitations. Due to the heavy focus on the analysis of single-level performances, the influence of organizational contextual factors on nursing performance has rarely been studied. Hence, for a better understanding of nurses' professional development and effective functioning in hospitals, there is a need to study the effects of organizational characteristics as well as individual characteristics on nursing performance., Method: A descriptive-correlational design was used with a convenience sample of 1996 nurses selected from 182 nursing units in 28 hospitals in six metropolitan cities and seven provinces in Korea. Data were collected in 2006 using self-administered questionnaires, which were analysed with using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficients and multilevel analysis., Results: Individual-level variables, including job position, years of experience, employment status, self-efficacy and positive affectivity were positively related to nursing performance. Collective efficacy and the number of in-service meetings within units were statistically significant group-level variables. Group-level variables reduced the error variances in nursing performance., Conclusion: Understanding the effects of group-level variables on nursing performance improves performance management approaches in hospitals.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify factors related to nurses' organizational citizenship behavior using multilevel analysis which included both nurse characteristics at individual levels and nursing unit characteristics at group levels., Methods: The sample was composed of 1,996 nurses who were selected from 182 nursing units in 28 hospitals in six metropolitan cities and seven provinces using cluster sampling. Data were collected using self-reported questionnaires from February to March 2006., Results: The results of the study indicated that individual level variables related to organizational citizenship behavior were religion, job position, clinical career, self efficacy, positive affectivity, and supervisor support. The group level variables related to organizational citizenship behavior were collective efficacy, number of nurses in a nursing unit, and the average salary level of a nursing unit. 30.9% of individual level variances of organizational citizenship behavior were explained by the nurses' individual level variables. The explanatory power of group level variables, which is related to group level variances of organizational citizenship behavior, was 75.5%., Conclusion: This research showed that it was necessary to develop appropriate strategies related to not only individual factors, but also higher-level organizational factors such as collective efficacy, to improve individual performances in the hospital.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to develop a performance measurement scale for nurses in the hospital setting and to test the reliability and validity of the scale., Methods: This study was conducted in three phases including an application of conceptual framework, development of scale items, and test of validity and reliability of the scale. In order to test validity and reliability, data was collected from 1,966 nurses who work in twenty eight hospitals nation-wide. The data was analyzed by the SAS 8.0 program using descriptive statistics, factor analysis, and reliability coefficients., Results: The Performance measurement scale consisted of 4 factors which included competency, attitude, willingness to improve, and application of nursing process, and a total of 17 items. The Four factors explained 63.45% of the total variance, and Cronbach's alpha of the scale was .92., Conclusion: The performance measurement scale developed by this study is a reliable and valid instrument that is utilized effectively to evaluate the performance of hospital nurses. Furthermore, it could be used as a stepping stone to assess educational needs of nurses, develop professionalism among nurses, and improve quality of nursing care in the hospital setting.