The mediating effect of workplace incivility on organization culture in South Korea: A descriptive correlational analysis of the turnover intention of nurses

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to understand the mediating effect of workplace incivility on the relationship between nursing organizational culture and turnover intention among nurses. DESIGN A descriptive survey was used to collect data. The participants were 170 nurses with more than six months of clinical experience at university hospitals or hospitals with over 500 beds in South Korea. METHODS Data were collected using self-report questionnaires. Collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Scheffe test, and Pearson's correlation. Baron and Kenny's three-step hierarchical regression analysis and the Sobel test were used to determine the mediating effect of workplace incivility on the relationship between nursing organizational culture and nurses' turnover intention. RESULTS This study found a full mediating effect of workplace incivility on the association between relationship-oriented culture and turnover intention (Z = -3.02, p = 0.003) and a partial mediating effect of workplace incivility on the association between hierarchy-oriented culture and turnover intention (Z = 2.36, p = 0.018). CONCLUSION This study empirically confirmed that nursing organizational culture and workplace incivility directly or indirectly influenced turnover intention, which highlights the seriousness of workplace incivility. CLINICAL RELEVANCE This study suggests that there is a need to establish a concrete strategy to avoid a hierarchy-oriented culture and create a relationship-oriented culture. It is important to develop a variety of intervention programs to reduce workplace incivility in order to prevent nurses' turnover.