The Development Of Nurses' Organizational Innovation Climate Scale And Preliminary Study

Objective: To develop Nurses' Organizational Innovation Climate Scale(NOICS) under the background of Chinese hospitals' culture, so as to provide a scientific and effective measuring tool for optimizing nursing innovation environment and guiding nurses' innovation. To evaluate NOICS's measurement invariance among different groups of hospital levels, age, tenure, education, professional title and duty for the baseline comparability. To identify the current status of organizational innovation climate among nurses, and to explore its relevant factors, so as to evaluate NOICS's effectiveness and suitability, as well as to provide reference and guidance to promote organizational innovation climate among nurses.Methods: Qualitative research and quantitative research was conducted in this research for the development of NOICS and investigation in part of secondary and tertiary hospitals in Shanghai.(1)The initial version of NOICS was developed on the basis of literature review, nurses' interview and expert consultation, and then it was revised and consummated by item analysis, exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis, including the examination of validity and reliability.(2)The measurement invariance of NOICS was conducted with multi-group confirmatory factor analysis and item parceling.(3) 1035 nurses from 2 tertiary hospitals and 3secondary hospitals in Shanghai were surveyed with Nurses' Organizational Innovation Climate Scale, Nurses' Innovative Behavior Scale and Transformational leadership questionnaire. The data was used to identify the current status of organizational innovation climate, explore the impact of demographic variables and job characteristic variables on organizational innovation climate, as well as the correlation between organizational innovation climate and innovative behavior, and the correlation between organizational innovation climate and transformational leadership style.Results: The reliability, validity and measurement invariance of NOICS was acceptable. Different demographic and job characteristics could influence organizaitonal innovation climate, and nurses' innovation climate was correlated with their innovative behavior and transformational leadership style.(1) NOICS was consisted of 3 dimensions and 21 items, namely, organizational innovation motivation,resource supply and management practice. The scale's Cronbach's ? coefficient was0.941, Spearman-Brown split-half reliability was 0.882, test-retest reliability was0.807, expert content validity was 0.94, and the exploratory factor analysis shown 3factors explained 60.962% of the total cumulative variance, confirmatory factoranalysis shown that 3-factor model had a good fit( ?2/df=3.221, GFI=0.927,AGFI=0.907,RMSEA= 0.059,NFI=0.957,CFI=0.966,IFI=0.966).(2) NOICS had pattern invariance, measurement weights invariance, measurement intercepts invariance among different groups of hospital levels, age, tenure, education,professional title, as well as pattern invariance, measurement weights invariance among different groups of duty.(3) The mean score of NOICS was 3.75±0.70, the dimension “organizational innovation motivation” scored highest, while the dimension “resource supply ” scored lowest.(4) Nurses' organizational innovation climate was significant different on hospital levels, department category, nurses' duty,employment way, age, tenure, education, articles and projects.(5) Nurses' organizational innovation climate was correlated with innovative behavior(r=0.425,p<0.01), the dimension “resource supply” and “management practice” of innovation climate accounted for 17.9% of the variance of innovative behavior. Nurses' organizational innovation climate was correlated with transformational leadership style(r=0.464, p<0.01), the dimension “vision inspiring” and “individualized consideration” of transformational leadership style accounted for 20.4% of the variance of organizational innovation climate.Conclusion: NOICS can scientifically and effectively reflect the achievement and deficiency in the process of nursing innovation, in view of the current existing problems and deficiencies, administrators should take measures to enhance the level of organizational innovation climate.(1) Nurses' Organizational Innovation Climate Scale, which has a good validity and reliability, is suitable for Chinese nurses.(2)NOICS is a stable construct, which is consisted of organizational innovation motivation, resource supply and management practice, among different groups of hospital levels, age, tenure, education, professional title and duty.(3) A sample of1035 nurses recruited from 5 general hospitals in Shanghai has a good score on organizational innovation climate.(4) There is significant difference among different demographic characteristics and job characteristics on organizational innovation climate.(5) Our results that nurses' organizational innovation climate was correlated with innovative behavior, transformational leadership style is consistent with previous study, which can further verify the applicability and effectiveness of NOICS.(6)Hospitals should cultivate innovation-oriented organizational spirit, implement personalized innovation incentives, strengthen time allocation for nursing innovation,consummate resource supply for innovation, take advantage of transformational leadership, and improve the whole team participatory of innovation, so as to strengthen the cultivation of nursing innovation climate.