Nurses’ Qualitative Descriptions of the Organizational Climate of Hospitals

Abstract

Purpose: To explore nurses’ perceptions of the organizational climate in general hospitals in Myanmar. Design and Methods: Using a qualitative descriptive design, data were purposively collected from all levels of registered nurses in eight general hospitals across Myanmar during August to October 2019. Seventeen individual in-depth interviews and eight focus group discussions with 65 nurses were undertaken and analyzed using Graneheim and Lundman’s qualitative content analysis. Findings: Four categories of organizational climate from a Myanmar nursing context emerged: organizational uniqueness, organizational alignment, sense of empowerment, and the reinforcing organization. Organizational uniqueness included the subcategories of perception of features and orientation of the organization, whilst organizational alignment comprised the three subcategories of the values inherent in the management process, the criteria of success, and strategic emphasis. The sense of empowerment category embraced the subcategories of the perceptions of the decision making and roles of leaders or managers; the last category, the reinforcing organization, incorporated the subcategories of bonding and recognition of the organization. Conclusions: This was the first qualitative nursing study on nurses’ perceptions of organizational climate in Myanmar hospitals. Participants revealed a rich source of information that needs to be considered by hospital administrators and other policymakers to enhance quality clinical care by nurses, and their overall well-being and working conditions. The emphasis on the holistic nature of this concept points to further investigations of working conditions, the lives of nurses, and management of nurses within the hospital environments in Myanmar hospitals, and can inform other countries. Clinical Relevance: Nurses revealed a rich understanding of what an organizational climate represents or should represent, and they need to work with hospital administrators and managers to contribute to the development of positive organizational climate, which in turn should increase nurse retention and the efficacy of health care provided in hospitals.