The Relationship Between Environmental Turbulence, Workforce Agility and Patient Outcomes

Abstract

For years heath care workers have been dealing with environmental changes which have created turbulent, complex work environments. Turbulence has been considered a negative phenomenon. However Workforce Agility may be a positive response to Environmental Turbulence. Other disciplines are familiar with the term Turbulence and Workforce Agility but there is little research available on this concept despite the impact that they may have on patient outcomes.The purpose of this research was to identify the relationship between Environmental Turbulence, Workforce Agility and Patient Outcomes through the examination of four alternative theoretical models.This research was conducted using secondary analysis of the IMPACT data set (Verran, Effken & Lamb, 2001-2004). The data were reanalyzed in order to answer different questions than the primary study. Causal modeling with path analysis and regression analysis was conducted to answer the research questions. Three questions included the use of either a moderator variable or mediator variable.The setting for the IMPACT Study was acute care hospitals in the Southwestern region of the United States. For the IMPACT study, the sample consisted of patient care units from teaching and non-teaching hospitals. Subjects consisted of staff members who were employed on the patient care units.Data collected from the Registered Nurses were used for the secondary analysis because this research was interested in looking primarily at the nursing unit. The total RN staff assigned to patient care units who responded to the questionnaires was N=454. The total number of patients who responded to the survey was N=1179.In summary, the unit characteristics that were found to be Antecedents to ET were the sub-composites of Team and Complexity. Proxy variables, Collaborative Culture Agility and Experiential Agility, were successfully formed as a composite for WFA and were tested with the primary data. No mediators or moderators were shown; however, main effects of WFA and ET did have an impact on patient outcomes.