How the “Warped” Relationships between Nurses’ Emotions, Attitudes, Social Support and Perceived Organizational Conditions Impact Customer Orientation

Abstract

Aims: Much research focuses on organizational culture and its impact on customer orientation or emotional states and their impact on job satisfaction and well-being. This study aims to combine the complex roles of nurses' emotion states and job satisfaction in a model that identifies the effects of standards for service delivery (organizational culture), supervisor and co-worker support and the development of customer orientation. Background: A previous study examined the relationships between nurses' personal resources, job satisfaction and customer orientation. This study examines how these variables relate to organizational standards and social support. Design: A cross-sectional survey using a self-completion questionnaire with validated, existing scales to measure standards for service delivery, supervisor and co-worker support, job satisfaction, empathic concern, emotional exhaustion and customer orientation. Method: Nurses (159) completed the questionnaire in 2010. The data were analysed using WarpPLS, a structural equation modelling software package. Results: The results indicate that the final model fits the data well and explains 84% of the variance in customer orientation. The findings show the importance of standard for service delivery (organizational culture), supervisor and co-worker support on customer orientation. Nurses' personal resources interact with these, particularly supervisor and co-worker support, to develop staff job satisfaction and empathy. Conclusion: The need for support mechanisms in stressful times is discussed. We propose that training in compassion and empathy would help leaders to model desirable attributes that contribute towards customer orientation.