Group Empowerment Capacity and Capability in Schools of Nursing

Abstract

Nursing education is experiencing rapid changes as nurses are expected to transform and lead health care delivery within the United States. The ability to produce graduates who can promote a culture of safety, and provide patient centered care in collaboration with others will require nursing administrators and faculty who are empowered and able to achieve goals. The Sieloff Theory of Group Empowerment within Organizations (Sieloff & Bularzik, 2011) provided the theoretical basis for this exploratory correlational study examining group empowerment capacity and empowerment in administrators and faculty within the United States. Empowerment was conceptualized as the ability of the group to achieve goals. The Sieloff-King Assessment of Group Empowerment in Organizations (SKAGEO© ) was adapted for use in an academic setting, and was administered online to a stratified sample of administrators and faculty in American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) member schools that offer baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs. Nursing administrators from 79 schools and 312 full time nurse faculty members completed the survey. Data analyses indicated participant’s scores were within high ranges in both of the scales: Empowerment Capacity (EC) and Empowerment (E). Additionally, findings indicated there was a statistically significant difference in both scales between groups. Although there were no significant effects on empowerment by rank, tenure, geographic area, highest degree earned, or type of school funding, there were statistical differences between administrator and faculty subscales scores. Psychometric analyses indicated strong reliability of the SKAGEO© as adapted for use in educational settings with high Cronbach’s alpha for both scales.