Authors: Zarkada K, Vlasiadis K, Melidoniotis G, Linardakis M, Kritsotakis G.
Background: Adapting psychometrically tested tools, such as the ‘Work Extrinsic Intrinsic Motivation Scale’ (WEIMS), is a key element for the effective management of human resources in healthcare organizations and valid cross-cultural comparisons. This study aimed to assess the extrinsic and intrinsic work motivations in a sample of hospital nurses in Crete-Greece.
Methods: A total of 258 nurses from a tertiary public university hospital participated in the study (88% response rate) during 2015. The translation and cultural adaptation of WEIMS was based on the Minimal Translation Criteria of the Medical Outcomes Trust. A total “Work Self-Determination Index (W-SDI)” is also calculated. The internal consistency of the WEIMS’s six subscales was assessed and comparisons were made by analysis of variance. Multivariate analysis of covariance was performed to detect any difference in the WEIMS subscales.
Results: Items of the ‘intrinsic motivation’ subscale receive3d the highest scores compared to the other subscales. Reliability of ‘Work Self-Determination Index (W-SDI)’ main scale rated as ‘meritorious’ (Cronbach’s alpha 0.83) and between the six subscales, the higher mean score was found in intrinsic motivation and the lower in identified regulation (3.70 vs. 2.78, p<0.001). The highest association was noticed between the subscale of “intrinsic motivation” with the W-SDI (r=0.664, p<0.001) but in general, significant associations were noticed between most of the six subscales (p<0.05). Female nurses in relation to counterparts seem to have significantly higher mean scores in ‘Intrinsic motivation’ (3.73 vs. 3.49, p=0.049), in ‘Integrated regulation’ (3.28 vs. 2.95, p=0.033) and in ‘Amotivation’ (3.01 vs. 2.75, p=0.027). Participants also with more working years (21+) in relation to those with less (0-10) had found with higher mean score on the ‘Intrinsic motivation’ subscale (3.87 vs. 3.43, p=0.027). Nevertheless, the W-SDI score seems to not change between the two main characteristic of the currents study sample (p>0.05).
Conclusions: The Greek version of the WEIMS questionnaire seems to be a reliable and valid tool to investigate motivation according to the self-determination theory of hospital nurses.
View/Download pdf