Human Resources and Innovative Behaviour: Improving Nursing Performance

This study examines, using the social exchange theory, the mediating effect of employees’ perception of wellbeing on the relationship between two human resource (HR) management factors (satisfaction with teamwork and satisfaction with training opportunities) and innovative behaviour of nurses working in Australian public and private hospitals. Current nurse shortages and limited budgets have increased the need for hospitals to improve their efficiency and cost-effectiveness. It is proposed that fostering innovative behaviour is one way that hospitals can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of nurses. A cross-sectional self-report survey was completed by 220 nurses working within Australian hospitals. The results show that an employee’s perception of their wellbeing completely mediated the relationship between satisfaction with training opportunities and their innovative behaviour and partially mediated the relationship between satisfaction with teamwork and innovative behaviour. The findings shed new light on how HR management factors can foster innovative behaviour. The results raise new implications for managers seeking to stimulate innovative behaviour, highlighting the importance of cultivating an organisational environment conducive to positive perceptions of wellbeing.