The mediating role of empowerment perception in the effect of clinical governance climate on nurses' organizational commitment

This study was conducted with 661 nurses working in a private and university hospital to examine the effect of clinical governance climate in health services on nurses' organizational commitment and the mediating role of the perception of empowerment in this effect. Data were collected using a survey form that included a "Personal Information Form," a "Clinical Governance Climate Scale," an "Organizational Commitment Scale," an "Organizational Empowerment Scale," and a "Psychological Empowerment Scale." The study found that nurses' perceptions of clinical governance climate were above average and positive. They perceived the clinical governance climate most strongly in the sub-dimensions of "working with colleagues" and "organizational learning", and least strongly in the "sub-dimension of planned and integrated quality improvement programs". Their perceptions of organizational empowerment were above average, with the highest perception of informal power and the lowest perception of empowerment in accessing resources. Their perceptions of psychological empowerment were above average, and they had the same level of empowerment in all sub-dimensions. Their overall organizational commitment, as well as their affective and normative commitment levels, was moderate. As the perception of clinical governance climate increased, their perception of organizational empowerment increased. As the perception of clinical governance climate increased, their perception of psychological empowerment increased. As the perception of clinical governance climate increased, their organizational commitment increased and clinical governance climate, organizational empowerment, and psychological empowerment accounted for 83.5% of the variance in nurses' organizational commitment, with organizational and psychological empowerment playing a partial mediating role in the effect of clinical governance climate on organizational commitment. These results highlight the importance of integrating clinical governance practices with employee empowerment strategies in healthcare institutions and offer policy recommendations for healthcare managers.