Organizational Silence as Perceived by Staff Nurses and its Relation to their Self-Efficacy

Background Organizational silence refers to a collective-level phenomenon of saying or doing very little when the organization deals with serious problems. Self-efficacy known as the perception of competence in resolving stressful situations. Organizational silence has great impact on employee behavior and self-efficacy perception is an important factor in predicting an individual's behavior . Aim of study: this study aimed to assess Organizational silence as perceived by nurses and its relation to their self-efficacy. Research design: a descriptive correlational design was used in carrying out this study. Setting: The study was conducted at El-Hamoul General Hospital which affiliated to Kafr EL-Sheikh Governorate Ministry of Health. El-Hamoul General Hospital consists of four buildings, provides care for patients in different medical specialties. Study subjects: The Subjects of this study included 144 staff nurses. Data collection tools: Two tools were used namely organizational silence scale (OSS) and self-efficacy scale (SES). Results: More than half of staff nurses (53%) had high level of organizational silence. Meanwhile, more than one quarter of them (26%) had low level of organizational silence. Hence, (20%) had moderate level of organizational silence. Less than two thirds (62%) of staff nurses had high level of self-efficacy. Meanwhile, (21.2%) had low level of self-efficacy, (16.8%) had moderate level of self-efficacy. Conclusion: There was statistically significant positive correlation between organizational silence and job self-efficacy among staff nurses. Recommendation: Share staff nurses in decision making by maintaining voice mechanisms in use. Update organizational policies to maximize flexibility.