Factors Influencing the Organizational Revenge among Nurses: A Qualitative Study

Organizational revenge has been known as one of the negative behaviors in professional life which can influence the performance of employees. This research was conducted to examine the factors influencing organizational revenge among working nurses in governmental hospitals of North Khorasan province.

The present study is a qualitative–descriptive– analytical research was done in 2019. The participants were 18 subjects of nursing groups including supervisors, managers as well as nurses in governmental hospitals of North Khorasan province, Iran. The study sample was selected using the snowball sampling method and data was collected using semi-structured interviews. Herein, Lincoln & Guba's 1985 trustworthiness criteria and techniques were used for establishing reliability and validity. The content analyses were performed based on the conventional qualitative content analysis approach established by Graneheim & Lundman 2004.

After analyzing the interviews, 57 unique meaningful codes were identified, and classified into 12 main concepts or factors. The results showed that the perception of discrimination and injustice, incomplete understanding, ambiguous or incorrect information, non-acceptance of rules and regulations, personal and family problems and defects in the compensation service can result in the development of organizational revenge. The special circumstances of the nursing profession and the inappropriate behavior of patients and their companions are unique factors related to the nursing profession which can also lead to the organizational revenge. Other, but important factors including tense atmosphere at workplace, negative communicational behaviors of managers and supervisors, and systemic problems can further cause or worsen organizational revenge among nurses.

Based on the results, development or levels of organizational revenge among nurses may result from different factors, especially the tense atmosphere at workplace. The findings of this study can help the decision makers to ease the organizational revenge among nurses in order to improve their work quality and commitment.