Perceptions of empowerment and intent to stay.

Using Kanter's theory of Organizational Empowerment, nurse perceptions of formal power, informal power and access to empowerment structures have implication for an individual's intent to stay in a job. Power structures were evaluated through instruments measuring perceived political alliances, peer networking, and subordinate relationships. Nurses perceived only moderate levels of access to empowerment structures, "suggesting that there is still room for increasing perception of access to opportunity, information, resources, and support." Individual characteristics, such as age, education, experience, and tenure were not significantly related to intent to stay. The implications for nursing leaders include the need to focus retention efforts on variables that are changeable, such as the health of the work environment and opportunities for advancement, rather than on individual variables that can not be changed.