Influence of Organizational Culture on Job Satisfaction, Organizational Commitment, Turnover, Absenteeism, and Productivity in Hospital Foodservice

The study was designed to determine the type of organizational culture (bureaucratic, innovative, or supportive), and to determine the relationships among organizational culture, affective outcomes (job satisfaction and organizational commitment), and behavioral outcomes (turnover, absenteeism, and productivity) in hospital foodservice operations in Canada and the United States. The sample included 436 foodservice employees from ten hospitals in eastern Canada and nine hospitals in East Tennessee. Two research instruments were used for data collection. The historical data instrument obtained information to calculate productivity, turnover, and absenteeism for each hospital. The four-part instrument for employees included a 24-item organizational culture index to determine the predominant culture in each hospital (Cronbach's alpha = 0.85), the 15-item Organizational Commitment Questionnaire (Cronbach's alpha= 0.84), five questions designed to determine employee's perception of job satisfaction (Cronbach's alpha = 0.63), and demographic items. Multiple linear regression was used to determine relationships among variables. The predominant culture was bureaucratic. Positive relationships existed between supportive and innovative cultures and job satisfaction (R²=0.16), and between innovative and supportive cultures and organizational commitment (R²=0.34). Age was positively related to organizational commitment. For factors related to job satisfaction, employees rated satisfaction with co-workers as highest, and satisfaction with pay lowest. Mean productivity was 3.8 ± 3.2 meals per labor hour, ranging from 0.80 to 15.0. These findings will help hospital foodservice managers understand the relationship of culture to organizational and employee outcomes; changing culture may improve desired outcomes.