<p> This thesis investigates the impact of layoffs on the emotions, attitudes
and behaviours of emergency room nurses in a large trauma hospital. This thesis is premised upon the conclusions drawn by Joel Brockner in his laboratory and survey studies of downsizing survivors. Equity theory provides a framework for Brockner's analyses. According to equity theory, participants in social exchange relationships, such as those between an employer and employee, prefer that these relationships be equitable. That is, that the input to outcome ratio of each participant in the exchange be proportionate. Brockner contends that a situation of positive inequity results when the input to outcome ratio of one participant is greater than that of the other(s). Central to Brockner's work is the hypothesis that all downsizing "survivors", those who remain employed with the organization after downsizing, experience positive inequity as a result of simply surviving the process. In addition, how survivors respond to this positive inequity, Brockner contends, depends in large part on how fairly they perceive management's handling of the layoff. </p> <p> Equity theory has also been used to analyze the responses of the nurses
to the layoffs in their department. However, the application of equity theory
presented in this thesis differs from that of Brockner. Unique to this study is the finding that the nurses' responses to the layoffs were dictated by the increased workload they experienced following the layoffs. The nurses experienced this workload as another type of inequity, one that has to this point been overlooked in the literature. It was also found that the nurses' experience of "workload induced negative inequity" superseded any positive responses they may have exhibited as a result of simply surviving the layoffs in their department and for having perceived these layoffs to have been fairly managed. The nurses became distressed as a result of this workload inequity. This thesis includes a discussion of how the nurses strove to alleviate this distress and restore equity to their workplace. </p> <p> This thesis demonstrates that while equity theory has proven to be an
effective tool, alone it is not an adequate theoretical framework for the analysis of the experiences of all downsizing survivors. Similarly, the findings of this thesis show that the factors influencing the nurses' responses to downsizing differ greatly from those of the survivors in Brockner's studies. Thus, the
recommendation is made that scholars remain open to the possibility that
survivors are likely affected by a multitude of factors. Consideration of these
issues will ensure that the literature in this area grows in a substantive way. </p> / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:mcmaster.ca/oai:macsphere.mcmaster.ca:11375/20781 |
| Date | 08 1900 |
| Creators | Martin, Shelley |
| Contributors | Budros, A., Sociology |
| Source Sets | McMaster University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
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