A perceção dos enfermeiros sobre o capital intelectual e a capacidade inovadora dos serviços de enfermagem

Translated title of the thesis: Nurses' perception on intellectual capital and the innovative capacity of nursing services
  • João José Soares Farias (Student)

Student thesis: Doctoral Thesis

Abstract

The management of nursing services is a challenge for health organizations. In this sense, and due to the strategic nature of intellectual capital, this research analyses the intellectual capital and innovative capacity of nursing services, according to the nurses' perception. For theoretical support, a review of the literature based on two conceptual foundations was carried out, one portrays the definition of intellectual capital, its components and knowledge resources / assets in organizations, the other characterizes organizational innovation, specifying innovation in services health and nursing services. The review of the literature portrayed the characteristics of intellectual capital and innovation, which allowed us to gauge the conceptual model. After reviewing the literature and designing the methodological strategy to be applied in this study, we decided to use the questionnaire Santos-Rodrigues, Figueroa-Dorrego and Jardón-Fernández (2008) and adapted it to the Portuguese nursing services. The final instrument was called the Intellectual Capital Questionnaire and Innovative Capacity of Nursing Services (QCICISE) and was applied to nurses enrolled in the Order of Nurses, which published and sent the repeating link to registered nurses in the order of nurses, for their completion. The sample used was a convenience sample, concluded by the valid response of 1388 nurses. The obtained data were analysed and validated through descriptive statistics and exploratory factor analysis, through the factorial analysis of the main components. As results, good internal consistency indexes (greater than 0.8) were found, distributed by 4 factors (human capital, relational capital, structural capital, innovation), with Cronbach's Alpha values failing between 0.83 and 0, 97, evidencing a reliable and robust data collection instrument in the studied context. We also used a statistical analysis confirmatory using the Least Square Partial Statistical technique (PLS-SEM). From this analysis, considering the factorial results collected with the analysis of the main components, we confirm the correlation of the variables of structural capital and relational capital of the nursing services with a direct relation with the adoption and creation of innovations of product / process / management of health organizations. Regarding human capital, we found that this is related to relational capital and structural capital, however, we do not find a direct relation of these two capitals with adoption and creation of innovations of product / process / management of health organizations. The relation of human capital with the adoption and creation of product / process / management innovations and the innovation implemented in health organizations, is verified only indirectly, through the other components. The high factor weights obtained highlight the predictive relation of structural capital and relational capital of nursing services and the adoption and creation of product / process / management innovations of health organizations, supporting the robustness of the proposed model. In addition, we conclude that the innovations adopted have a positive and more relevant relationship than the innovations created in relation to the innovations implemented by the Portuguese health institutions. This evidence makes it possible to recognize that Portuguese nursing services have resources that can be an advantage, and thus considered as strategic assets in health organizations. Thus, the model for the study of intellectual capital and the innovative capacity of nursing services has been validated and constitutes an instrument to support management, particularly regarding the management of intellectual capital and the innovative capacity of Portuguese health units.
Date of Award16 May 2019
Original languagePortuguese
Awarding Institution
  • Universidade Católica Portuguesa
SupervisorHelena Santos-Rodrigues (Supervisor) & Beatriz Araújo (Co-Supervisor)

Keywords

  • Nursing services
  • Intellectual capital
  • Innovative capacity
  • Management

Designation

  • Doutoramento em Enfermagem

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