title: Nurses' participation in personal knowledge transfer: the role of leader-member exchange (LMX) and structural empowerment.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to test Kanter's theory by examining relationships among structural empowerment, leader-member exchange (LMX) quality and nurses' participation in personal knowledge transfer activities.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Despite the current emphasis on evidence-based practice in health care, research suggests that implementation of research findings in everyday clinical practice is unsystematic at best with mixed outcomes.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was a secondary analysis of data collected using a non-experimental, predictive mailed survey design. A random sample of 400 registered nurses who worked in urban tertiary care hospitals in Ontario yielded a final sample of 234 for a 58.5% response rate.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis revealed that the combination of LMX and structural empowerment accounted for 9.1% of the variance in personal knowledge transfer but only total empowerment was a significant independent predictor of knowledge transfer (β=0.291, t=4.012, P<0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Consistent with Kanter's Theory, higher levels of empowerment and leader-member exchange quality resulted in increased participation in personal knowledge transfer in practice.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results reinforce the pivotal role of nurse managers in supporting empowering work environments that are conducive to transfer of knowledge in practice to provide evidence-based care.
authors.affiliation: London Centre of Hope Family Health Team, Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Alicia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Davies
authors.forename: Carol A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: Heather
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Laschinger
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D055318:Evidence-Based Nursing; D005260:Female; D006786:Hospitals, Urban / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D019359:Knowledge; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009718:Nurse Administrators; D024802:Nurse's Role; D015401:Nursing Administration Research; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009864:Ontario; D011209:Power, Psychological; D057184:Practice Patterns, Nurses' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014163:Transfer, Psychology