The meaning of decision latitude in registered nurses’ night work

PURPOSE: For many employees today, the work situation and work content differ from those of the industrial workers that were originally in mind when the well-known demand-control-support model was developed. The aim of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of the meaning of control, i.e., decision latitude, in post-industrial society, using night-working registered nurses as an example. METHODS: As an example of a modern human service occupation in a value-based organization we choose registered nurses. Twenty-nine registered nurses from 11 departments at three different hospitals participated in semi-structured interviews. The analysis used a thematic approach and was deductive, based on an operationalization of decision latitude. RESULTS: Findings indicate that the specific meaning of decision latitude is influenced by the specific work organization. Moreover, decision latitude appears to interact in a complex way with demands and support at work. CONCLUSIONS: Decision latitude appears to be influenced by the specific work organization. Thus, when we address self-reported decision latitude, it can have different meanings and potentially different effects in different contexts. Moreover, the interface and interplay between the three constructs decision latitude, demand and support seems to be relevant and complex.