Innovative behaviour and career success: Mediating roles of self-efficacy and colleague solidarity of nurses.

Objectives: The purpose of the study is to explore the relationships amongst innovative behaviour, self-efficacy, colleague solidarity of nurses and career success of nurses in Mainland China.

Method: This study used the cross-sectional investigation method and nurses were recruited from eight tertiary hospitals and four secondary hospitals in Tianjin, China. A convenience sample of 848 nurses was included in this survey. Structural equation model analysis was performed as well.

Results: Results revealed that the nurses' career success score was at the medium degree, whilst innovative behaviour and self-efficacy were in the medium-high level and had high level of colleague solidarity. The four variables include innovative behaviour, self-efficacy, colleague solidarity of nurses and career success; each dimension showed positive correlation ( = 0.145 to 0.923,  < 0.05). Independent sample T-test showed no significant differences between the two types of hospitals in the main variables ( > 0.05). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that innovative behaviour, self-efficacy and academic solidarity entered the career success regression equation ( = 0.091 to 0.560,  < 0.05), thereby possibly explaining 52.0% of the total variation. Hierarchical regression analysis and path analysis model showed that self-efficacy and colleague solidarity of nurses played mediating roles between innovative behaviour and career success ( = 0.132 to 0.221,  < 0.05).

Conclusion: The level of career success of nurses remains to be improved. Additionally, high innovative behaviour, self-efficacy and colleague solidarity of nurses can improve the career success of Chinese nurses.