The effects of physicians’ communication satisfaction and their perceptions of empowerment on their likelihood to recommend a hospital to their peers

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine factors that may contribute to physicians’ dissatisfaction with their work environment, and subsequently, their likelihood to recommend a hospital to their peers.Design/methodology/approach – A mixed method research design was used to identify, through qualitative interviews and focus groups, and measure, through quantitative surveys, physicians’ satisfaction with organizational communication, perceptions of empowerment and their likelihood to recommend a hospital to their peer physicians.Findings – The results of the study indicate that physicians’ communication satisfaction and perceptions of empowerment contribute both directly and indirectly to their likelihood to recommend their organization to peers. The findings suggest that hospitals that facilitate positive workplace communications and provide work environments that allow professional discretion and autonomy are more likely to have satisfied physicians and positive word‐of‐mouth referrals.Research...