The effect of personal initiative behavior on the performance excellence behaviors of patient unit nurse managers at international private hospitals in Thailand

Personal initiative behavior (PIB) is a major concept with effects on the performance of patient unit nurse managers in modern nursing organizations. PIB affects the performance excellence behavior (PEB) of individuals and increases the capacity of a person driving patient-unit competitive advantages and subsequent innovation in the workplace. This study aimed to analyze the following: 1) levels of personal initiative behavior and performance excellence behavior; and 2) influence of personal initiative behavior over performance excellence behavior. The sample consisted of 302 patient unit nurse managers who worked at international private hospitals in Thailand. The sample was selected by simple random sampling by means of drawing lots without returning the lots drawn. Data were collected with self-administered questionnaires on demographic data, personal initiative behavior and performance excellence behavior. Data were analyzed with descriptive and a confirmatory factor analysis that was first conducted to validate all study variables, then, the effect of PIB on PEB was evaluated by structural equation modeling. According to the findings: 1) PIB and PEB were high level (= 4.37 and 4.49, SD = .60 and .62, respectively). PIB had direct influence on PEB (β= .88, p < .05). The model was consistent with evidence-based data (c 2 = 18.033, DF = 6, CMIN/DF = 3.000, GFI= .988, AGFI = .919, CFI = .962, RMR = .048, RMSEA= .080) and was able to predict performance excellence behavior at 78 percent (R2= .78, p<.05). Therefore, nursing organizations should have policies to develop PIB, and human resources departments in nursing organizations should provide practical training to develop personal initiative behavior, which will cause patient unit nurse managers to have performance excellence behaviors.