Nurses information-processing patterns: impact on change and innovation.

This descriptive study, based on the Organizational Engineering conceptual framework, investigates the information-processing styles of nursing staff (RNs, LPNs, nursing assistants, and unit secretaries) that impact how they accept and deal with change and innovation. The study sample was made up of 578 nursing staff and nurse managers. The major finding is that both nursing staff overall and RNs as a separate group are clustered in the "Conservator" (Logical Process--Hypothetical Analyzer) quadrant of the Organizational Engineering Model. In contrast, the nurse managers were significantly more likely to be in the "Changer" (Reactive Stimulator--Relational Innovator) quadrant.