Sometimes Enough is Enough: Nurses' Nonlinear Levels of Passion and the Influence of Politics

Abstract

The current study examined linear and nonlinear effects of work passion on relevant outcomes for nurses practicing during the COVID-19 pandemic. We also investigated whether these relationships are consistent across levels of work politics. Results indicated that passion reported nonlinear effects on job satisfaction (inverted U-shape), citizenship (U-shape), and work performance (U-shape). Confirming prior research, politics perceptions (POPs) was non-linearly related to job satisfaction (U-shape), citizenship (OCBs) (inverted U-shape), and performance (U-shape). Lastly, passion demonstrated nonlinear relationships OCBs when POPs was both high (U-shape) and low (inverted U-shape), and with performance at high levels of POPs (U-shape). These findings question the often-held assumption of linearity in the organizational sciences. Implications of these results for nursing practice and scholarship are discussed, as our strengths, limitations, and avenues for future research.