Unfolding the Relationship Between Dialogue and Inquiry, Empowerment, and Employee Commitment in Healthcare Industry: Evidence from India

Abstract Healthcare is a complex sociotechnical system consisting of several groups of people interacting with each other to provide patient care. Employee commitment, empowerment, and continuous learning are crucial factors in this system. This study aims to investigate the relationship between dialogue and inquiry, a significant component of individual learning, and employee commitment in the healthcare industry. Based on organizational learning theory (OLT) and organizational commitment theory (OCT), a conceptual model was developed, and hypotheses were tested by collecting data from 346 employees working in a multi-specialty hospital in southern India. After checking the psychometric properties of the survey instrument, structural equation modeling was used to analyze data. The results indicate that (i) dialogue and inquiry positively predicts empowerment and employee commitment, (ii) empowerment is a precursor to employee commitment, and (iii) empowerment mediates the relationship between dialogue and inquiry and employee commitment. The results also support the moderating effect of system connection in the relationship between dialogue inquiry and empowerment. Further, strategic leadership interacts with empowerment to positively influence employee commitment. The findings provide valuable insights to the administrators and decision-makers in the healthcare industry for enhancing employee commitment necessary to provide low-cost and high-quality patient care. The conceptual model is first of its kind with regard to healthcare industry in India and hence makes a pivotal contribution to the advancement of literature on healthcare.