Gidden’s Structuration Theory

Xiao, L. D., Willis, E., Jeffers, L. (2014). Factors affecting the integration of immigrant nurses into the nursing workforce: A double hermeneutic study. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 51, 640-653.
Xiao, Willis, and Jeffers (2014) aimed to determine the factors that impede the integration of these immigrant nurses into the workforce considering the fact that it can be very challenging to adapt to nursing practice in a host country. Usually, the immigrant nurse’s experience challenges in various domains that range from intercultural communication, culture shock, and conflict resolution. However, with adequate structures in place, the organization can help these immigrant nurses to easily adapt. Using the Gidden’s Structuration Theory, Xiao et al. (2014, p. 643-644) adapted a double hermeneutic methodology to collect and analyze information obtained from “24 immigrant and 20 senior nurses” at two major general hospitals in Australian metropolitan city about their perceptions of factors that are likely to affect workforce integration. Using Gidden’s Structuration Theory, the analysis took the form of four levels that help to understand the influence of social structures on people’s actions. Thus, the identified themes revolved around the four themes: participants understanding of actions, social conditions, supporting social structures, and non-supportive social structures that affect workforce integration.
Xiao et al. (2014) confirmed that the behavior or attitude of the host nurses towards the immigrant nurses is defined by the policies and resources (social structures) within an organization.

Poor social structures and discrimination and hostility against the immigrant nurse’s results in a lack of communication prevails. However, if the immigrant nurses are supported or mentored on how to deal with the day-to-day challenges they face, then they would easily adapt and become actively involved in the workplace. However, the use of Gidden’s Structuration Theory restricted the research to variables within the context of this theory. Considering the variation in the social-cultural-political factors of workplaces, this study’s results cannot be generalized because only two hospitals, which are not adequately representative, were selected.