The role of workplace relationships in assisting nurses and engineers to solve work-based problems

This research comprises an examination of workplace relationships and the effect they have on the perceived usefulness of workplace networks for providing employees’ with information, knowledge and resources for solving work-based problems. In particular, this research uses two dimensions of Social Capital Theory as a lens to provide insight into the quality and size of workplace social networks used for problem-solving by both engineers and nurses. The findings confirm that the organisational factors tested affected the perceived usefulness of workplace social networks for providing employees’ with an appropriate amount of information to support efficient and effective workplace problem-solving.