The effect of medical staffs’ organizational identification on pro-social behavior under medical disputes: The mediating role of organizational commitment

Objectives: Despite the conclusion of the epidemic era, incidents of medical disputes persist. Under the new normal, healthcare workers still face high occupational risks and psychological pressure, which undoubtedly diminishes their motivation to engage in pro-social behaviors. Therefore, this study draws on social identity theory to explore how organizational identity affects medical staff's pro-social behavior and the mediating role of organizational commitment. The objective is to improve the doctor-patient relationship and enhance medical staff's sense of identity and belonging to the organization, thereby enhancing their pro-social behavior and improving the efficiency of hospital management. Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted in Hubei Province, China, involving 600 healthcare workers from six hospitals. A total of 574 valid questionnaires were returned. The Identity Scale, Organizational Commitment Scale, and Pro-Social Tendencies Scale were used to measure the questionnaires. Results:The study shows that (1) Organizational identification and organizational commitment of healthcare workers are important factors influencing their pro-social behavior. (2) There are differences in the levels of organizational identification, organizational commitment and pro-social behavior of healthcare workers with different ages, time in the field, educational level and marital status. (3) Organizational identification was a positive predictor of organizational commitment, and both positively predicted pro-social behavior. (4) The mediating effect of organizational commitment between organizational identification and pro-social behavior was 0.247, the indirect effect was 45.7% of the total effect. Thus organizational commitment partially mediated between organizational identification and pro-social behavior. Conclusions:To enhance the quality of hospital services and minimize medical disputes, hospital administrators should focus on strengthening the organizational identification of healthcare workers. By fostering a sense of belonging within the hospital, administrators can increase the affinity among healthcare workers and encourage more voluntary acts of assistance.