Association of organisational culture and internal participation with job satisfaction among physiotherapists: a cross-sectional study

Abstract This cross-sectional study aimed to examine the independent and combined relationships of organisational culture and internal participation with job satisfaction of physiotherapists. Data was collected through an online survey of licenced physiotherapists in Saudi Arabia. Organisational culture was assessed through the Hospital Culture Questionnaire (total and the ‘Structure and Strategy’ and ‘Leadership’ subdomains), internal participation through the Internal Participation Scale, and job satisfaction through the Satisfaction of Employees in Health Care (SEHC). Associations were examined using Spearman’s correlation and simple linear regression analyses. Independent and joint associations with job satisfaction were assessed using multiple linear regressions. A total of 375 physiotherapists were included (median age = 30 years [IQR = 8]; 60.5% male). The median score for job satisfaction was 55.3 (IQR = 12.7). Job satisfaction was positively correlated with organisational culture (rs = 0.662; P < 0.001) and internal participation (rs = 0.494; p < 0.001). Using multiple regression analysis, both organisational culture (β = 0.519; P < 0.001) and internal participation (β = 0.297; P < 0.001) were independently associated with job satisfaction, and together accounted for approximately 49% of the variance in job satisfaction. More favourable organisational culture and greater internal participation were independently associated with higher job satisfaction among licensed physiotherapists in Saudi Arabia. These results underscore leadership practices, strategic and structural clarity, and meaningful opportunities for staff participation as relevant organisational considerations for physiotherapy workforce management. Longitudinal and intervention studies are recommended to investigate whether changes in these organisational factors lead to improvements in job satisfaction, workforce retention, quality of care, and broader healthcare-system outcomes.