Organisational values and organisational commitment: do nurses’ ethno-cultural differences matter? TOVA HENDEL RN PhD 1 and ILYA KAGAN RN PhD 2 1 Senior Teacher and Head, Baccalaureate Program, Nursing Department, School of Health Professions, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, and 2 Senior Coordinator, Quality and Patient Safety in Nursing, Rabin Medical Center, Clalit Health Services and Lecturer, Nursing Department, School of Health Professions, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel Correspondence Ilya Kagan Nursing Department Steyer School of Health Professions Sackler Faculty of Medicine Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv Israel E-mail: kaganily@post.tau.ac.il HENDEL T. & KAGAN I. (2014) Journal of Nursing Management 22, 499–505. Organisational values and organisational commitment: do nurses’ ethno- cultural differences matter? Aim To examine the association between perceived organisational values and organisational commitment among Israeli nurses in relation to their ethno- cultural background. Background Differences and the discrepancy between individuals’ organisational values and those of their organisational culture are a potential source of adjustment difficulties. Organisational values are considered to be the bond of the individual to their organisation. In multicultural societies, such as Israel, the differences in perception of organisational values and organisational commitment may be reflected within workgroups. Method Data were collected using a questionnaire among 106 hospital nurses. About 59.8% of the sample were Israeli-born. Results A positive correlation was found between organisational values and organisational commitment. Significant differences were found in organisational values and organisational commitment between Israeli-born-, USSR-born- and Ethiopian-born nurses. The socio-demographic profile modified the effect of organisational values on organisational commitment: when the nurse was male, Muslim, religiously orthodox and without academic education, the effect of organisational values on organisational commitment was higher. Conclusion Findings confirm the role of culture and ethnicity in the perception of organisational values and the level of organisational commitment among nurses. Implications for nursing management Assessing ethno-cultural differences in organisational values and organisational commitment provides a fuller understanding of nurses’ ability to adjust to their work environment and helps nurse managers devise means to increase nurses’ commitment. Keywords: culture, ethnicity, nurses, organisational commitment, organisational values Accepted for publication: 2 August 2012 Introduction Values are products of a culture or social system (Meglino & Ravlin 1998) and are shaped by the indi- vidual’s socialization throughout their life cycle. The importance that an individual places on values may differ with age, life cycle phase, life experience and culture (Parkes et al. 2001, McNeese-Smith & Crook DOI: 10.1111/jonm.12010 ª 2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd 499 Journal of Nursing Management, 2014, 22, 499–505