The effects of job constraints on professional nursing tasks, compensation, and job satisfaction were evaluated by testing a professional and managerial job constraints model. The model applied general systems theory to investigate the effects of organizational environments on nursing job tasks, compensation, and job satisfaction.

The concept of organizational environment was defined as constraints, i.e., that which moderates or influences job activities and job outcomes. Constraint was divided into five major categories: external, process, performance, technical, and organizational. Twelve tasks delineated nursing activities in hospitals: planning and coordinating, staffing, training and developing, decision making and problem solving, processing paperwork, exchanging routine information, monitoring and controlling performance, motivating and reinforcing, disciplining and punishing, interacting with others, managing conflict, and socializing and politicking. The Professional and Managerial Job Constraints Survey was used to measure the effects of constraints on nursing job tasks, compensation, and job satisfaction. The Job Descriptive Index (JDI) (Bowling Green University, 1975) was used to measure job satisfaction.

The model's general hypothesis proposed that constraints affect job tasks; constraints and job tasks affect compensation; all these preceding or predetermined variables affect job satisfaction. Since the assumptions and hypotheses contain no loops or reciprocal causation, the model has one-way causation.

The Managerial Job Constraints Survey, developed by Neusch (1983), was first modified to include professional nursing tasks, and then pilot tested. The modified instrument was then used to collect qualitative and quantitative data: individually constructed lists and magnitude estimations of constraints; magnitude estimations of energy and effort utilized by each job task; levels of compensation; and levels of job satisfaction.

All hypothesized parameters were significant. EQS, structure equation modeling program, was used to analyze the data. The results indicated high construct validity for the model. In general, constraints have a direct positive effect upon job content, wage, and job satisfaction, and an indirect negative effect upon wage and job satisfaction mediated through job content. The implication is that, as magnitudes of constraints increase, there is a corresponding increase in levels of energy and effort to overcome this effect, thus lowering wage and job satisfaction.