I Want to Know and I Want to Be Part of It: The Impact of Instrumental Communication and Integration on Private Prison Staff

The number of private correctional facilities has increased rapidly during the past twenty years. While there is a growing body of literature on private correctional facilities, most of the focus has compared the efficiency and effectiveness of private versus public correctional institutions. The impact of the work environment on private prisons has been rarely studied. Staff are the most valuable resource for any correctional organization; hence, it is important to study how the work environment shapes the job stress, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment levels of private prison staff. Two important work environment factors are instrumental communication and integration. This study examined the effects of instrumental communication and integration on the job stress, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment of staff at a Midwestern private correctional facility. Using the survey response of 160 respondents, it was found that both instrumental communication and integration had significant effects on job stress, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment.