The effect of organizational information security climate on information security policy compliance: the mediating effect of social bonding towards healthcare nurses

Abstract

The advancement of information communication technology in healthcare institutions has increased information security breaches. Scholars and industry practitioners have reported that most security breaches are due to negligence towards organizational information security policy compliance (ISPC) by healthcare employees such as nurses. There is, however, a lack of understanding of the factors that ensure ISPC among nurses, especially in developing countries such as Malaysia. This paper develops and examines a research framework that draws upon the factors of organizational climate of information security (OCIS) and social bond theory to enhance ISPC among nurses. A questionnaire was adopted in which responses were obtained from 241 nurses employed in 30 hospitals in Malaysia. The findings from the study demonstrated that the ISPC among nurses is enhanced through OCIS factors. The influence on ISPC was even more significant when examined by the mediating effect of the social bond. It implies that influential OCIS factors reinforce social bonds among nurses and eventually increase the ISPC. For information security practitioners, the study findings emphasize the prevalence of socio-active information security culture in healthcare organizations to enhance ISP compliance among nurses.