Editor's
Note
Cultivate
cooperation
Nurses
can help establish positive workplace relationships
Carol Bradley, MSN,
RN, California Editor
February
12, 2001
Regardless
of the nursing positions I have held or the places I have
worked, I have been fortunate to work with some incredibly
talented nurses, physicians and other caregivers. Most of
the time, the clinical talent of these colleagues was accompanied
by a sincerely caring attitude, a lot of respect for co-workers,
a good sense of humor and a shared commitment to patients.
Far
less common, I also remember the instances of talented clinicians
who were to be forever limited in their careers because
of arrogance, anger and a sense of superiority toward others.
It just takes one or two to make a work environment difficult,
doesn’t it?
I am
sure you will agree that often work relationships can make
or break a job. How we relate to each other is an important
element of what makes the workplace fun, satisfying and
rewarding – or oppressive, demeaning and punitive.
Regardless
of which relationship – nurse to nurse, nurse to physician,
nurse to aide, or nurse to other professionals – relationships
can make or break the patient’s experience as well. When
the team members can’t get along, patients often are the
ones caught in the middle.
It’s
not as if we don’t have good reason to have some problems.
The health care system and its workforce have been under
incredible stress. Relationships have been the first to
suffer. Beyond that, women’s roles in society have changed
dramatically, and we all know there are at least a few who
haven’t kept up with the changes.
Traditional
hierarchical management structures are obsolete and a poor
match for the nature of the professionals committed to health
care. There is no captain of the ship anymore; the team
culture has high expectations of us all. At least in principle,
we all have an equal voice in boardrooms, executive conference
rooms and at the bedside.
It is
important that the delivery system of tomorrow be built
on a strong foundation of professional team relationships
based on mutual respect, trust and accountability. Nurses
have a critical and important role in helping to establish
the standards for these critical relationships in the workplace,
on how we will work together in the future.
Nurses
also can have a positive influence on the nature of the
leadership values and behaviors that will survive and endure.
Be sure to articulate what kind of leadership you will respond
to and then reward your leaders who model and promote those
values and behaviors.
Nurses
have the opportunity to be a positive force within the workplace
to help change the old unproductive behaviors; it is time
for nurses to do some pushing back.
But
push back with a calm courage, with feet firmly planted
as a true patient advocate. Don’t miss a valuable message
because it comes packaged either too weakly or too stridently.
Remember
your audience, but then go ahead and push back, because
pushing back means pushing forward.
