Selected article: Hover, L. A., & Williams, G. B. (2022). New nurses’ experience with lateral
violence and their decision to remain in nursing links to an external site. International Journal
for Human Caring, 26(4), 199–208.
Work Environment Assessment
Review of the Work Environment Assessment Template
The Work Environment Assessment yields a score of 60, indicative of a mildly healthy
environment, nonetheless this is struck by significant problems. By presenting Hover and
Williams' research, the article reveals that backbiting, precisely managers' uncivil behavior,
contributes to patient risks and crucial mistakes. Neglect and lack of cooperation escalate the
situation, as evidenced by unreported patient care deficits. To enhance, approaches including
staffing, appreciating the nursing values, engaging the nurses in decision-making, and
communication should be practiced.
Description of the Results of the Work Environment
In relation to my Work Environment Assessment, the scale indicated that the environment
is mildly healthy, with an index score of 60. However, such a score masks a rather complicated
scenario regarding the working conditions. Analyzing the results, one can identify the gap
between the score and the actual state of affairs: rampant staff backstabbing and gross lack of
communication and collaboration. One alarming issue is that there is no accountability from the
managerial level, as depicted in one critical scenario where a message concerning a patient's
requirement remained unanswered during the weekend because of negligence from the
managers. In addition, the current supervisor is always rude and sarcastic, which only worsens
these aspects, suggesting a lack of manners and courtesy in the workplace. This atmosphere not
only demoralizes staff members but also threatens patient safety and the quality-of-service
delivery, indicating that despite the slightly more auspicious assessment score, much harm is
being done.
Surprising Findings and Confirmed Beliefs
Two things in particular struck me when undertaking the assessment. First, the level of
backbiting observed among staff during the research was higher than was expected. The
assessment results were valid, indicating a somewhat healthy environment with a score of 60
despite the negativity that pervades the workplace and hampers teamwork and patient care. This
divergence suggests that while the score provides some sense of the overall impact of staff
interactions on workplace health, it can only capture some of the dimensions necessary to
understand the situation truly.
Secondly, management should have considered some issues that were deemed
unprecedented. An example of the situation in which I forwarded an important message
regarding a patient's needs and have yet to receive a response since the management tends not to
take responsibility on the weekend exacerbated this problem. This situation highlights a crucial
issue that needs to be fully captured by the assessment: Research suggests that poor management
leads to adverse outcomes regarding patients' health and staff morale.
As to the beliefs, one of them stated that communication and management were crucial to
workplace health. Based on my past experiences, I noted that lack of communication and weak
management were core problems in my organization, and the assessment findings corroborated
this perception. Communication from management is poor, and they allow their subordinates to
be rude and sarcastic to other employees, thus creating a toxic environment that hinders the
provision of quality patient care and reduces staff motivation.
Implications for Workplace Health and Civility
The outcome implies that although the respondents are wedged slightly on the mildly
healthy scale, the health of the workplace and its civility are worrisome. The self-organization
map reveals that although it might be possible to identify aspects of a healthy environment, the
problematic behaviors of backbiting, disturbing communication, and poor accountability
substantially diminish organizational health. This toxic environment also influences staff
engagement and has negative implications for patient outcomes and safety. staffing, appreciation
of nursing work, involvement in decision-making, and communication are some of the steps that
should be taken in the process. They could solve the causes of the current problems by improving
the working conditions of the staff to benefit the patients in the long run.
Reviewing the Literature
Theory/Concept Overview
Psychological safety is a concept defined by Amy Edmondson; in fact, she described it as
the extent to which employees are comfortable voicing their worries or concerns within the
interpersonal sphere without expecting a punitive backlash. According to this concept, if the
team members do not fear being embarrassed or punished for contributing their ideas, asking
questions, or making errors, the team will be more productive (Hover & Williams, 2022). The
general concept is that people should be treated with respect and that trusting relationships
between employees result in improved productivity, creativity, and overall health of the
organizational system.
Relation to Work Environment Assessment
In my Work Environment Assessment, several concerns arose, including poor
communication and lack of interpersonal trust. This reason was common and included
employees' reluctance to contribute because of fear of a backlash from their superiors or peers.
This has resulted in reduced collaboration and poor morale, thereby reducing productivity in the
organization. The psychological safety concept caters to these challenges by focusing on the
need for open space where everyone can speak their mind (Hover & Williams, 2022). When
psychological safety is lacking, fruitful communication and collaboration challenges are much
more complex to overcome, resulting in continued disengagement.
Application to Improve Organizational Health
The application of the concept of psychological safety is another great advantage in the
health of organizations and work teams. Indeed, there is open communication, which the
company usually practices in their institution to allow all employees to contribute their input to
the management. For instance, holding weekly meetings assists in creating a lively environment,
and the presence of ideas from every team member is encouraged. Additionally, instead of
escalating errors as a basis for complaints, it is possible to either reduce fear and employ the
culture of incremental growth and development wherein constructive observations express that
mistakes are typical and could be leveraged for improvements (Lindert et al., 2022). Managers
should ensure that such a culture is established by describing failure incidents that occurred and
things they learned from them.
Another critical consideration is how feedback is provided to reduce the demotivating
factors for participation more than encouraging the same. It has also been shown that methods
like 'the sandwich technique where a negative comment is sandwiched between two positive
ones' can be helpful as long as they do not make the employees feel like they are under siege.
Besides, when one is looking forward to getting a chance to apply for the team projects, then
everyone with different opinions is customarily encouraged to come forward and give their
opinion so that everyone feels that they are essential and that they have to share what they think
is the best for the entire group.
Other measures, such as incorporating anonymous feedback mechanisms, are also
beneficial. Such a channel allows the formulation of possible problems or ideas by allowing the
employees to voice their opinions without fear of being targeted individually. Moreover,
leadership training that targets safety enhancement as its cornerstone can provide managers with
tools to foster safe organizational climates (Lindert et al., 2022). This training should at least
contain rudimentary skills that include listening, use of empathy, and conflict solving.
Evidence-Based Strategies to Create High-Performance Interprofessional Teams
Strategies to Address Shortcomings
Enhance Communication through Structured Handoff Protocols
Consequently, the lack of efficient handoff communication is one of the primary
deficiencies in interprofessional teams, implying possible misinterpretations and adverse events.
This can be resolved using SBAR (Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation)
models in the handoff process. According to the study by Reeves et al. (2021), standardized
communication media enhances the effectiveness of the passed information. The idea behind the
structured protocol is to make the information conveyed consistent and minimize the chances of
missing core information. When team members stick to a checklist of things that need to be
communicated to other teams when transferring a patient's case or providing an update on a
particular project, they save much time instead of making many unnecessary communications.
Other essential aspects include implementing these protocols in practice and continuously
training professionals about them so that they become a permanent part of daily work.
Implement Joint Training to Clarify Roles and Responsibilities
Interprofessional role ambiguity leads to conflict and blurring of responsibilities in
interprofessional working. This challenge can be addressed through training where subordinates
and managers undergo the training together, as this will improve the team's cohesiveness and
productivity. A systematic review and meta-analysis conducted by Reeves et al., 2021, elicits
evidence that the effectiveness of interprofessional education increases the understanding of roles
among team members and thus fosters collaboration. Simulations should involve all the
disciplines and specifically address the delineation of responsibilities for partaking members. For
instance, scheduling exercises such as simulations or workshop sessions where the members
work through different cases in teams’ aids in elaborating roles and responsibilities. Another
method of enhancing clarification of roles is through the formulation of roles and responsibilities
matrix, as it serves as a quick reference for the team members, thus minimizing confusion among
the team.
Strategies to Bolster Successful Practices
Leverage Collaborative Technology for Enhanced Coordination
Effective communication is one of the ways through which it is possible to understand
and encourage proper and efficient working relationships between various professional persons.
These successful practices can also be augmented by incorporating collaborative technology to
support real-time communication and project management. According to Shah-Nelson (2020),
the team has a workspace and other channels through software such as Microsoft Team, Slack,
and Asana, which assist members in working. Implementing these technologies helps to
minimize the amount of repetition of work carried out, ensures that all team members have the
appropriate information, and reduces work duplication. To be more specific, there is thinking
about how the collaborative tools can be incorporated with other tools, such as electronic health
records or project management tools that might be used in the given team.
Promote a Culture of Continuous Improvement
Continual engagement in the learning and development process is imperative to
maximize positive practices in interprofessional teams. Carmona ((2020) notes that high-
performance teams that encourage feedback and the ongoing improvement of processes are
associated with more extraordinary performance and integration between team members. The
feedback, such as the survey, performance, and feedback provided through the team meetings,
also allows the team members to express their opinions on specific processes and collaboration
methodologies. The structure of continuous improvement, for example, the PDSA cycle of Plan,
Do, Study, and Act, can make it possible for teams to try and amend suggested modifications on
performances and evaluations. The processes of identifying and rewarding top team
performances also emphasize that there is always room for improvement, and the members must
stay engaged in the constant enhancement and stability of team performance.
References
Carmona, L. J. D. M., Gomes, G., & da Costa, D. D. L. C. (2020). Elements of organizational
culture that encourage innovation development.=Revista de Administração FACES
Journal, 08-26.
Ghosh, S., Ramamoorthy, L., & Pottakat, B. (2021). Impact of structured clinical handover
protocol on communication and patient satisfaction.=Journal of patient experience,=8,
2374373521997733.
Hover, L. A., & Williams, G. B. (2022). New nurses’ experience with lateral violence and their
decision to remain in nursing links to an external site. International Journal for Human
Caring, 26(4), 199–208. https://doi.org/10.20467/HumanCaring-D-20-00069
Lindert, L., Kuehn, L., Kuper, P., & Choi, K. E. (2022). Organizational Health Literacy in the
Context of Employee Health: An Expert-Panel-Guided Scoping Review
Protocol.=International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health,=19(7),
4381.
Shah-Nelson, C. (2020).=How Organizations Leverage Collaborative Technology for Knowledge
Management: A Systematic Review. University of Maryland University College.
