Learning Objectives

Students will:

• Assess work environments for workplace civility
• Analyze strategies to address workplace incivility
• Analyze evidence-based theories for promoting organizational health
• Recommend strategies for improving workplace environments

Learning Resources

Note: To access this week’s required library resources, please click on the link to the Course Readings List, found in the Course Materials section of your Syllabus.

Required Readings

Marshall, E., & Broome, M. (2017). Transformational leadership in nursing: From expert clinician to influential leader (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Springer.

• Chapter 5, “Collaborative Leadership Contexts: Networks, Communication, Decision Making, and Motivation” (pp. 121–144)
• Chapter 9, “Creating and Shaping the Organizational Environment and Culture to Support Practice Excellence” (pp. 247–278)
• Chapter 10, “Building Cohesive and Effective Teams” (pp. 279–298)

Select at least ONE of the following:

Clark, C. M., Olender, L., Cardoni, C., & Kenski, D. (2011). Fostering civility in nursing education and practice: Nurse leader perspectives. Journal of Nursing Administration, 41(7/8), 324–330. doi:10.1097/NNA.0b013e31822509c4

Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.

Clark, C. M. (2018). Combining cognitive rehearsal, simulation, and evidence-based scripting to address incivility. Nurse Educator. doi:10.1097/NNE.0000000000000563

Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.

Clark, C. M. (2015). Conversations to inspire and promote a more civil workplace. American Nurse Today, 10(11), 18–23. Retrieved from https://www.americannursetoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/ant11-CE-Civility-1023.pdf

Griffin, M., & Clark, C. M. (2014). Revisiting cognitive rehearsal as an intervention against incivility and lateral violence in nursing: 10 years later. Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 45(12), 535–542. doi:10.3928/00220124-20141122-02

Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.

Document: Work Environment Assessment Template (Word document)

Required Media

TEDx. (2017, April). Jody Hoffer Gittell: The power of a simple idea [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7nL5RC5kdE

Laureate Education (Producer). (2009a). Working with Groups and Teams [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Discussion: Workplace Environment Assessment

How healthy is your workplace?

You may think your current organization operates seamlessly, or you may feel it has many issues. You may experience or even observe things that give you pause. Yet, much as you wouldn’t try to determine the health of a patient through mere observation, you should not attempt to gauge the health of your work environment based on observation and opinion. Often, there are issues you perceive as problems that others do not; similarly, issues may run much deeper than leadership recognizes.

There are many factors and measures that may impact organizational health. Among these is civility. While an organization can institute policies designed to promote such things as civility, how can it be sure these are managed effectively? In this Discussion, you will examine the use of tools in measuring workplace civility.

To Prepare:

• Review the Resources and examine the Clark Healthy Workplace Inventory, found on page 20 of Clark (2015).
• Review and complete the Work Environment Assessment Template in the Resources.

By Day 3 of Week 7

Post a brief description of the results of your Work Environment Assessment. Based on the results, how civil is your workplace? Explain why your workplace is or is not civil. Then, describe a situation where you have experienced incivility in the workplace. How was this addressed? Be specific and provide examples.

By Day 6 of Week 7

Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days by sharing ideas for how shortcomings discovered in their evaluations and/or their examples of incivility could have been managed more effectively. NURS 6053: Module 4: Communication and Relationship Building Weeks 7-9

 

ADDITIONAL DETAILS 

Communication and Relationship Building

Introduction

Communication is essential to building relationships, but it can be difficult to get started. In this post, I’ll share with you the five steps for successful communication and relationship building so that you can improve both of your lives.

1. Communicate clearly and respectfully.

The first step to building a strong relationship is to be able to communicate effectively with others. When we speak, it is important that our words are clear, concise and direct. If you want someone else to understand what you mean, then make sure that when communicating with them, their attention is focused on the content of your message rather than any mannerisms or body language (e.g., eye contact). In addition, remember that it’s okay if sometimes people get upset by what they hear from others—they may not always be taking things well!

2. Have a positive attitude.

A positive attitude is a must for effective communication. It’s important to avoid complaining and blaming, as this will only make you feel bad about yourself, your situation and others involved in the conversation.

It’s also important not to be too quick with your words or actions when speaking with someone else who has a different opinion than yours; instead, take time out during the conversation to listen carefully before responding or being defensive.

By having a good attitude towards yourself (and others), you can improve your ability at listening skills by focusing on what they are saying rather than getting caught up in negative thoughts about them or their motives behind what they say – this will help them feel comfortable enough so that they can share their thoughts openly with others without fear of judgement from people around them!

3. Set goals for your improved communication and relationships.

You can set goals for your improved communication and relationships.

• Make a list of goals, write down a plan to achieve them, and make sure you have the skills to achieve them.

• Be realistic about where you are now in terms of your communications skills and relationship building skills. For example, if you want to communicate better with coworkers at work but rarely do so because it’s hard for you, then don’t expect that this will be easy! Instead, focus on small steps that lead toward greater improvement over time (e.g., “I’ll start by asking someone how their day went before leaving work today”).

• Keep track of how well things are going as well as what doesn’t go well—and then decide whether or not those things need further attention so they won’t be obstacles when trying again later (or perhaps never again).

• Give yourself rewards when things go well throughout the day: maybe take yourself out for lunch after being especially productive during office hours? Or maybe treat yourself with an afternoon movie rental? Whatever feels right works best–just make sure whatever reward is chosen doesn’t create stress either!

4. Be kind, especially when someone is angry or upset.

• Be patient.

• Be empathetic.

• Be kind, especially when someone is angry or upset.

5. Think before expressing yourself.

• Think before you speak.

• Consider your words and their effects on the other person.

• Take a moment to calm down before you speak, especially if you are feeling frustrated or angry. If possible, try not to say anything at all until after taking this time for yourself. This will help prevent an outburst from happening in front of others who might be able to hear it as well—and it will also allow them time to consider what they could have done differently themselves so they don’t feel attacked themselves!

Improved communication and strengthened relationships start with you!

When you communicate, it’s important to be clear about your intentions and respectful of others’ feelings. You should show kindness even when someone is angry or upset.

If you want to improve your communication skills and strengthen relationships with others, start by being aware of these five things:

• Communicate clearly and concisely.

• Be positive and encouraging in the way that you speak with people (both face-to-face and over email/phone). Try not to complain too much—it may seem like a good idea at first but can actually cause more harm than good! Instead try saying something like “I’m sorry this happened.” Or even better: “It sounds like something else could’ve been done here.” This shows respect for the other person while still letting them know what needs fixing in their situation so they can fix it themselves (which leads us right back into step 1).

• Set goals for yourself—and stick with them! It only takes one small change per week until those changes add up into something bigger than themselves; each little improvement adds up onto itself until eventually every bit helps improve things overall without fail…

Conclusion

Communicate clearly and respectfully, be positive about your goals for improved communication and relationships, and think before you speak. You can do it!