Assignment: Workplace Environment Assessment

Assignment: Workplace Environment Assessment

Assignment: Workplace Environment Assessment

Workplace Environment Assessment
A critical part of nursing leadership is promoting a healthy work environment. An assessment of the workplace based on tools like the Clark Healthy Workplace Inventory allows healthcare leaders to implement measures to enhance employee performance and productivity. Nurse managers and organizational leaders should provide an environment where nurses and other healthcare workers feel comfortable and motivated to air their opinions and address concerns arising from their work activities (Peng, 2023). A healthy work environment does not imply the absence of real or perceived threats to health but should foster the physical, mental, and social wellness of the staff (Ota et al., 2022). The purpose of this paper is to discuss the results of the work environment assessment, review the literature on these areas or concepts, and suggest strategies to enhance highly efficient inter-professional teams.

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Part 1: Work Environment Assessment
Description of Results
The score based on the inventory for our organization was 60%, meaning it is a mildly healthy work environment, with just a point above barely healthy. The result emanates from the current situation where nurses and other employees do not feel the organization endures its vision. Their concerns are not addressed as they feel that the planned expansion to a new state-of-the-art facility did not happen. Many are contemplating seeking new employment places and opportunities due to a decline in the team culture. The environment fails to obtain better scores based on the Clark Healthy Workplace Inventory due to toxic leadership that does not understand medical aesthetics as a specialty.
Two Surprising Things & one Idea Confirmed
Two things that surprised me were the score of 60% implying mildly healthy, and the decline in the vision that nurses and other staff had for the organization. I was surprised that it was even mildly healthy. I was surprised because six months before the assessment, the result would have been a very healthy workplace. One change in the leadership by an individual could lead to this significant shift in the organization’s culture. I reckoned that if the assessment happened again after a week, the workplace environment would get a score of barely healthy.
An idea that I believed before conducting the assessment which was confirmed is that the workplace environment was already toxic due to the leadership change and actions that the leader was taking without consulting and engaging employees. The unbiased review based on the inventory was categorical that the workplace environment was not conducive for nurses and other healthcare providers in the facility.
Results Suggest on the health and Civility of the Workplace
The results of the assessment are categorical that leadership change has had a significant negative effect on the work culture. The assessment shows that the health and civility of the workplace are missing and require immediate interventions to bring change and inspire nurses. Civility is the foundation for patient safety, a healthy work environment, healthy staff, and increased productivity and performance. Nurse leaders and nurses should demonstrate civilized conduct, courtesy, politeness, and a polite act or expression of views and other aspects that impact the workplace environment. Civility impacts morale and job satisfaction among employees, including nurses. These results show that a healthy workplace can enhance collaboration, and effective communication, and lead to better patient outcomes when embedded in the organizational culture. In their article, Hossny et al. (2020) show that civility influences effective collaboration between nurses and physicians to attain better patient outcomes. Ota et al. (2021) emphasize the role of nurse leadership in fostering and supporting civility in the workplace. The study suggests ways and strategies for nurses to pragmatically promote and maintain civility in healthcare settings. The implication is that the results of the assessment indicate the nurse leader has failed to promote civility in the facility because of single-handedly making decisions without engaging nurses and understanding the nature of the work environment.
Part 2: Reviewing the Literature
Concept in the article
The selected article by Clark (2019) explores the concepts of civility and respect in nursing. Clark asserts that disrespect and uncivil workplace environment breeds harm, especially for patient safety. The article is categorical that disrespectful and uncivil behaviors in healthcare settings can lead to detrimental effects on nurses, teams, organizations, and patient safety, especially in life-threatening mistakes and even preventable complications. The article shows that incivility has significant effects on the patient care environment. The concept of incivility is essential as it implies that organizational leaders and nurses should develop evidence-based strategies to enhance and foster a culture of civility and respect. Clark (2019) observes that incivility and disrespect are associated with poor patient outcomes, dissatisfaction among employees, and increased turnover rates, as currently happening in our facility.
Relation to Outcomes of Work Environment Assessment
The concept presented in this article relates to the outcomes of the Work Environment Assessment as it demonstrates that having a healthy work environment reduces harm and fosters civility and respect among employees and management. The article shows that when a work environment is toxic, civility cannot thrive as employees and the management do not collaborate or work cooperatively to fix a problem or resolve emerging conflicts. The current work environment is uncivil and disrespects nurses and other providers (Clark et al., 2022). Therefore, the article emphasizes that nurse leadership should foster respect and engage nurses to attain increased job satisfaction, develop a positive work environment, and enhance collaboration among all stakeholders.
Organization using the Concepts from the Article
The organization can use the concepts of civility and respect for nurses to improve the current toxic environment where nurses perceive that the leadership is not responsive to their concerns. The organization should implement the evidence-based strategies as proposed by the article to improve civility and respect for nurses. The article recommends an eight-step process that allows the organization to improve civility and satisfaction among nurses. For instance, the article suggests that the first step is to raise awareness and build leadership support. The leadership should raise awareness of the positive effects of civility and educate key stakeholders about the negative impacts of incivility. The next step is assembling and empowering civility teams and ensuring they have broad-based support or recognition within the workplace.
These strategies among others are essential to the organization as it can leverage them to improve employees’ welfare and patient safety (Broome et al., 2021). For example, the new nurse leader should engage nurses and seek their views on the proposed facility and its effects on productivity and performance. Civility and respect are essential and the nurse leader should ensure nurses give their views and vision as depicted a few months ago before her arrival (Clark et al., 2022). She needs to understand aesthetic care as a specialty that is broad-based and not narrow since it allows individuals to have access to life-changing treatment based on their desired interventions. However, all decisions and actions must be founded on ethical values and requirements to ensure patient safety.
Part 3: Evidence-Based Strategies for High Performance Inter-professional Teams
Strategies to address shortcomings
The initial strategy is to assess organizational civility through carrying out surveys and focus groups to collect data about the present state of the workplace civility and respect. Secondly, the organization should have a data-driven or focused action plan where it leverages the collected data to develop targeted interventions aimed at improving work culture and leadership practices. These strategies will ensure that the current manager understands the impact of the single-handed decisions that she is making (Lee et al., 2022). Using the collected data and evaluating the current state of civility in the organization will ensure that the facility implements better approaches in engaging the staff, stops performing unethical procedures that risk patient safety, and fosters a culture of respect and civility for nurses that includes their effective engagement and collaboration (Clark et al., 2022). These strategies are critical in developing an organization that focuses on better interventions to attain positive patient outcomes.
Strategies to Bolster Successful Practices
Successful practices as revealed in the work environment assessment should be bolstered through effective strategies as suggested by literature. As observed by Clark (2019) promoting ethical decision-making entails reinforcing the importance of all stakeholders and abiding by the set standards by professional entities like the American Nurses Association (ANA). Continuous education equips nurses with the latest information and trends in care provision, including aesthetic nursing care. Further, a review of policies ensures that all decisions align with organizational best practices to avoid dictatorial leadership tendencies (Hover et al., 2022). Secondly, collaborative leadership training is essential as it allows leaders to foster a respectful, engaging, and empowered work environment where employees can express their opinions and concerns.
Conclusion
The challenges emanating from the new nurse manager’s leadership approach or style highlight the urgent need for the organization to foster a culture of civility and respect in the work environment. By implementing the suggested strategies, the leadership and organization will promote ethical decision-making, collaborative leadership, respectful and civil workplace environment and culture. These benefits can address the present issues and ensure patient safety and quality outcomes while improving staff wellbeing and satisfaction.

References
Broome, M., & Marshall, E. S. (2021). Transformational leadership in nursing: From expert
clinician to influential leader (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Springer.
Clark, C. M. (2019). Fostering a culture of civility and respect in nursing. Journal of Nursing
Regulation, 10(1): 44-52. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/S2155-8256(19)30082-1
Clark, C. M., Gorton, K. L., & Bentley, A. L. (2022). Civility: A concept analysis revisited.
Nursing outlook, 70(2): 259-270. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2021.11.001
Hossny, E. K., & Sabra, H. E. (2021). Effect of Nurses’ perception of workplace civility climate
on nurse-physician collaboration. Nursing open, 8(2): 620-627. DOI: 10.1002/nop2.666
Hover, L. A., & Williams, G. B. (2022). New nurses’ experience with lateral violence and their
decision to remain in nursing. International journal for human caring, 26(4), 199–208. https://doi.org/10.20467/HumanCaring-D-20-00069
Lee, S., & Miller, K. (2022). Developing a diversity, equity, and civility council to advance
health equity in nursing academia and practice. Nursing administration quarterly, 46(3): E16–E23. DOI: 10.1097/NAQ.0000000000000528.
Ota, M., Lam, L., Gilbert, J., & Hills, D. (2022). Nurse leadership in promoting and supporting
civility in healthcare settings: A scoping review. Journal of nursing management, 30(8): 4221-4233. DOI: 10.1111/jonm.13883
Peng, X. (2023). Advancing Workplace Civility: A Systematic Review and meta-analysis of
Definitions, measurements, and associated Factors. Frontiers in psychology, 14, 1277188. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1277188

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To Prepare:

Review the Resources and examine the Clark Healthy Workplace Inventory, found on page 20 of Clark (2015).

Review the Work Environment Assessment Template*.

Reflect on the output of your Discussion post regarding your evaluation of workplace civility and the feedback received from colleagues.

Select and review one or more of the following articles found in the Resources:

Clark (2019)

Hover and Williams (2022)

Lee and Miller (2022)

McDermott, Bernard, and Hathaway (2021)

The Assignment (3-6 pages total):

Part 1: Work Environment Assessment (1-2 pages)

Review the Work Environment Assessment Template you completed for this Module’s Discussion.

Describe the results of the Work Environment Assessment you completed on your workplace.

Identify two things that surprised you about the results and one idea you believed prior to conducting the Assessment that was confirmed.

Explain what the results of the Assessment suggest about the health and civility of your workplace.

Part 2: Reviewing the Literature (1-2 pages)

Briefly describe the theory or concept presented in the article(s) you selected.

Explain how the theory or concept presented in the article(s) relates to the results of your Work Environment Assessment.

Explain how your organization could apply the theory highlighted in your selected article(s) to improve organizational health and/or create stronger work teams. Be specific and provide examples.

Part 3: Evidence-Based Strategies to Create High-Performance Interprofessional Teams (1–2 pages)

Recommend at least two strategies, supported in the literature, that can be implemented to address any shortcomings revealed in your Work Environment Assessment.

Recommend at least two strategies that can be implemented to bolster successful practices revealed in your Work Environment Assessment.

Clark, C. M. (2019). Fostering a culture of civility and respect in nursingLinks to an external site.. Journal of Nursing Regulation, 10(1), 44–52.

Summary of the Current Organizational Culture Recently, I took the Clark Healthy Workplace Inventory for my organization and scored 60, indicating a mildly healthy work environment, just one point above barely healthy. This result was not surprising given the recent major culture shift within the organization. The shift began with the arrival of a new nurse manager who lacks experience in our medical specialty of aesthetics. This new leadership has single-handedly transformed a previously positive and motivated team culture into a toxic environment. Prior to this change, our team was enthusiastic about relocating to a new, upgraded facility, expanding from 3,000 to 11,000 square feet, and moving into a state-of-the-art surgery center. However, since the move, the cultural atmosphere has deteriorated significantly. As a result of this cultural decline, we have lost three employees, and the remaining original staff members are actively seeking new employment opportunities. One notable instance of the toxic environment involved our social media manager resigning without notice. Leadership’s unprofessional handling of the situation led to the former employee withholding passwords to our social media accounts, which are our primary marketing channels. This caused significant financial strain and created conflict between current employees and animosity towards leadership. In summary, the culture shift brought on by new, inexperienced leadership has had a profoundly negative impact on our team dynamics and overall work environment. Without a change, I too will be seeking new employment opportunities.

In the context of my current organization, significant challenges have arisen following a leadership change. Our new nurse manager’s dictatorial leadership style has fostered a toxic work environment, which not only demoralizes staff but also potentially endangers patient safety. Current Situation The primary issue at hand is that our surgical practice recently expanded, doubling its size and incurring substantial financial strain. This strain has led to budget cuts, particularly in marketing, resulting in decreased leads and surgical bookings. Our new nurse manager has responded by blaming staff members instead of fostering collaboration to address these challenges. The manager’s focus has shifted towards introducing new procedures without adequate education, such as a weight loss program lacking a holistic nutritional approach. Additionally, there is pressure to perform surgeries that were previously deemed unethical, increasing the risk to patient safety and causing internal conflict among staff with strong ethical principles. Impact of Leadership on Workplace Culture The article “Fostering a Culture of Civility and Respect in Nursing” emphasizes the importance of leadership styles that promote a positive and respectful workplace culture. The current dictatorial leadership approach contrasts sharply with the collaborative and respectful leadership recommended in the article. This contrast highlights the need for leadership that encourages teamwork, open communication, and mutual respect to ensure both staff well-being and patient safety. Risks to Patient Safety The lack of proper education and preparation for new procedures, as well as the push for ethically questionable surgeries, directly jeopardizes patient safety. The article underscores that a culture of civility and respect is crucial for maintaining high standards of patient care. When leadership fails to uphold these standards, the entire healthcare team is compromised, increasing the likelihood of medical errors and patient harm. Strategies for Improvement To address these issues, it is essential to assess organizational civility at all levels, including leadership. Developing a data-driven action plan can help re-examine the ethical, legal, and regulatory implications of current practices. Strategies from the article that can be incorporated include: 1. Assessing Organizational Civility: Conducting surveys and focus groups to gather data on the current state of workplace civility and respect. 2. Developing a Data-Driven Action Plan: Using the data collected to create targeted interventions aimed at improving workplace culture and leadership practices. 3. Promoting Ethical Decision-Making: Reinforcing the importance of ethical decision-making and patient safety through continuous education and policy reviews. 4. Encouraging Collaborative Leadership: Training leaders in collaborative and respectful leadership styles to foster a more positive and productive work environment. Conclusion In conclusion, the challenges posed by the new nurse manager’s leadership style highlight the urgent need for fostering a culture of civility and respect within our organization. By implementing strategies that promote ethical decision-making, collaborative leadership, and a respectful workplace culture, we can address the current issues and ensure the safety and well-being of both our staff and patients.

Resources

Broome, M., & Marshall, E. S. (2021). Transformational leadership in nursing: From expert clinician to influential leader (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Springer.

Chapter 5, “Collaborative Leadership Contexts: It Is All About Working Together (pp. 155–178)

Chapter 8, “Creating and Shaping the Organizational Environment and Culture to Support Practice Excellence” (pp. 237–272)

Chapter 7, “Building Cohesive and Effective Teams” (pp. 212–231)

Clark Healthy Workplace InventoryLinks to an external site.. (2015). American Nurse Today, 10(11), 20.

Select at least ONE of the following:

Clark, C. M. (2019). Fostering a culture of civility and respect in nursingLinks to an external site.. Journal of Nursing Regulation, 10(1), 44–52.

Hover, L. A., & Williams, G. B. (2022). New nurses’ experience with lateral violence and their decision to remain in nursingLinks to an external site.. International Journal for Human Caring, 26(4), 199–208. https://doi.org/10.20467/HumanCaring-D-20-00069

Lee, S., & Miller, K. (2022). Developing a diversity, equity, and civility council to advance health equity in nursing academia and practiceLinks to an external site.. Nursing Administration Quarterly, 46(3), E16–E23.

McDermott, C., Bernard, N., & Hathaway, W. (2021). Taking a stand against workplace incivilityLinks to an external site.. Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 52(5), 232–239.