A discourse analysis of managerialism and trust amongst nursing professionals

Best practice recommendations for healthy work environments for nurses: An integrative literature review

Healthy work environments that maximise the health and well-being of nurses are essential in achieving good patient and societal outcomes, as well as optimal organisational performance. While studies have been conducted on healthy work environments, there is no available evidence that an integrative literature review summarising best-practice recommendations related to healthy work environments has been conducted before. This review aimed to summarise existing best-practice recommendations related to a healthy work environment for nurses. An integrative literature review following the approach adapted from Whittemore and Knafl was used. Existing guidelines related to healthy work environments for nurses were searched. EBSCOhost (CINAHL, Medline), Biomed Central, Science Direct, PubMed and Google Scholar and organisational websites via Google were searched, followed by a citation search. Twelve guidelines were identified for data extraction and synthesis, and themes were subsequently formulated. Four themes emerged from the integrative literature review regarding a healthy work environment for nurses: (1) the need for effective nursing leadership, (2) effective communication as central to enhancement of a healthy environment, (3) effective teamwork as an integral part of a healthy work environment and (4) the need for professional autonomy. In summary, a healthy work environment for nurses requires leadership, effective communication, teamwork and professional autonomy.

Predicting workplace loneliness in the nursing profession

AIM

This study examined a model investigating how social interaction variables (leader-member exchange (interactions between managers and nurses), trust, and communication frequency) and work meaningfulness influence nurses' experiences of workplace loneliness.

BACKGROUND

As workplace loneliness can result in lower job satisfaction and a decrease in workers' health, understanding the contributing factors to loneliness at work is important.

METHOD

In this cross-sectional study, Turkish nurses (N = 864) completed self-report scales measuring social exchange between leaders and members, trust in leaders, communication frequency, work meaningfulness, and loneliness. To avoid fatigue and method variance influence, scales were completed over two testing times (separated by a month).

RESULTS

Workplace loneliness was associated with less social interaction with leaders (lower leader-member exchange and frequency of communication), less trust in leaders, and lower reports of meaningful work.

CONCLUSION

The results suggest that workplace loneliness can be reduced when managers exchange more information and communicate more frequently with their nurses. Workplace loneliness is also reduced when nurses trust their leaders and find their work meaningful.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT

Managers supervising nurses need to be aware that workplace loneliness occurs and that their interactions and relationships with the nurses will have an impact on experienced workplace loneliness.

Trust initiation and development in SME-university collaborations: implications for enabling engaged scholarship

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explore trust initiation and development in collaborations between universities and small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the implications for enabling engaged scholarship (ES).

Design/methodology/approach

Adopting a qualitative inductive approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposive maximum variation sample comprising 14 SMEs and 12 university stakeholders.

Findings

The authors highlight the role of calculus-based trust in the initiation of collaborations emphasising the key roles of networking and referrals. As collaborations develop, reciprocal insights regarding stakeholders’ competencies and integrity and the development of knowledge-based trust can support engagement, in particular, knowledge application. Although relationships have a common sense of purpose, a fully engaged campus remains absent.

Research limitations/implications

This study is based on a collaborative research between eight SMEs and one university business school and does not reflect ES fully as conceptualised. It provides few insights into the role of trust (or distrust) in such collaborations where things go wrong.

Practical implications

Universities looking to enable ES collaborations with SMEs need to develop and enact strategies which support ongoing engagement and enable identification-based trust (IBT). Recommendations for universities and human resource development regarding interventions to support trust initiation and development to enable knowledge application ES are outlined and suggestions are offered for future research.

Social implications

University strategies to support the development of trust and, in particular, IBT are likely to benefit longer-term relationships and the development of ES between SMEs and universities.

Originality/value

Little research has been undertaken on trust initiation and development between academic and SME stakeholders or the associated implications for ES.