Why a Sense of Community Matters on Nursing Units

By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, FAAN

“Relationships are all there is. Everything in the universe only exists because it is in relationship to everything else. Nothing exists in isolation. We have to stop pretending we are individuals that can go it alone.” Margaret Wheatley

The Holiday season is a joyful one for most but not all of us. For some people, it raises issues about what they have lost or perhaps never had in terms of family or friends. One of my graduate students who is a very experienced manager told me that each holiday season, she takes the time to learn about the celebration plans of her staff. She does this because several years ago, she learned that one of her staff members no longer had any living close relatives and spent holidays alone. She quickly realized that the unit staff were the only real family that this staff member had. When she brought this to the attention of some of the senior staff, they told her that they had assumed everyone had some plans and were quite surprised to learn otherwise. The staff member was quickly adopted for the holidays by one of her fellow nurses and it has led to a great friendship. It helped her to realize why having a sense of community on the unit not only was a good leadership strategy but also important for the mental health of her staff. Yet building a sense of community can prove challenging in some environments. Here are 7 strategies recommended by the experts:

1. Align Staff around a Sense of Purpose and Values

A key element in forming a strong sense of community is a shared vision among members in the purpose of work and common values. Nurse leaders sometimes make assumptions that there is a shared sense of purpose and values among staff but this may not be case. To build a sense of community, leaders should initiate a discussion with staff and capture their ideas about purpose and values so consensus can be built.

2. Be Inclusive

To build strong communities, everyone must feel like a valued member. It means taking the time to find out if staff have holiday plans and if not, why not. This includes all who contribute to the goals of the unit including interdisciplinary team members, housekeeping and engineering. In talking about his nurse leader preceptor, my student observed that she spoke to everyone like an equal partner. He observed that “no matter how busy she is, she takes the time to greet everyone and ask them how they are.”

3. Value Individual Differences

Part of the joy of being human is the recognition that we are all different and have unique gifts. To build community, nurse leaders should recognize these individual differences and capitalize on each person’s strengths. In First Break all the Rules, Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman observed from their research that the world’s greatest managers capitalize on the strengths of staff and minimize their weaknesses.

4. Encourage an Environment of Trust

Strong communities at work are built in an environment of trust. Nurse leaders can help foster this trust by refusing to engage in gossip, speculation or criticism of others when they are not present. Leaders set the tone for the culture by insisting that all parties are present for the discussion and no conclusions are drawn until the full story is heard.

5. Create Opportunities for Staff to tell their Stories

It might surprise you how little nursing staff know about one another in some environments. Nurse leaders can help build community by creating opportunities for staff to learn more about one another and what is important to them in their work. Huddles and staff meetings can be great opportunities to have staff tell something about themselves, what is important to them and share their uniqueness. Leaders should also take the time themselves to learn about the lives of their staff, the names of their children and special days such as birthdays. In today’s environment, many staff live alone and may not have close family or friends. For these staff, work is an important connection.

6. Embrace Conflict

Conflict is an inevitable part of teamwork. In nursing environments where unit staff may see each other infrequently, conflict can build and go unresolved. Nurse leaders need to embrace that conflict is part of the community, but also actively look for ways to reduce tension. Helping staff with conflict resolution skills is important. There may be times when there is a need to agree to disagree, and this is okay in a community.

7. Look for Opportunities to Celebrate

Celebrating holidays and special events such as Christmas, New Years, birthdays and staff achievements are an important part of establishing community. Most nurse leaders would readily agree that the importance of sharing meals cannot be underestimated in establishing staff camaraderie. The only caveat to celebrating staff events is that is important to be consistent in doing this. Participation in community events such as heart walks or a united way drive can be a great way to build unit camaraderie.

There is strong evidence that building a sense of community on units contributes to staff retention. By making your workplace enjoyable, you may be able to boost employee morale and improve your staff satisfaction. A sense of community is energizing to staff, reduces absenteeism and improves patient care.

Read to Lead

Buckingham, M. & Coffman, C. (1999). First Break all the Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers do Differently. New York: Simon and Schuster.

Manion, J. & Bartholomew, K. (2004). Community in the workplace: A proven retention strategy. Journal of Nursing Administration, 34(1) 46-53.