By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN
During a recent leadership development program, nurse managers discussed the importance of touchpoints, recognition, and feedback to keep their younger staff engaged.
One manager explained, “No news has been good during my career, but this does not work with younger staff. Today’s newer nurses want a lot of feedback (especially favorable). At first, I had a tough time doing this because I did not need it, and neither did most of my contemporaries. But not doing something because you don’t need it is not leadership – you need to think about your followers. After all, this generation was clapped in and out of kindergarten daily, so why wouldn’t they want this? I decided why not do a clap-in and clap-out in huddles at the beginning and end of every shift in our ICU. It is a nice virtual way to remind my staff that they matter and that we are happy they are here. The team loves this ritual. I must say that clapping creates visible positive energy and makes everyone feel better.”
What this manager has done is create a social ritual with her team. Social rituals play an essential role in the workplace by doing the following:
- Learn about each other on a personal level.
- Connect us as a team.
- Help new team members feel more psychologically safe and included in the workplace.
- Provide opportunities for recognition.
- Lead to higher retention.
The significance of rituals is captured in the book Rituals Roadmap by Erica Keswin. Keswin points out that rituals are evidence-based for building more cohesive teams. Rituals mean something to people and help us connect in meaningful ways. Keswin defines a ritual as a sequence of repeated symbolic actions over time formalized into the fabric of team culture to maintain group cohesion. Rituals help build psychological safety because they are designed to promote inclusion. Rituals can reinforce an organization’s values and make staff feel part of something special. Without them, teams struggle to build meaning in their work.
Rituals are like social glue. They help restore our humanity and civility. So yes, while initially clapping in and out of the shift might have felt awkward and even juvenile, over time, it has helped bond this manager’s team together in ways that she could not have imagined.
© emergingrnleader.com 2024
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