Building A Sense of Community on Nursing Units

By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, FAAN

“A community is a group that has learned to transcend their individual differences.” Scott Peck

My graduate students in nursing administration all have practicum experiences with nurse leaders as part of their education. I always ask each student about the qualities of their nurse leader preceptor. Recently, one of my students told me that what he admired most about his preceptor was the extraordinary sense of community that she had built among staff on the two units that she she supervised. This is important when you consider that staff often spend as much time with one another at work as they do with family members. During tough times like we are currently experiencing in health care, it is important for leaders to place an emphasis on building community, camaraderie, and a sense of teamwork in the work place. Building a sense of community on a unit is part of the art of leadership. We know from nursing research that nurses have an innate need to feel connected and valued, that they belong to a larger whole, and that they are valued as members of a community. There are some key actions that nurse leaders can take to foster this kind of positive work environment.

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. 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 special events, birthdays and staff achievements is 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.