Professional nurses make up the largest sector of the workforce and are leaders in achieving team-based patient outcomes; nurses are essential to the success of the health care organizations and the well-being of society. “Across the health care workforce, ambiguity of roles, wasteful and non-value-added work, lack of teamwork, and an environment of disrespect are robbing people of the experiences that bring meaning and joy into their working lives” (National Patient Safety Foundation [NPSF], 2013). These issues complicate the delivery of the quality of care that the health care workforce strives to provide to the individual, family, and community. The American Nurses Association and the American Organization of Nurse Executives affirms that going forward, the creation and sustainability of healthy work environments is essential to providing quality healthcare (American Nurses Association and the American Organization of Nurse Executives [ANA and AONE], 2012, p. 1). Longo (2011, p. 9) states, “Within the healthcare setting, the nurse interacts with many health care professionals, but probably, the relationships that most impact the nurse are those that exist in the immediate work environment and include relationships with nurse managers and nurse peers”. In 2016, the American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE) stated that research priorities include research questions related to healthy work environments and outcomes related to healthy work environments (American Organization of Nurse Executives Foundation [AONE Foundation], 2016).
Problem
Within the healthcare work environment, there continues to be a significant need to improve the relationships between leaders and the teams they lead, and to improve the relationships among team members. These relationships are essential to cost effective, quality healthcare delivery as well as to the well-being of those involved.
The review of the state of the science identifies antecedents and consequences of a healthy work environment. These antecedents include leadership and positive relationships between individuals in the work environment. Enhancement of self-awareness is identified as having a positive effect on how one understands and interacts with others, resulting in improved leadership and working relationships.
Emergenetics is a brain-based approach to personality profiling that enhances personal power through self-awareness, builds understanding, facilitates communication, and improves performance (Browning, 2006). The Emergenetics Profile identifies and measures four preferred ways of thinking (Analytical, Structural, Social and Conceptual) and three preferred ways of behaving (Expressiveness, Assertiveness, and Flexibility) (Browning, 2006). A better understanding of ourselves and others’ preferred ways of thinking and behaving is extremely helpful in our successful navigation of the interactions of daily life, completing tasks, and achieving short and long-term goals. Additionally, building teams where there is cognitive diversity can enhance innovation and productivity.
Methodology
The Emergenetics Profile (Emergenetics Profile, n. d.) is a 100-item instrument that was developed to distinctly measure individuals preferred thinking and behaviors. Emergenetics enhances personal power, builds understanding, facilitates communication, and improves performance. The Emergenetics Profile includes a useful theory of behavior (nomological and empirical approach), is stable, and accurately measures what it is supposed to measure (Browning, 2006; Williams, 2014).
This study was reviewed and approved by the health science center's Institutional Review Board that also represents the hospital where this study is being conducted. Two groups of clinical leaders at this hospital were invited to complete the 100 item questionnaire (Emergenetics Profile). Each group attends the Meeting of the Minds (MOTM) workshop where their profile is presented to them, information on how to interpret the profile is provided, and activities are conducted to understand their profile as well as those of others in the group.
Prior to attending the MOTM workshop, the leaders are invited by email to complete a demographics survey and three questionnaires: Authentic Leadership Self-Assessment Questionnaire, the Rahim Organization Conflict Inventory II, and Subjective Happiness Scale using Survey Monkey links to each of these questionnaires. The participants are also asked to complete the three questionnaires within two weeks after the workshop, then again at three months and six months after the workshop. By completing the three questionnaires, they are consenting to the study. For those who agree to participate, they are given instructions to devise a unique identifier code to link the questionnaire responses together to maintain anonymity. Aggregate data results will be analyzed.
The first group completed their profiles and attended the MOTM workshop on June 8, 2018. The second group is currently in the process of completing their profiles, pre workshop demographic information, and questionnaires and will be attending the MOTM workshop on November 29, 2018.
Results
The first group’s data is currently being analyzed using SPSS. Changes in the four domains of the Authentic Leadership Self-Assessment (self-awareness, internalized moral perspective, balanced processing and relational transparency), in preferred conflict management style (Integrating, Obliging, Dominating, Avoiding, Compromising) and one's subjective happiness will be studied over the six month time period.
Implications
The Emergenetics Profile and MOTM workshop may be a useful tool is supporting leadership development and team building and productivity.
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