Nurses' shop stewards and their collaboration with management.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Organizational Behavior
• Labor Relations

Background:

• Major structural reforms in the health sector can impact workplace dynamics.
• Understanding collaboration between employee representatives and management is crucial for organizational climate.
• The Danish health sector has undergone significant structural changes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the collaboration between Danish nurses' shop stewards and workplace management.
• To track changes in workplace climate following a major structural reform of the health sector.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive survey was conducted among union representatives in the health and care sectors.
• Data collection focused on the experiences of shop stewards.

Main Results:

• Shop stewards generally have closer relations with immediate managers than higher-level management.
• More experienced shop stewards with longer tenure report more positive relations with management.
• Time spent on duties and supportive colleagues positively influence collaboration; workplace difficulties negatively impact it.
• The intensity of relations with management was not significantly linked to recent structural changes, suggesting acceptance of change in the health sector.

Conclusions:

• A high response rate was achieved in the survey.
• Shop stewards may face a competence gap regarding new public management strategies, which current union training has not fully addressed.
• Study findings are informing union strategies and aiding health sector managers in developing constructive collaboration with unions.