Complexity and change in nurse workflows

Area of Science:

• Complex Systems Science
• Systems Theory
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Organizations naturally increase in complexity over time.
• Complex systems science offers new management perspectives for social organizations like hospitals.
• This article is part of a series applying complex systems science to traditional management concepts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To apply complex systems science to hospital management.
• To analyze nurse workflow as a complex adaptive system.
• To highlight the need for caution in selecting performance improvement methods for nurse workflows.

Main Methods:

• Literature review and conceptual analysis.
• Application of complex adaptive systems principles to healthcare settings.
• Examination of traditional management functions (planning, organizing, directing, coordinating, controlling) through the lens of complex systems.

Main Results:

• Nurse workflow demonstrates characteristics of complex adaptive systems.
• Traditional management approaches may require adaptation when dealing with complex systems.
• Performance improvement initiatives need careful consideration within complex adaptive systems.

Conclusions:

• Nurse workflow is best understood as a complex adaptive system.
• Selecting performance improvement methods requires a nuanced approach sensitive to system complexity.
• Effective management in healthcare necessitates an understanding of complex systems dynamics.