Exploring Shared Governance for an Academic Nursing Setting

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Organizational Psychology
• Academic Administration

Background:

• A positive work environment is vital for employee satisfaction and organizational performance.
• Understanding factors influencing a healthy work environment is critical in academic settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review existing literature on job satisfaction, empowerment, and work engagement.
• To explore their influence on a faculty and staff academic shared governance model.
• To assess the impact on creating a healthy work environment within a school of nursing.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of PubMed (1975-2014) and ERIC (2006-2016).
• Inclusion of articles from reference lists of selected publications.
• Analysis of definitions and descriptions of shared governance in academic contexts.

Main Results:

• Shared governance models in academic settings can positively influence job satisfaction.
• Empowerment and work engagement are key components influenced by shared governance.
• The development of a faculty and staff shared governance model supports a healthy work environment.

Conclusions:

• A shift towards inclusive shared governance is essential for nursing academia's resilience.
• This approach fosters innovation by utilizing the skills of all members.
• Novel, inclusive strategies are needed to enhance academic workplaces.