Incubating Collaboration for a Neonatal Scholars Writing Group

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Scholarly Writing
• Team Development

Background:

• Writing teams can enhance scholarly productivity.
• A structured approach is needed for effective team formation, particularly in specialized fields like neonatology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present an innovative strategy for establishing an effective neonatal writing team.
• To guide faculty and students through team development stages for sustained scholarly writing.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Tuckman's Model of Team Development (forming, storming, norming, performing, adjourning).
• Applied the model to guide the Neonatal Scholars Interest Group through developmental stages.
• Focused on intentional progression and sustainability of the writing group.

Main Results:

• The Neonatal Scholars Interest Group successfully navigated team development stages.
• The model facilitated a strong foundation and sustainability for the writing group.
• The initiative inspired the creation of additional specialized writing groups within the institution.

Conclusions:

• The structured approach using Tuckman's model effectively developed a sustainable neonatal writing team.
• The writing team enhanced knowledge and skills in scholarly writing, scholarship dissemination, and mentoring for nurse faculty and students.
• This model supports the advancement of nursing education and practice through improved scholarly output.