The relationship between faculty diversity and workplace civility in nursing education: A correlational analysis

The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between faculty diversity and workplace civility in nursing programs.

Diversity is needed in healthcare and in nursing education. A diverse workforce contributes to positive organizational culture and optimal learning environments for students and faculty in nursing programs. However, nursing faculty with diverse backgrounds often experience incivility more often than the rest of the population. Effects of incivility for all faculty can be detrimental and commonly include both physical and emotional symptoms. Civility encompasses respect for diversity and inclusion. It involves consistent, intentional acts to welcome and celebrate individual differences as well as different ways of thinking and acting. The relationship between level of faculty diversity and workplace civility has not previously been studied. Understanding this relationship will be an important step in increasing workplace civility in nursing education.

Correlational design METHODS: Nursing faculty (n=528) from across the United States completed the Workplace Incivility/Civility Survey (WICS). Participants were grouped based on their self-reported level of faculty diversity at the nursing program where they were employed. Several questions from the WICS were analyzed to determine the experience and perceived incidence of incivility by the faculty participants. Descriptive statistics were used to calculate means and frequencies for the survey questions and Pearson correlation coefficient was calculated to determine if significant relationships existed between variables.

A significant negative correlation was found between the level of faculty diversity and workplace incivility. As faculty diversity increased, workplace incivility decreased.

Nursing programs with more diverse faculty tend to have lower levels of workplace incivility. Nursing program administrators should make every effort to diversify their faculty body.