Game Recognizes Game: An Innovative Approach to Building Nurses' Social Capital

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Sociology
• Organizational Psychology

Background:

• Social capital is crucial for professional development and organizational success.
• Limited research exists on how nurses specifically build and leverage social capital.
• Workforce retention and engagement are significant challenges in the nursing profession.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the literature on social capital within nursing.
• To demonstrate how nurses utilize innovative technology for peer recognition to build social capital.
• To introduce and define contribution-specific social capital as a novel concept.
• To provide recommendations for improving nurse retention and engagement.

Main Methods:

• Literature review on social capital.
• Qualitative analysis of technology-enabled peer recognition initiatives among nurses.
• Conceptual development of contribution-specific social capital.

Main Results:

• Nurses actively build social capital through technology-mediated peer recognition systems.
• Contribution-specific social capital emerges as a key factor in nurse engagement.
• Existing social capital frameworks can be adapted to the nursing context.

Conclusions:

• Innovative technology can foster social capital among nurses.
• The concept of contribution-specific social capital offers a new lens for understanding nurse engagement.
• Implementing strategies based on social capital can improve workforce retention and optimize the utilization of nursing expertise.