Motivating staff to meet organizational goals

Traditional systems for nursing compensation do little to acknowledge the value of nursing to the institution or to reward innovation. Increasingly, institutions are using salaried compensation programs to tie the goals of nurses to those of the institution. These systems, which distribute a portion of savings to participating nurses, require careful planning and implementation. Nurse managers play a critical role in preparing staff nurses for the program and in overseeing its operation. Properly designed and operated, an incentive program produces benefits far beyond the simple augmentation of salaries. It is likely that such programs will become more popular and will continue to evolve.