Shared Governance: A Success Story

Abstract

Shared governance is defined as a management style that promotes nurse involvement in decisions that affect their practice by empowering nurses to contribute and participate in their work environment. 1,2 This is important at the work unit level because of its direct relationship to job satisfaction, 2–7 nurse retention, 4–8 and patient satisfaction. 4–7 Several nursing organizations have recognized the importance of shared governance by including this process within their models, such as the Magnet ® Model component of structural empowerment 9 and the American Nurses Credentialing Center healthy work environment effective decision-making tenet. 10 Many nursing articles summarize the importance of shared governance, 2–8,11–14 how this concept influences the work environment, 2,4–6,8,11–16 and the delineation of roles. 5,6,8,13,15 Even with the amount of knowledge on this topic, collaboration between leadership and staff in work unit and practice decisions continues to be an issue. Partnership, 3,5,6–8,14,15 accountability, 3,6 ownership, 5–7,12,15,17 and equity 6 are key to successful shared governance. 6 Through the use of shared governance, nursing leadership promotes RN engagement and ownership of workplace changes and issues, which in turn promote a healthy work environment with improved RN and patient satisfaction.