Engaging in Engagement: Some Insights
Engagement is a hot topic. It is a complex concept that involves many aspects of leadership. By the response Nursing Administration Quarterly (NAQ) received related to this topic from established and emerging authors, it seems as if engagement is an important consideration in creating solid administrative processes. Thus, what was envisioned as one issue for NAQ became 2 issues.
In this issue you will read the second installment of articles from the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP). Taken together with the prior issue (January-March, 2010), these articles illustrate a comprehensive view of what commitment to excellence looks like in the real world of health care. As the authors in this issue of NAQ point out, integration, evidence, and engagement contribute to overall excellence in the nursing services provided at HUP.
Pervasive is a word that represents what true engagement is about. Commitment of people throughout an organization is evident. In fact, engagement requires the same level of commitment of the leaders as is expected of the whole organization. Engagement requires that all of us walk the walk about connectedness to the work we do.
An old story about how a janitor at a famous medical center saw his role as saving patients, in his case by keeping the place as clean as possible, is currently being played out in the television ads by one of my local hospitals. The food server, a member of the housekeeping staff, and a member of the operations staff all describe how they provide care: to make patients stronger, to welcome a new baby, to providing lighting that is adequate.
Every time I see this 30-second spot, I think about the old story and how engagement by leaders and their dedication to the work they do infiltrates every level of the organization. That is the intent of engagement.
When we read the continuing stories of the nursing shortage and the intent of many to leave their positions and, in some cases, the profession, we are called upon to think about new ways of thinking and new strategies that help promote engagement in both the organization and the profession. Whether we think about job embeddedness, the sum of the reasons nurses stay in an organization, or we consider decisional involvement from a conceptual analysis perspective, we need to be open to the thinking among us that will allow nurses to continue making significant contributions to the patients they serve.
As we learn more about what leads to patient safety and quality care, the more important considering how engagement works becomes. Keeping engagement alive can be a tough task, but one we must address.
Patricia S. Yoder-Wise, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, ANEF, FAAN
President, The Wise Group, Lubbock. Texas; Professor Emerita, Texas Tech University Health, Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas