Power in Organization
Trade Unions
In the contemporary healthcare sector, healthcare organizations are embracing the changes to help them remain competitive. The adoption of collective bargaining in healthcare organizations is known to result from conditions with the organization that leads to conflicts. Another emerging trend in healthcare care is adopting of shared governance as a way of promoting shared decision making between nurse leaders and bedside nurses. This paper seeks to discuss collective bargaining in the health sector and how it operates. Further, the paper will examine the concept of shared governance and its implementation.
Workers in different sectors have always joined together-whether in local community organizations or parent-teacher associations to resolve problems and enhance their lives as well as their communities. Through trade unions, individuals join together to looking forward to improvements at the places they spend a substantial amount to time (Hostetter & Klein, 2019). I have some experience with trade unions, where I encountered many cases revolving around collective bargaining. Collective bargaining refers to how people work to gain a voice at work. It also helps them to obtain the power to shape their lives (Hostetter & Klein, 2019). Almost every person has at one point felt powerless or unheard of as a worker. In the trade union, I engaged in legal negotiations for contracts, employment terms, wages, safe working environments, and other work-related terms. During the negotiations, we had to get to a point that was favorable for all the parties involved. The most successful part of collective bargaining was when I was negotiating for the safety of the employees, contract negotiations, and their representation. Some organizations in different sectors have always a way of making their workers feel powerless and invisible. My primary role in the trade union was voicing the demands of healthcare professionals by negotiating their employment terms and conditions. The fascinating fact about collective bargaining is that it is an endless process. In most cases, the negotiations do not lead to a conclusion even after agreeing. Therefore, the process is continuous.
When the healthcare management and the employees agree to collective bargaining, my duty was to ensure that all the terms and conditions were honored to the letter. Through the process, the employees I represented were enabled to have an opinion about their employment terms, compensations, and retirement benefits as well as the safety in their working environment. During my working experience, both parties were required to choose a representative to present their interests. However, the representatives needed to be skilled and knowledgeable about negotiations and healthcare matters. The teams in both parties needed to make adequate preparations for discussions within the stipulated time frame. During the discussions, some rules are developed to ensure that conflicts do not arise during negotiations. Both teams are also needed to present their proposals to come with an agreement. Several options from the proposals are picked while trying to resolve the issues. Once an agreement is attained, new contracts are written following the approval of the employees. Nevertheless, the collective bargaining agreement can be changed, revised, and drafted as negotiations come to a conclusion. In case the employees do not agree with the terms of the agreement the collective bargaining process is set to start all over again.
In summary, collective bargaining is crucial in attaining an economic balance by offering the platform for employees to demand their rights. Additionally, the process of negotiation helps employers to establish a sense of responsibility and the need to resolve issues affecting their employees. Thus, the collective bargaining process is vital since it helps to prevent cases of strikes that are likely to affect working relations. It is also imperative to note that the success of the process is critical in establishing mutual respect between employers and employees.
Magnet Accreditation/ Shared Governance
Shared governance has become a common practice in the modern healthcare setting. Shared governance is defined as a management style that encourages the involvement of nurses in decision making, especially on matters affecting their practice. It is considered more important in work level unit as it has a direct connection to job satisfaction (Bieber & Joachim, 2016). The most crucial concept of shared governance is shared decision making between nurse leaders and bedside nurses including areas such as nursing research, resources, purchase of new equipment, and staffing. The sharing process allows active participation throughout the healthcare system while developing a culture of inclusion and positivity. Shared governance is one of the major pillars of the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Magnet culture. Use of this approach allows improved job satisfaction and enhance patients’ outcome. However, building such a structure and associated processes can be challenging for both bedside nurses and nurse administrators. To overcome the challenges collaboration and open communication among the team members can be improved (Bieber & Joachim, 2016). Shared governance helps to shift the attention from top-down management style to a collaborative style that focuses on providing care at beside.
By working in healthcare organizations, I have experienced the use of shared governance as an important tool that assists to create cohesion in the healthcare setting by empowering nurses. This model is mainly used by organizations that are focused on using transformational leadership. This technique is currently being used by healthcare organizations to ensure that employees at all levels are actively involved in running the sector. I have experienced the use of shared governance as a way of ensuring a smooth workflow as well as an effective decision-making process. Essentially, the decisions made through the shared governance method focus on improving the patients’ outcomes. The technique allows ore collaboration of the nurses and management in facilitating positive outcomes, teamwork, and productivity. I have experienced that shared governance leads to job satisfaction and improved patients’ outcome through the provision of high-quality healthcare services. When the staff members are engaged during decision making, the burden of the management lightens since the staff members are more aware of the issues and needs that directly affect their practice.
In the healthcare sector, shared governance is highly used because of its benefits such as accountability, responsibility, and equity. The systems allow nurses to participate in clinical practice standards and improve the quality of care. In my experience, I have witnessed shared governance implemented in hospital councils. In these councils, issues such as quality of care and nursing practice have been discussed. Further, nursing leadership has been able to object or support the decision of employees. However, the primary objective is to foster a better decision –making process.
Throughout my experience in the healthcare sector, I have learned that healthcare systems have specialized needs that help to address certain needs. It is important to note that shared governance helps healthcare facilities to resolve issues at a unit level. Fundamentally, the unit level can also make decisions at their level. Every issue has its specific unit that addresses the issues as they arise. Shared governance assists people to make informed decisions independently through resourceful assistance and coordination. Moreover, shared governance helps nurses to influence other aspects. The model is quite effective as it helps to ensure that there are enough participation and representation in the decision-making process. Shared governance is also used in nurses’ retention, ensuring profitability, and job satisfaction.
In conclusion, trade unions play a critical role in ensuring that employees’ rights are considered in working environments. They help in ensuring that workers have a voice and their welfare is considered. Primarily, collective bargains focus on compensations, terms of employment, and safety at workplaces. Shared governance has also been examined as a critical aspect that helps to promote job satisfaction through participation in decision making.
References
Bieber, P., & Joachim, H. (2016). Shared governance: A success story. Nurse Leader, 62-66.
Hostetter, M., & Klein, S. (2019, March 21). In focus: How unions act as a force for change in health care delivery and payment. Retrieved from https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/newsletter-article/2019/mar/focus-how-unions-act-force-change-health-care-delivery-and