NURS 6053 Module 4: Workplace Environment Assessment Workplace Environment Assessment

Work environment assessment, as highlighted in NURS 6053 Module 4: Workplace Environment Assessment assignment instructions, is an important activity that enables healthcare organizations and their stakeholders like nurses to determine various issues which impact the delivery of quality patient care. Incivility is one of the primary issues that such an assessment can assist to determine and address because it impacts on the performance of healthcare providers and their interactions with colleagues and patients (Broome et al., 2022). The purpose of this NURS 6053 Module 4: Workplace Environment Assessment paper is to analyze the results of the workplace environment assessment of my health organization based on the Clark Healthy Workplace Inventory and review existing literature to identify a theory or concept from the articles and their application in the organization. In final part, the paper recommends evidence-based strategies to develop high-performance inter-professional teams.

Part 1: Work Environment Assessment

The overall civility score based on the Clark Healthy Workplace Inventory for the workplace is 58 implying that it is unhealthy. For instance, the level of trust between and among formal leadership and all members of the workplace is lacking as the score was 1. Communication at all levels of the organization is not transparent, direct, and respectful. Again, employees asserted that they do not feel valued as as core assets in the organization. The employees assert that there is a low level of satisfaction, engagement, and morale (Clark Inventory, 2024). As such, the workplace assessment indicates that the setting is not healthy for employees. Two things that surprised me included the low level of communication in the organization as stated by the employees and employees being treated unfairly and disrespectfully. While I knew the workplace was not conducive, I did not expect the employees to give it such a low overall score. Before conducting the assessment, I believed the organization values the free expression of diverse and even opposing ideas and perspectives. The assessment confirmed this position as the employees gave it the highest score.

An unhealthy work environment encourages incivility which can negatively influence staff commitment to the organization and its performance. The results suggest that the organization is unhealthy and uncivil because of its low scores. The results suggest that employees in the organization lack motivation, satisfaction, and teamwork due to a deficiency in values and shared vision and mission of the organization (Hover et al., 2022). The assessment is categorical that employees do not work as a team, there is ineffective communication, and low degree of trust between them and the management. Consequently, many cannot join the organization, and staff turnover continues to increase. The results suggest that employees want change and transformation, beginning with appreciating their presence and contribution to the performance and productivity of the organization.

Part 2: Reviewing The Literature

Existing literature provides various strategies which guide nursing practice to reduce incivility and foster a culture of civility and respect in nursing to improve patient safety and quality of care. The concept selected from the articles is the DESC model as advanced by Clark (2018). The article asserts that the DESC model in combination with Cognitive Rehearsal (CR) can help nurses and organizational managers address incivility and foster a better culture. DESC is an acronym for a description of the specific situation, expression of concerns, stating the alternative, and determining the consequences. Again, Clark also emphasizes fostering a culture of civility and respect implying that when nurses deploy the DESC model, they can determine areas to improve through a systematic approach and increased engagement of all stakeholders (Clark, 2018). My organization scores highly on shared mission and vision based on trust, respect, and collegiality. However, core areas such as sense of belonging and being valuable, and effective communication have low scores. Using the DESC model and cognitive rehearsal, nurses can learn different approaches to patient situations and develop evidence-based alternatives to improve communication. Clark (2019) stresses harm reduction by improving communication and employee engagement.

The concepts presented in the articles relate to the outcomes of my work environment assessment as they demonstrate the organization can enhance its setting to