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Manley K (2000) Organisational culture and consultant nurse outcomes: part 2 nurse outcomes. Nursing Standard. 14, 37, 34-38. Date of acceptance: March 7 2000.
Abstract
Aim The aim of this three-year study was to investigate the development of a consultant nurse post and consider whether it contributed to a new organisational culture.
Methodology Action research was used because it focuses on developing practitioners, developing practice and contributing to understanding both the phenomena being studied and the processes being used.
Results The role of leadership is recognised as key to bringing about cultural change, as is the use of approaches that clarify values and highlight the contradiction between espoused culture and culture in practice.
Conclusion This new culture had a positive impact on the unit in which it was based, on practitioners and their practice, and also on the trust. A number of factors, including transformational leadership, other facilitative processes, expertise in the practice of nursing, and other subroles of the consultant nurse were shown to be influential. Part one, published last week, described the concept of organisational culture. This article discusses the consultant nurse outcomes.
key words
* Nursing: role
* Professional development
These key words are based on the subject headings from the British Nursing Index. This article has been subject to double-blind review.
THIS IS THE second of two articles about a three-year study of the development of a consultant nurse post. In part one (Manley 2000) the role of leadership was highlighted as pivotal to cultural change. Here, an action research study involving the operationalisation of a consultant nurse post is presented as an example of cultural change and its outcome at unit level.
Study background
This action research project was the formal stage of a much longer developmental journey. It involved a consultant nurse and staff working in a general intensive care unit that had become a Nursing Development Unit (NDU). Our mission was to continue to improve the care provided to our patients and their families through developing nurses and nursing.
The journey began in 1989, three years before the formal project period of 1992-1995. In 1989, all staff were committed to sharing early experiences about the journey on which they had embarked and this...