Workplace conversations: Building and maintaining collaborative capital
Glenda E McDonald
Family and Community Health Research Group (FaCH), University of Western Sydney, Sydney NSW
Margaret H Vickers
Family and Community Health Research Group (FaCH), University of Western Sydney, Sydney NSW
Shantala Mohan
Family and Community Health Research Group (FaCH), University of Western Sydney, Sydney NSW
Lesley Wilkes
Family and Community Health Research Group (FaCH), Clinical Nursing Research Unit, Nepean Hospital; University of Western Sydney and Sydney West Area Health Service, Sydney NSW
Debra Jackson
Professor, Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery and Health, University of Technology, Sydney (UTS), Broadway NSW
PP: 096 - 105
Abstract
Heavy, pressured workloads are a feature of health workplaces internationally, presenting challenges to communication and contributing to tension and negative emotions. This paper explores supportive and unsupportive workplace conversations between nurses and midwives and their colleagues.
The findings focus on qualitative interviews of ten nurses and midwives that were audio-taped and analysed for perceptions about the role of workplace conversations. Conversations between colleagues were significant for building and maintaining collaborative capital, but unsupportive conversations also threatened it.
Findings suggest the need for considering the impact of co-worker conversations on workplace culture. Nurse managers and management may play a pivotal role in establishing and maintaining supportive conversations. Recognising the role and potential of workplace conversations for building capacities for support, conflict resolution, job satisfaction and the personal resilience of nurses and midwives can raise the collaborative capital of the workplace.
Keywords
collaborative capital; conversations; midwives; nurses; workplace incivility
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