LEARNING KEY SKILLS IN NURSING MANAGEMENT
control, or an expert member. Interacting groups enhance the cohesiveness and esprit de corps among group members. Participants are able to build strong social ties and will be committed to the solution decided on by the group.
Infection control nurses have been tracking occurrences of MRSA infections among patients in their hospital system. In addition to implementing patient care protocols as recommended by federal and state infectious disease agencies, the nurses track compliance in high-risk units and tailor education programs to meet the needs of nursing and assistive staffs.
Ordinary interacting groups, however, may be dominated by one or a few members. If the group is highly cohesive, its decision-making ability may be affected by groupthink (dis- cussed in Chapter 8). Groupthink results in pressure for every member to conform, usually to the leader’s beliefs, even to violating personal norms.
Sometimes groups spend excessive time dealing with socioemotional relationships, reducing the time spent on the problem and slowing consensus. Ordinary groups may reach compromise decisions that may not really satisfy any of the participants. Because of these problems, the func- tioning of ordinary groups is dependent on the leader’s skills.