Shared Governance Case Study

Shared governance has been effectively used in the nursing field to allow nurses to be a part of the patient decision making process. Whole-systems shared governance is sharing the power and authority with all aspects of the organization for an interdisciplinary approach to patient service. Shared governance places the decision making into the hands of the individuals that will be providing the care. This author is in favor of moving a healthcare organization from the hierarchical system into the whole-systems shared governance. The whole-system shared governance is a horizontal structure that allows every individual in the organization an opportunity to contribute into the decision making and they are given accountability over themselves

It will be a challenge to achieve acceptance by the individuals that are currently in the higher management, there will be a shift of individuals under the new organizational model. There will not be a great need for multiple higher management offices since decision-making is a shared process. Implementing shared governance will require structuring the organization and developing councils. The challenge that this author finds in the implementation of councils is acquiring individuals who are willing to be on the ground floor of implementing the new structure. For the implementation of the whole-system shared governance to sustain past the onset and into the future the organization will need to imbed the process in to its day to day operation and have success at implementing new practices in the past. The organizational leaders will be required to practice facilitative leadership to transform to shared governance. (Davidson et al., 2017, Chapter

The use of the council brings together staff, management, and practitioners into an environment to discuss issues regarding patient care. The people in power should be the ones involved. The use of councils brings this empowerment into the organization and the members of the team are committed to develop and master outputs (Davidson et al., 2017, Chapter 13).

Think tanks, a process for analyzing issues that go beyond one person or program and what is happening now, are needed for future growth. Leaders must not just envision the need for a think tank but ensure that it happens. Individuals who think tank should have time set aside to evaluate future needs and develop a plan with goals and a timeline for the implementation. This is a taxing effort on the organization, but the organization should first prepare themselves (be open to change and value creativity, to name a few) for the think tank to not be a wasted resource (Davidson et al., 2017, Chapter