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A Dimensional Analysis of Nursing Unit Culture



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  • Personal Author:
  • Description:
    Aim(s): Organizational culture has been studied for over four decades among nurses, across countries and contexts. However, wide variation exists in how the concept has been defined and at what level of the organization it is measured. The aim of this study was to use a dimensional analysis to conduct a conceptual synthesis of unit culture from a nursing perspective. Design: Dimensional analysis, rooted in grounded theory methodology, was used to describe unit culture from a nursing perspective. Methods: A literature search was conducted in April 2022. Inclusion criteria were (1) peer review publications, (2) used the term 'unit culture' or 'ward culture', (3) references nurses' role in unit culture, (4) published in the last 20 years and (5) written in English. One hundred fifteen articles met inclusion criteria, but dimensional saturation was researched after coding 24 articles. Results: Findings were synthesized into four core dimensions and 10 subdimensions. Dimensions of unit culture included customs (practice norms, communication and prioritization), shared beliefs (assumptions, values and attitudes), hierarchy (social and informational) and atmosphere (emotional climate and collaboration). Conditions that shape unit culture include individual nurse characteristics, working conditions, unit policies/procedures and leadership. Unit culture impacts nurse work experiences and decision-making processes, which can affect outcomes including nurse wellbeing, practice behaviours and adherence to unit policies. Conclusions: Identifying the dimensions of unit culture helps to bring clarity to a concept that is not well defined in existing literature. Impact: This model of unit culture can be used to guide development of new instruments to measure unit culture or guide researchers in utilizing existing measures. Developing measures specific to unit culture are warranted to strengthen researchers' ability to assess how changing conditions of a unit (e.g. leadership, workload) changes unit culture and its related outcomes. Patient or Public Contribution: No Patient or Public Contribution. [Description provided by NIOSH]
  • Subjects:
  • Keywords:
  • ISSN:
    0309-2402
  • Document Type:
    Text
  • Funding:
    Grant
  • Genre:
    Journal Article
  • Place as Subject:
  • CIO:
    National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
  • Topic:
    Workplace Safety & Health
  • Location:
    North America
  • Volume:
    80
  • Issue:
    7
  • NIOSHTIC Number:
    nn:20068819
  • Citation:
    J Adv Nurs 2024 Jul; 80(7):2746-2757
  • Contact Point Address:
    Kathryn Leep-Lazar, New York University, Rory Meyers College of Nursing, New York City, NY, USA
  • Email:
    kl3901@nyu.edu
  • Federal Fiscal Year:
    2024
  • Performing Organization:
    Mount Sinai School of Medicine
  • Peer Reviewed:
    True
  • Start Date:
    20050701
  • Source Full Name:
    Journal of Advanced Nursing
  • End Date:
    20270630
  • Collection(s):
  • Main Document Checksum:
    urn:sha-512:1accaa690390560317812807d7b7b37c3369f548ee36c8400ef55a04ab82ae2e6e032061d912af91db619574cc24b739bf84de668aa4cec2109759ecbc99f4f4
  • Download URL:
  • File Type:
    Filetype[PDF - 1.15 MB ]
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