title: Boundary spanning by nurse managers: effects of managers' characteristics and scope of responsibility on teamwork.
abstract: Increasing role complexity has intensified the work of managers in supporting healthcare teams. This study examined the influence of front-line managers' characteristics and scope of responsibility on teamwork. Scope of responsibility considers the breadth of the manager's role. A descriptive, correlational design was used to collect cross-sectional survey and administrative data in four acute care hospitals. A convenience sample of 754 staff completed the Relational Coordination Scale as a measure of teamwork that focuses on the quality of communication and relationships. Nurses (73.9%), allied health professionals (14.7%) and unregulated staff (11.7%) worked in 54 clinical areas, clustered under 30 front-line managers. Data were analyzed using hierarchical linear modelling. Leadership practices, clinical support roles and compressed operational hours had positive effects on teamwork. Numbers of non-direct report staff and areas assigned had negative effects on teamwork. Teamwork did not vary by span, managerial experience, worked hours, occupational diversity or proportion of full-time employees. Large, acute care teaching hospitals can enable managers to foster teamwork by enhancing managers' leadership practices, redesigning the flow or reporting structure for non-direct reports, optimizing managerial hours relative to operational hours, allocating clinical support roles, reducing number of areas assigned and, potentially, introducing co-manager models.
authors: Assistant Professor, Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto Manager, Baycrest Centre for Learning, Research and Innovation in Long-Term Care Toronto, ON.
authors: Raquel M
authors: RM
authors: Meyer
authors: Linda O'Brien-Pallas, PhD, RN, FCAHS Professor Emerita, Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing Former CHSRF/CIHR Chair in Nursing Health Human Resources University of Toronto Toronto, ON.
authors: Linda
authors: L
authors: O'Brien-Pallas
authors: Professor Emerita, Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing Former Scientific Director, Nursing Health Services Research Unit University of Toronto Toronto, ON.
authors: Diane
authors: D
authors: Doran
authors: Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto Professor, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University Hamilton, ON.
authors: David
authors: D
authors: Streiner
authors: Former Vice President, Professional Affairs & Chief Nurse Executive University Health Network Toronto, ON.
authors: Mary
authors: M
authors: Ferguson-Paré
authors: Associate Dean (Research) & Director, Centre for Health Services Management Director, Health Services & Practice Research Strength, Faculty of Health University of Technology Sydney, Australia.
authors: Christine
authors: C
authors: Duffield
mesh_terms: D002170:Canada; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D007587:Job Description; D007857:Leadership; D009718:Nurse Administrators; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009742:Nursing Theory; D009746:Nursing, Team / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012941:Social Responsibility