Professional Governance - Forum for Shared Governance (2024)

FAQs

Is professional governance the same as shared governance? ›

Professional governance, NOT a synonym for shared governance, encompasses a continuum from traditional to shared to self governance. In 1994, Hess further promoted the phrase by creating and copyrighting The Index of Professional Governance and The Index of Professional Nursing Governance.

Nursing Institute Professional Practice Model

The shared governance model is based on a number of core principles: Shared focus on patients, services, and staff; all essential to providing safe and effective care. Authority and autonomy to make decisions about nursing practice.

Is shared governance still relevant in this era of significant changes in healthcare? Requisites to support nurses and others are more important now than ever before. Shared decision-making is not only relevant, it is essential.

Porter-O'Grady (2001) says that shared governance, as a dynamic, is a way of conceptualizing "empowerment and building structures to support it" (p. 470) and embodies four principles: partnership, accountability, equity, and ownership.

A shared governance model can have many benefits, such as increased transparency, accountability, diversity, innovation, and engagement. However, it can also pose some challenges, such as potential conflicts, power imbalances, inefficiencies, and complexity.

Shared governance does not mean that all decisions are made by consensus (committees/shared) or that all ideas have merit or will be implemented, rather shared governance promotes the opportunities for every staff member to have input.

One of the main barriers to shared governance and decision making is the lack of trust and communication between different stakeholders, such as community members, leaders, staff, and partners.

In a shared governance framework, leadership continues to have responsibility for regulatory requirements, immediate safety concerns, performance management and operations decision such as hiring and staffing.

What is considered a shared governance platform? ›

Shared governance is a working model that allows its members to actively participate in its decision-making process. The working methodology includes shared accountability, shared vision, collaboration amongst teams. It is commonly known within hospitals to facilitate collaborations amongst nurses.

• Accountability. A willingness to invest in decision-making and express ownership in those decisions. Accountability is the core of shared governance and is often used interchangeably with responsibility. It supports partnerships and is secured as all stakeholder groups on campus produce positive outcomes.

The terms Shared Governance, Shared Leadership and Shared Decision-Making are frequently used interchangeably. Shared governance provides a framework for empowerment based on four primary principles: Partnership, Accountability, Ownership and Equity at the point of service.

Professional governance provides a structure for supporting the ownership and accountability of practice across the system. It can be a turning point for interprofessional engagement and innovation.

Operational Model: The board manages, governs and performs the work of the organization. Collective Model: The board and staff operate as a single team when making decisions about governance and the work of the organization. Board members may work with either or both service operations or management functions.

Currently it is widely agreed that the term “shared” governance is not truly descriptive of the process as the implementation intended. “Participatory” governance is more descriptive of the actual process. Ultimately liability continues to remain with the local governing board.