Shared Governance: Withstanding the Test of Time

The concept of shared governance in nursing first emerged in the 1980s and was based on principles from organizational development models.1 and 2 Shared governance in nursing enables nurses to be actively involved with administration in decisions influencing practice.3 Initial nursing shared governance models were formulated when nursing positions were filled as fast as they became vacant. A major downfall of early models was that little credence was given to the belief that all members of the patient care team should be actively involved in decision-making processes. Equality of roles in shared decisions did not exist because staff nurse input was neither sought nor valued when decisions were made. As time progressed shared governance fell by the wayside as nurses became frustrated about lack of true involvement in the decision-making processes.3