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The role of physical design and informal communication

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• Evidence-based <strong>design</strong> has the potential to not only improve patient<br />

outcomes but also reduce stress <strong>and</strong> burnout in nurses, which could<br />

positively affect nurse retention in hospitals.<br />

• Effective <strong>communication</strong> is critical for the success <strong>of</strong> teamwork among<br />

healthcare pr<strong>of</strong>essionals, which is proven to enhance patient care <strong>and</strong><br />

nurse job satisfaction. A sense <strong>of</strong> belonging to a team can also help<br />

graduate nurses overcome the stress <strong>of</strong> a first job.<br />

• Informal <strong>communication</strong> <strong>and</strong> the sharing <strong>of</strong> information among<br />

<strong>informal</strong> knowledge networks in the workplace is a crucial factor in<br />

graduate nurses’ ability to learn <strong>and</strong> become effective members <strong>of</strong> the<br />

team.<br />

Informal <strong>communication</strong> across knowledge networks has been shown to aid<br />

graduate nurses’ learning process, which could reduce the stress caused by feeling<br />

incompetent. Evidence-based <strong>design</strong> could hold promise in addressing these issues.<br />

<strong>The</strong> next section focuses on how the built environment affects <strong>communication</strong> in the<br />

workplace.<br />

1.9 Impact <strong>of</strong> the Built Environment on Communication in the Workplace<br />

<strong>The</strong> study <strong>of</strong> the <strong>role</strong> played by the <strong>physical</strong> <strong>design</strong> <strong>and</strong> layout <strong>of</strong> the<br />

workplace in <strong>communication</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>informal</strong> learning can best be understood in the<br />

context <strong>of</strong> “organizational ecology.” Becker (2007a) introduced the concept <strong>of</strong><br />

“organizational ecology” which recognizes that the workplace <strong>of</strong> all organizations is a<br />

complex system in which <strong>physical</strong> <strong>design</strong> factors both shape <strong>and</strong> are shaped by work<br />

processes, the organization’s culture (e.g., formal <strong>and</strong> <strong>informal</strong> values, norms,<br />

expectations, policies, <strong>and</strong> practices), workforce demographics, <strong>and</strong> information<br />

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