Interactive Effects of Self-concept and Social Context on Perceived Cohesion in Intensive Care Nursing

Group cohesion is critical in the workplace, especially when individual and contextual constraints coexist but high performance is essential. We assess the source of variation in group members’ perceptions of cohesion. Using an interactional psychology perspective, and within the context of intensive care, this study examines the interactive effects of nurses’ self-concept and the objective social context within which they are embedded. Individual- and unit-level factors are investigated since they jointly shape the degree to which nurses perceive their intensive care units as cohesive. A multi-source, multi-level study of approximately 140 nurses employed in 20 units across Denmark demonstrates the role self-concept plays in easing and enhancing the constraints workplaces impose on cohesion. Implications for research on emergent states and interactional psychology are discussed.