Collaboration is a complex process influenced by organizational, professional, interpersonal, and personal factors. Research has\ndemonstrated that collaborationmay also be influenced by social factors. Nurses spendmuch of their time working in collaborative\nteams, yet little is known about how they socially interact in practice. This qualitative case study explored nurse perceptions of social\ninteraction in relation to collaboration. Data were collected using telephone interviews and documentary reviews from fourteen\noncology nurses employed at one cancer center in Canada. Thematic analysis revealed two themes: knowing you is trusting you\nand formal and informal opportunities. Nurses reported that social interaction meant getting to know someone personally as well\nas professionally. Social interaction was enacted inside of work during breaks/meals and outside of work at planned events. Social\ninteraction was facilitated by having a long-term current and/or previous professional and personal relationship. The barriers to\nsocial interaction included a lack of time to get to know each other, workload issues, and poor interpersonal skills. Findings suggest\nthat social interaction is an important factor in the collaborative relationship among oncology nurses.Nurse leaders need to promote\nsocial interaction opportunities and facilitate educational sessions to improve social and interpersonal skills.
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