.We also conducted observations of team interactions
on each of the four units. The intent of this component
of the study was to capture the flavor of organizational
life on the four units rather than yield broadly inclusive
results. In our initial invitation to participate in this
study, team members indicated to us whether they
would like to participate in observations; we then
selected participants based on their work schedule
availability. Those chosen had not previously participated
in focus groups or individual interviews. The
researcher shadowed four nurses, with each observation
lasting 3–5 hours, for a total of 18.5 hours. Observations
were conducted from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., which,
according to member checks, is typically the busiest
period on the units and the best time to see all health
care team members interact. The researcher made
scratch notes in the field (Sanjek, 1990), which were
expanded into transcribed field notes after each observation.
All data were transcribed, resulting in 635 pages
of double-spaced typed pages.