9 Creating a Supportive EBP Environment 197competencies. Informal leaders influence the staff at the unit or departmental
level. The presence and influence of both roles is a key attribute for sustainability
and building capacity within staff. Because EBP is a leadership-driven change,
leaders should identify and involve both formal and informal leaders early and
often in creating the change and transition strategies so that they can serve as ad-
vocates rather than opponents for the change and model its use in practice.
Leadership must identify and select nurse mentors with care, choosing them from
across the organization—different roles, levels, and specialties. Consider who
within the organization has the knowledge and skills to move an EBP initiative
forward, can offer the best support, and has the most at stake to see that EBP
is successful. Building the skills and knowledge of mentors should take into ac-
count such questions as, “How will the mentors be trained? Who will provide the
initial training? How and by whom will they be supported after their training is
complete?” As the activities to build an EBP environment increase, the leadership
needs to diffuse education and mentoring activities throughout the nursing staff.
The key to success is to increase buy-in by involving as many staff as possible to
champion the EBP process by focusing on a problem that is important to them.
You can develop mentors in many ways. Initially, if the organization has not
yet developed experts within their staff, it can find mentors through collabora-
tive opportunities outside of the organization such as partnerships with schools
of nursing or consultation with organizations and experts who have devel-
oped models. After internal expertise is established, the implementation of EBP
throughout the organization results in a self-generating mechanism for devel-
oping mentors. For example, members of committees who participate in EBP
projects guided by a mentor quickly become mentors to other staff, committees,
or groups who are engaged in EBP work. EBP fellowships are another way to de-
velop mentors where the fellow gains skills to lead and consult with staff groups
within their home department or throughout the organization.
Evidence indicates that nurses, when facing a clinical concern, prefer asking a
colleague rather than searching a journal, book, or the Internet for the answer.
Colleagues sought out are often informal leaders, and evidence indicates that
these informal leaders—opinion leaders and change champions—are effective in