Nurses, for the most part, just cooperate. ... I don't know how to make this magic happen on demand

Isn't this just a job requirement and so there is selection pressure? Consider what would happen to a nurse who wouldn't "just cooperate" in the ICU. My guess is that he would be kicked out pretty quickly.

In fact, I suspect that a part of effective management at any organization is to make it so employees cooperate and don't spend their time and effort on turf or status fights. Of course, few organizations are managed effectively.