Abstract
An analysis of how Peace and Power have evolved over time is described in this dialogue between Pamela Clarke and Peggy Chinn.
Over the years, I have experienced a frustration that I know many of my nurse colleagues share–frustration with group processes in our workplaces that leave us alienated from one another, hopeless that anything can get done, and impatient to see real change. The current political environment in the United States affirms that indeed, our personal struggles are not isolated or unique to nursing! In fact, public discourse characterized by hostility, verbal bullying, incivility, and utter disrespect for people and ideas different from one’s own leave many of us flabbergasted and despairing of ever finding a path to respectful, cooperative, and satisfying group interactions in our public spaces.
Despite the fact that these circumstances in public life seem immutable, I believe that nurses can and must challenge them as major public and individual threats to health and well-being, and that we have the power to do so. I am convinced that local action by nurses to create change can eventually make a difference, and that the local contexts that most urgently call for action are the very places in which we work and learn. Why? Because in every instance where I have been part of a peace and power group process, a shift happens in the direction of healing hurtful interactions, and replacing them with healthy and growthful relationships. Frustrations and conflict still occur, but for the most part the peace and power cooperative and constructive ways of being together set an entirely different stage for working through difficult issues.
The phrase peace and power is a shortcut pointing to a cooperative approach to group process, one that includes constructive approaches to transforming conflict and building group decisions (Chinn, 2013, 2015). The approach grew out of group process traditions in women’s collectives that emerged in the 1960s and thrived into the 1980s - women working together to create social change, to bring women’s voices front and center in community activities and organizations – places such as bookstores, food cooperatives, women’s shelters, music festivals, childcare centers, and even traditional classrooms in colleges and universities. These collectively organized groups gradually faded out of existence, but the ideas and values that motivated their existence have persisted in the minds, hearts, and actions of many who still envision change away from competitive, cut-throat and hostile environments, toward environments that nurture the human spirit and health for all people as individuals and in groups. Peace and power is one of the ways those visions have persisted (Chinn & Falk-Rafael, 2015; Falk-Rafael, Anderson, Chinn, & Rubotzky, 2004; Flaherty, 2012; Kagan, 2010; Kagan & Chinn, 2010; Morrow, 2010; Reno, 2010)
While peace and power is not a magic potion that can solve all problems that persist in the places where nurses interact and work together, it is characterized by an important element that is all too often overlooked. It offers images of power that point the way to what to do, and what to seek in our interactions with one another, instead of prevailing images that focus on what
In addition, peace and power calls for mindfulness and awareness - thoughtful reflection on what is happening in our interactions. The questions: “Do I know what I do, and do I do what I know?” call for individual reflection and accountability for what we do, how we behave, and the nature of our “being” in a group. The question presumes that each individual is guided by certain values and ideals that promote the highest good, and that these values are reflected in the words and actions of the individual. As a group, the questions become “Do we know what we do, and do we do what we know?” This essential component of peace and power is what distinguishes it from other approaches that are built of the idea of shared power, such as shared governance. In the sections that follow, I discuss the actions that arise from the forms of power that are central to peace and power, followed by a discussion of the importance of the knowing and doing critical reflection that peace and power calls forth.
Peace, Power, Actions, Words, and Ways of Being
In typical professional and public group interactions, people tend to enact power-over powers, and in fact, many people only think of power in these terms. Power-over does not always result in negative interactions, but these kinds of powers are all too often enacted in negative ways - coercion, manipulation, hierarchy that results in a pecking order, expediency, secrets and mystification. intimidation and fear. By contrast, peace powers offer a reconceptualization of power as power-within (empowerment), power-to (enabling power), and power-with (collaborative power) (see http://peaceandpowerblog.org/). The peace powers are actually quite familiar: for example, powers of appreciation, caring, consciousness, diversity, responsibility. However, being immersed in group traditions that are hierarchical and steeped in power-over rules and habits, most people do not even imagine that these are real powers that can be used to greater effect. In fact, certain of these powers, such as powers of sharing, nurturance, or letting go, are typically seen as signs of weakness in patriarchal and hierarchical contexts.
To the contrary, rather than being markers of weakness, the peace powers create a context in which all individuals in the group, and the group as a whole, become strong and empowered to act. The actions that arise from these powers clearly shift the gaze away from the negative, in the direction of positive actions and ways of being in a group that seeks healthy, constructive, respectful, cooperative, and egalitarian interactions. Here are examples of peace powers and the actions that may arise from these powers:
Power of Appreciation: Everyone benefits when people in a group express publicly what they appreciate and who they appreciate. Negative feelings toward one another can be acknowledged, but when the group focuses on and celebrates those things that they appreciate, the climate of the group shifts dramatically, builds trust, and builds a context in which negative issues can be addressed constructively and respectfully.
Powers of Sharing and Letting Go: The power of letting go is different from compromise in that letting go is a choice that is motivated by the intention to strengthen the group, and in so doing strengthen all individuals in the group. The power of sharing stands in sharp contrast to the manipulative power of secret-keeping, where only a few people have information and knowledge that informs good decisions These powers call forth an affirmative stance that focuses on the needs of the group, the intention to pass along skills, to empower each person to assume leadership roles, to provide everyone in the group the knowledge and skills to fully participate, and to acquire new individual capabilities which in turn strengthens the group.
Powers of Integration and Diversity. When members of a group are committed to these powers, the group gives ample opportunity for every voice to be heard. Minority opinions are given careful consideration, and every effort is made to acknowledge, integrate, accommodate and honor each person’s perspective. The practices of “check-in” and “closing” provide time at the beginning and the ending of each group gathering for every person to express their ideas, feelings, concerns - and of course appreciations! These simple rituals call on every individual to speak, forming a sense of solidarity and community that cannot be achieved in any other way.
Power of Process. Enacting this power means that the group nurtures a constant awareness of how they do what they do, and the ways in which their actions reflect their intentions as a group. When a conflict or even a mild disagreement rises to the surface, the group takes the time to openly address the issue, with the intention of not only addressing the issue, but of transforming it into an experience of learning and growth for everyone.
Skeptical readers are likely to challenge these ideas with objections that seem, on the surface, quite logical. The most common objection is that these approaches simply take too much time. In actual practice, it is true that the ways in which a group uses its time does shift. But what the group gains in creating positive and constructive working relationships and group solidarity more than justifies the time committed to enacting these powers. In achieving a sense of mutual purpose and understanding, the group is able to dedicate unencumbered energy to get their work accomplished in whatever time is available. In my experience, the joyful creativity that emerges from the experience of a fully committed peace and power group never fails. Not only does the group grow in solidarity, friendship, and trust in interactions, but we get all tasks completed without delay!
Another common doubt concerns how realistic it is to accomplish this kind of interaction. This is indeed an important cautionary note - doing this is not easy, and to function optimally, everyone in the group needs to be on board, even if only cautiously! Over the years, I have experienced a wide range of success in reaching the ideal, but I know, without question, that there is a remarkable difference that can be achieved by any small step that shifts in the direction of peace powers.
Knowing and Doing
Like the group interactions and actions that arise from the peace powers, the practices of individual and group critical reflection do require time, and a mutual dedication to nurture the practice. Critical reflection is the key to sustaining the values and intentions of the group, and to protect against the gradual creep of old habits grounded in power-over traditions. The central questions, “Do I do what I know, and do I know what I do?” guide this kind of critical reflection. The kind of knowing encompassed by these central questions includes the moral/ethical as well as the practical values and goals of the individual and the group. If I know that my intention is to be generous of spirit toward those with whom I disagree, then I am responsible to examine the extent to which my actions reflect that intention. If I know that I want to address and overcome white privilege in order to fully honor diversity, then I am responsible to persist in my quest to understand privilege, and to overcome the negative influence it has on our group. If I know that my educational philosophy is grounded in Nodding’s caring curriculum (Noddings, 1989, 1995), then I am responsible to examine the extent to which my teaching practices reflect Nodding’s philosophy.
As nurses, this practice of critical reflection calls for us to examine the values that we claim as central to our nursing identity, and the central values and perspectives that we bring to our practice. If we claim to respect each individual as they are, then are we not obligated to extend this kind of respect to one another in our group interactions? If we intend to promote high level wellness for everyone, then would we not want to promote high level wellness within our own group of colleagues? Taking each of the nursing values that we claim to hold dear as the center of our knowing, then in our critical reflections, this knowing comes to consciousness as we consider and shape our actions
Critical reflection is not easy, but with practice it becomes like any other affirming, nurturing and growth-producing practice. It is akin to meditation or prayer, in that it is an exercise of the soul, a regular and repeated practice that strengthens a person’s inner knowing, highest good, and deepest desires for the well-being of self and others.
Conclusion
I believe that nurses, of all people, have the power to change the world, to change the healthcare system, and to change the contexts in which we work. The appalling public behaviors of politicians and public figures, or of people in the hierarchical power structures of many of our workplaces, are not valid excuses for us to indulge in actions and ways of being that we know are damaging and unhealthy. Nurses have a philosophic perspective that points in the direction of health, that nurtures the highest potential of individuals, families, and communities. Imagine the power we would unleash if these values were fully enacted in every context where a nurse is practicing. This is a call to begin, even in some small way, to enact peace powers in any way you can - where you live and where you work (Cowling, Chinn, & Hagedorn, 2000)! As nurses, we don’t know all the answers, but we do know our own intentions, and we know a lot about how to get there. The time to begin is now!