Abstract
Nurses in various settings are called upon to lead new projects and initiatives that further the mission of healthcare organizations or communities. It is important that there is a nursing theoretical framework to serve as a leadership foundation. This foundation grounds the direction of projects and initiatives, so that the path toward success is clear. The purpose of this paper is to explore leading-following within the humanbecoming community change concepts.
Nurses in various settings are called upon to lead new projects and initiatives that further the mission of healthcare organizations or communities. In these leadership roles, it is important that nurses can articulate and demonstrate the utilization of nursing’s unique knowledge base. The utilization of this unique knowledge base differentiates nursing leadership from other leaders within an organization or community. The purpose of this paper is to explore leading-following within the humanbecoming community change concepts.
The Humanbecoming Paradigm
Nurse leaders must be grounded in nursing knowledge that is housed in the discipline’s paradigms, philosophies, theories, principles, and concepts. One such paradigm is the humanbecoming paradigm (Parse, 2021). The humanbecoming paradigm is composed of the nature of existence, the investigative tradition, sciencing, and living the art (Parse, 2021). The humanbecoming nature of existence or belief system is rooted in humanuniverse as “indivisible, unpredictable, everchanging” (Parse, 2021, p. 28). There are philosophical assumptions, ethos, postulates, and principles that comprise the humanbecoming nature of existence. There are three assumptions about humanuniverse, three focused on ethos, and three about living quality. The nine humanbecoming assumptions “mean humanuniverse is a cocreation that cannot be divided. It is not a static entity, but rather continuously moving in unrepeatable, unforeseeable ways without a wrinkle” (Parse, 2021, p. 33). Parse (2021) wrote that “the ethos of humanbecoming is the sentiment and straight thinking that informs the enduring truths of reverence, awe, betrayal, and shame, in venerating treasured presence” (p. 33). Living quality is “the all-at-onceness of the truth for the moment, which is all there is” (Parse, 2021, p. 33).
The humanbecoming assumptions serve as the foundation for the principles of humanbecoming, which are:
Structuring meaning is the imaging and valuing of languaging.
Configuring rhythmical patterns is the revealing-concealing and enabling-limiting of connecting-separating.
Cotranscending with possibles is the powering and originating of transforming. (Parse, 2021, p. 39)
Parse (2021) wrote that these principles “bring to light the idea of living paradox as fundamental to humanbecoming. A paradox is an apparent opposite. With humanbecoming, a paradox is an intricate rhythm expressed as a pattern preference” (p. 39). With these principles and paradoxes, persons shape chosen patterns that are known and not-known explicitly, while moving-on with each now moment with certainty-uncertainty about what may be. Persons cocreate meaning with each choice, as choices unfold with more choices.
It is important to note that paradox within the humanbecoming paradigm is unique among nursing’s theoretical systems. Mitchell (1993) wrote that Parse “was the first nurse scholar to specify paradoxical patterns of relating within a theoretical framework for guiding practice and research activities” (p. 44). Mitchell (1993) further stated that “Parse’s concepts of paradoxical unities provide an abstract structure for making sense of paradoxical statements encountered in practice and research situations” (p. 44). These situations with “paradoxical statements” arise in all human interactions with individuals, groups, and communities.
Humanbecoming Community Change Concepts and Leading-Following
Mitchell (1993) wrote that “living paradox is an unfolding reality in practice for nurses guided by Parse’s theory of human becoming” (p. 50). For nurses in practice and education with leadership roles, humanbecoming may guide the leading-following process. It is important to reflect on the ways the leading-following processes may affect healthcare organizations and communities. From a humanbecoming perspective, each individual person is community, as well as a group is community (Parse, 2003, 2012, 2021). From a humanbecoming perspective, “when people come together as a group, the individual communities bring their histories to the emerging now, and this creates an entity of coevolving histories, which confirms individual as community and group as community” (Parse, 2021, p. 151). With this unique view of community, there are three community change concepts: moving-initiating, anchoring-shifting, and pondering-shaping (Parse, 2003, 2012, 2021). Parse (2003) wrote that these concepts are “rhythms [that] arise in all day-to-day relationships as new meanings unfold with shifting patterns in cocreating what is possible” (p. 23). The community change concepts may be viewed as paradoxes that are not meant to be “solved” but are patterns to be understood as persons live “the becoming visible-invisible becoming of the emerging now” (Parse, 2012, p. 44). Parse (2012) explained that the becoming visible-invisible becoming of the emerging now is the living moment that brings to the fore the idea that meaning changes with each unfolding living experience incarnating the remembered with the prospected all-at-once. It is what is meant by the construct all-at-onceness.” (p. 44)
By being grounded in the leading-following and humanbecoming community models, nurse leaders can understand and “implement” the living out of a mission that reflects the values and beliefs of all communities of an organization: individual and group.
In regard to leading-following, “the humanbecoming leading-following model is born from beliefs about humans and humanuniverse as indivisible, unpredictable, everchanging. It is a guide to living leading-following with a focus on human dignity and freedom where power is with the constituents of situations” (Parse, 2008, p. 375). The three essences inherent in all leading-following situations are: “commitment to a vision, willingness to risk, and reverence for others” (Parse, 1997, p. 109). From a humanbecoming view then, “leading-following is deliberately innovating with potent engaging in persistently pursuing excellence; it is an indivisible, unpredictable, everchanging cocreation” (Parse, 2011, p. 371; see Figure 1).
The Humanbecoming Leading-Following Model. Reprinted with permission from Parse (2021, p. 165).
Deliberately Innovating and Moving-Initiating Community Change
The first leading-following essence, “deliberately innovating is committing to a vision with vigorous energizing,” has the processes of “committing to a vision” and “vigorous energizing is enlivening commingling” (p. 167). These two processes describe how creating something new arises with a commitment about something that is significant. This commitment is living what is important, while guiding others to “view” what may be possible. Parse (2021) wrote “it is moving an idea or program by staying with the vision as it unfolds, which requires living with ambiguity, trusting personal integrity, and honoring wisdom” (p. 167). A commitment to moving new programs and ideas forward is congruent with the humanbecoming community model’s first essence, moving-initiating change (see Figure 2).
The humanbecoming Community Model.
In moving-initiating change, “community (individual and group) is discarding-creating with the becoming visible-invisible becoming of the emerging now. The discarding and at-once creating refers to barriers that cannot be moved without erecting new ones” (Parse, 2021, p. 152–153). Moving-initiating processes arise with “discarding” previous thoughts and creating new images about policies. The processes are tunneling, driving, laddering, boating, swimming, submarining, ballooning, motorflying, and swinging (Parse, 2021, p. 152). These processes may be seen as “deliberately innovating” so that new ideas and projects are moved forward by individuals and groups as communities. Parse (2003) stated that the processes were “conceptualized during the author’s [Parse] experience at the Checkpoint Charlie Museum in Berlin, Germany, near the Brandenburg Gate. . . . The museum contains pictures and artifacts depicting the ways people attempted to cross the border by land, water, and air” (p. 24).
“Tunneling is digging under, piercing the depths in cocreating situations for deliberately earthing and unearthing ideas, objects, and events” (Parse, 2021, p. 152). It is how communities may uncover cutting-edge healthcare tactics, while all-at-once doing away with (covering-up) “old” practices within healthcare that are not valued within the community, as individual and group. “Driving is forging directly with intensity in cocreating the shifting patterns of diversity” (Parse, 2021, p. 152). Driving is pushing original notions and practices forward with verve; driving is the way a community has movement toward a vision that is shared; it is “committing to a vision” (Parse, 2021). “Laddering is climbing multidirectionally in planning and executing strategies” (Parse, 2021, p. 152). “Laddering is climbing” in light of leading-following is change that moves in directions that are expected-unexpected; laddering is the up and down movement of change within multiple levels of an organization or community. “Boating is steering while navigating the calm-turbulence of shifting waves and wind, harnessing moments of buoyancy, yet always with ambiguity” (Parse, 2021, p. 152). “Boating is steering” with leading-following arises with starting new projects amid the instability that often comes with change. “Swimming is gliding with diverse currents in keeping afloat with sureness-unsureness” (Parse, 2021, p. 152). “Swimming is gliding” relates to leading-following in how new initiatives or projects may not always reflect the greatest matters of concern to communities or healthcare agencies; communities live many priorities all-at-once. “Submarining is immersing in a high pressure enveloping at great depth with the shifting of what is known and not-yet known explicitly” (Parse, 2021, p. 152). “Submarining is immersing” arises with leading-following as communities experience the “plunge” into new initiatives and the changes these new initiatives bring within healthcare agencies and communities. “Ballooning is drifting vigilantly with the pattern of the whole in a buoyant surgence-release, while shifting winds cocreate the unexpected” (Parse, 2021, p. 152). “Ballooning is drifting” with leading-following is carefully seeing the ups and downs of change, while all-the-while staying above those who may not want to honor the community’s values and beliefs. “Motorflying is propelling persistently with the gravity of weaving winds” (Parse, 2021, p. 152). “Motorflying is propelling” with leading-following is advancing change regardless of any twists and turns that may arise in healthcare or communities to stay with the shared vision and mission. “Swinging is soaring in undulating suspension with gusts of shifting winds in swingshifting to and fro in a bold leaping beyond” (Parse, 2021, p. 152). With leading-following, “swinging is soaring” arises when communities feel their mission and vision being pushed and pulled by the implementation of change; it is staying with the community or organizational cherished values embedded that led to the change.
Potent Engaging and Anchoring-Shifting Community Change
The second leading-following essence is “potent engaging is willingly risking in living with ambiguity” (Parse, 2021, p. 168) with the processes of “willingly risking” and “living with ambiguity.” Parse (2021) wrote that “willingly risking is daringly venturing forth” (p. 168). “Willingly risking” arises as leaders and followers look past what they “used to do” and seek new approaches to issues or concerns. All constituents of the leading-following situation must think about the new approaches or changes together and discuss them openly, so every voice is heard. Parse (2021) wrote that willingly risking “involves playing with possibilities about what could be and abandoning the secure in favor of shifting pattern preferences in the situation” (p. 168). In regard to “living with ambiguity,” Parse (2021) wrote that it “is moving with the vague” (p. 169). It is moving toward a vision without knowing precisely how the vision will unfold. There will be agreements and disagreements, as all constituents navigate the new initiative or project as individuals as community and as groups as community. Parse (2021) stated that “living with ambiguity in leading-following is abiding with vague potentials and propelling with the not-yet-fully-known explicitly to untangle the knots of obscurity. Opposition in the form of deliberate confrontations and subtle disturbances often surfaces when engaging with others” (p 169). These “confrontations and subtle disturbances” arising within “potent engaging” may be connected to the second essence of the humanbecoming community model: anchoring-shifting.
Parse (2021) wrote that in anchoring–shifting change, Community (individual and group) is persisting-diversifying with the becoming visible-invisible becoming of the emerging now. Persisting-diversifying is anchoring with tradition and shifting with new experiences, and it is what ongoing change means in light of the pattern of the whole. (p. 154)
The processes of anchoring–shifting are savoring-sacrificing and revering-liberating. Parse (2021) described these processes: Savoring is delighting in something treasured while all-at-once forgoing it. It is relishing being with others, ideas, objects, or events that are appealing to community, whereas sacrificing is giving up something of worth. Savoring-sacrificing is shown as threads of constancy amid diversity become transparent in speech, silence, movement, and stillness. (p. 154)
With leading-following, “savoring is delighting” arises with communities as they find delight in the new change possibilities, while “savoring-sacrificing” with leading-following shows as “threads of constancy amid diversity” arises as communities come to terms with what may be lost, as new initiatives or projects replace what had been.
Parse (2021) described revering-liberating as “honoring and respecting others and ideas while cocreating a buoyant freeing. The respecting is of the predecessors, contemporaries, and successors alive with the personal histories of the constituents, as they push and resist with the familiar-unfamiliar in anchoring-shifting” (p. 154). With leading-following, revering-liberating is respect for others and their ideas; it is freeing communities and organizations from links to previous healthcare or community practices and values.
Persistently Pursuing Excellence and Pondering-Shaping Community Change
The third essence of leading-following is “persistently pursuing excellence is revering others with vigilant attending” (Parse, 2021, p. 169). The processes are “revering others” and “vigilantly attending.” Revering others is “honoring the uniqueness of individuals by not expecting each person to contribute to the vision in exactly the same way” (p. 169). Vigilantly attending is “cautiously witnessing with wisdom the emergence of ideas and programs and heeding with graciousness the surprises that unfold with the inevitable uncertainty that accompanies new endeavors” (p. 169). This essence and its process are about the ways a leader and follower explores possibilities to enhance the community’s mission. There is a focus on excellence based on what the community (individual and group) wants; the leading-following constituents contribute to the mission’s indicators and goals. In this regard, Parse (2021) wrote that “in persistently pursuing excellence, infinite possibilities emerge that call for wisely beholding the situation with quiet discreetness” (p. 169).
In pondering-shaping change, Parse (2021) wrote that: Community (individual and group) is contemplating-configuring with the emerging now. Contemplating and at once configuring is with the imaged possibles present with the communities’ illimitable experiences. Contemplating-configuring is human-universe connecting-separating in cocreating new meaning in deep thought as careful shapeshifting arises with certainties amid the inevitable uncertainties of choosing directions in the context of the becoming visible-invisible becoming of the emerging now. (p. 155)
The processes of pondering-shaping are considering-composing and dialoguing-listening. Parse (2021) wrote that: Considering-composing is concentrating with deliberate intent or deep meditation in all-at-once living creating anew with the becoming visible-invisible becoming of the emerging now. Considering is deliberately ruminating about others, ideas, objects, and events that are important with the everchanging becoming visible-invisible becoming of the emerging now. (p. 155)
The “considering-composing is concentrating with deliberate intent” with leading-following is thinking about how community and healthcare agencies’ beliefs and values shape future policies; the choosings of certain projects over others reflects the meaning of values and beliefs.
In 2003, Parse described dialoguing-listening as “unconditional witnessing with all-at-once speaking—being silent and moving—being still” (p. 39). She (2021) further wrote that: Dialoguing with community in pondering-shaping arises with the discourse of comingling personal histories. Listening with pondering-shaping emerges with the solemn regard integral with coming to know something in depth for a clearer understanding yet knowing that all understanding is only for the moment as it is bridled with the mystery of that which cannot be known explicitly. (p. 155)
With leading-following, “dialoguing-listening is unconditional witnessing” provides a new view on how important it is that all constituents involved are provided with opportunities to be heard about what is important to them as new initiatives or projects are moved forward; it is community voicing what it finds significant and impacting the new path for the healthcare agency or community.
Summary
In this paper, the author discussed the ways in which the humanbecoming paradigm and its models may be used to lead and guide community change. It is important that there is a nursing theoretical framework to serve as a leadership foundation. This foundation grounds the direction of projects and initiatives, so that the path toward success is clear. This clear path strengthens the work of communities, as they take risks and collaborate on shared visions.
