Abstract
There are many ways to live intent and intention within leader-follower situations over time. It is important that there is a nursing theoretical framework that serves as the leading-following foundation to ensure that nursing knowledge guides the important work of organizations where nurses shape policy, care, and outcomes. The utilization of nursing’s theoretical knowledge base enhances the discipline and profession across various situations. The purpose of this article is to explore the ways in which intent and intentions, with the essences of Parse’s (2021) leading-following model, are lived-out.
It is important that leaders and followers, regardless of setting, have a strong and explicit emphasis on the mission and outcomes of an organization or project; there must be an intent in all that is done. It has been written that “intention and intent are synonyms, but with a subtle difference. Intention implies a general desire or plan to accomplish something, while intent is a little stronger, indicating a firm resolve to get it done. Intent can be used as a noun or adjective” (Vocabulary, n.d., para. 2). The purpose of this article is to explore the ways in which intent and intentions, with the essences of Parse’s (2021) leading-following model (see the figure), are lived-out. This is done by discussing intentions and intent with the humanbecoming paradigm in light of the leading-following model.
The humanbecoming leading-following model. Reprinted from Parse (2021, p. 165).
Humanbecoming Paradigm and the Leading-Following Model
The humanbecoming paradigm (Parse, 2014), one of three nursing paradigms, is a unique human science–based view with a nature of existence, epistemology, and methodologies (school of thought). Within the humanbecoming paradigm, humanuniverse is “indivisible, unpredictable, everchanging” (p. 26). There is cocreating of reality where “personal reality arises within the timeless moments of an individual’s ongoing history-making with living the becoming visible-invisible becoming of the emerging now” (p. 26). Parse wrote of humanuniverse as a “seamless symphony of becoming,” which is foundational to the nature of existence (assumptions, postulates, and principles) of humanbecoming. The three principles of humanbecoming are as follows (p. 35):
• 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.
These theoretical principles describe the ways in which persons cocreate meaning with their choosings. There is a configuring of patterns, while persons live new moments shaping what is about to be. The humanbecoming paradigm has models that are congruent with its ontology; one such model is the leading-following model (Parse, 2008, 2021). The model is composed of assumptions, essences, and processes. Here, the leading-following model is discussed in light of its essences to explore the ways in which intent and intention surface with leading-following.
Leading-Following and Intent
The leading-following model is unique and arises out of the humanbecoming paradigm. Parse (2008) wrote that “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” (p. 375). The model is not a “customary” view of leadership (Parse, 2021). There are three essences that are essential in all leading-following situations: “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, 2021, p. 165; see the figure).
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” (Parse, 2021, p. 167). The intent of these processes is on the ways that forming something innovative arises with a commitment to something that is significant. This intent is focused on what is important, while moving constituents “along” to “see” the possibilities in all situations. Parse 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). An intent to moving new programs and ideas forward is congruent with the humanbecoming notion of being deliberative in creating something new (innovative).
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 wrote that “willingly risking is daringly venturing forth” (p. 168). The intent here is the means by which leaders and followers “see past” what they “usually do” to seek fresh tactics to ordinary problems or trepidations. These intended tactics must be thought about jointly and deliberated so that leaders and followers are understood. Parse 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 wrote that it “is moving with the vague” (p. 169). It is the way that leading-following constituents progress a vision without exactly understanding how the vision will develop. There will be bargains made, as all leading-following participants discover “their way,” as individuals and as a group. Parse 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” are the ways in which the intent of a mission and vision are “lived-out” daily.
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 have an intent focused on ways that leaders and followers explore many possibilities to enhance the vison and mission of an organization so that the vison and mission are at the forefront in all projects that emerge from the work of leading-following teams. These leading-following teams have an intent of excellence based on contributions to the mission and/or vision of what must be accomplished. In this regard, Parse wrote that “in persistently pursuing excellence, infinite possibilities emerge that call for wisely beholding the situation with quiet discreetness” (p. 169).
Summary
In this article, the author explores the ways in which the humanbecoming paradigm and intent and intentions, with the essences of Parse’s (2021) leading-following model, may be lived-out. There are many ways to live intent and intention within leader-follower situations over time. It is important that there is a nursing theoretical framework that serves as the leading-following foundation to ensure that nursing knowledge guides the important work of organizations where nurses shape policy, care, and outcomes. The utilization of nursing’s theoretical knowledge base enhances the discipline and profession across various situations.
