358 ■ III: ROLE FUNCTIONS OF DOCTORAL ADVANCED NURSING PRACTICE
completion by each party. This differs from compromise, which is based on both party’s
willingness to settle on an option. Compromise might best be described as “mini-lose. ”
■ THE ROLE OF THE DNP IN NEGOTIATION— THE STRATEGIC VIEW
Before completion of her DNP degree, Dr. Schmidt was a nurse practitioner in the stroke
center of an academic medical center. Because of her years of experience in the acute
care of stroke patients, she decided to do her DNP clinical practicum in a rehab unit.
This rounding out of her experience with stroke patients and her evidence- base focused
her to conclude that stroke rehab needs to focus on all domains— social and functional—
for patients to recover a sense of self and the roles in their lives and with their families.
Unfortunately, she was met with a resistance to this change. What new ideas can we
offer Dr. Schmidt in negotiation?
This section addresses a system context for using negotiation skills, the organiza-
tional culture as a context for change, and how gender and culture influence the role
of the DNP. Helping Dr. Schmidt understand the organizational culture in which she
finds herself and using the principles from CRR Global (formally known as the Center
for Right Relationships; 2011), which is a systems approach described in the following
paragraphs, could help her better negotiate the change. Perhaps, because of her gender,
she is more focused on maintaining a relationship than in clearly and directly arguing
for change for the patient’s sake (Donaldson & Frohnmayer, 2007). This compromising
style was a gender difference that Holt and Devore (2005) found in a metanalysis of 36
studies of self- reported data on conflict- resolution tendencies. Thomas, Thomas, and
Schaubhur (2008), in a study of gender differences in conflict, found that men scored
significantly higher in competing styles at low, medium, and high levels of responsibil-
ity in the workplace. Women’s style remained compromising at all employment levels.
SYSTEMS THEORY AS A CONTEXT FOR NEGOTIATION
The DNP role in negotiation requires a high level of systems thinking and an ability to
apply expertise in systems theory and functioning. The role includes being a partici-
pant in the larger system and being a catalyst for system’s change through negotiation.
Therefore, there is a compelling leadership dimension to negotiation at this higher level.
Historically, negotiation took place within top- down, patriarchal organizational
systems. The 21st century is unfolding a new dimension in systems work. The dimen-
sions are multifaceted and include a focus on the relationships within systems; organ-
izational theory; emotional, social, and systems intelligence (Goleman, 2012; Goleman
& Boyatzis, 2008; Goleman, Boyatzis, & McKee, 2013); and seminal research on process
work and deep democracy, where all voices in the system need to be heard (Mindell,
2012, 2014, 2015). Arnold and Amy Mindell’s work through the Deep Democracy
Institute (2009) has created a worldwide think tank for the development of leadership
that emphasizes the dynamic interplay between individual and collective transforma-
tions, and the seminal and empirical research conducted on relationships (Gottman,
2007, 2011; Gottman & Silver, 2015 ). These new approaches focus on connections
between and among members of a system, and recognizing that people are in relation-
ships at all times, starting with themselves. In his latest research, Gottman (2011) asserts
that trust is a cornerstone to relationship and an essential component of negotiation, as
will be explored later in the chapter.