NURSING LEADERSHIP
The Human Becoming school of thought (Parse,
1981, 1998) prepares nurses to assume positions of
leadership for the purpose of enhancing the quality
of human care in all settings. The knowledge base
of the theory enables leaders to create and nurture
opportunities for staff to change their attitudes,
values, and approaches in practice and research.
Parse’s Theory of Human Becoming helps profes-
sionals move toward a more participative, client-
centered model of service delivery (see for
discussion, Bournes, 2002b). Knowledge framed by
human becoming constitutes the leader’s unique
contribution to a community of health-care profes-
sionals. The nurse leader’s views coexist with mul-
tiple other views and beliefs about health care. It is
precisely the diversity of ideas and purposes that
generate the dynamic culture of comprehensive
and compassionate human care.
In the broadest sense, leadership guided by the
human becoming theory means working toward
creating a particular culture of care.Culture of care,
as defined here, refers to the assumptions, values,
and meanings expressed and shared in the language
patterns of a group of people. The changes that are
invited include changing from telling and teaching
to listening and dialoguing, changing from trying
to control patients’ decisions to facilitating choices,
and changing from judging and labeling differences
among people to respecting and representing dif-
ferences. Like all cultures, the human becoming
culture coexists with other cultures of the commu-
nity. For instance, in hospital settings, other cul-
tures that coexist and complement the human
becoming beliefs include those of medicine and
management.
The Human Becoming Theory provides the
foundation for leaders to invite others to explore
the values, intentions, and desires that shape human
Leading is about a process of guided dis-
covery that surfaces insights about self
and human becoming—the insights are
the windows of change.care and professional practice. The leading process
is not about educating staff—meaning it is not
about giving information. Rather, leading is about a
process of guided discovery that surfaces insights
about self and human becoming—the insights are
the windows of change. Personal insights coupled
with new knowledge can dramatically change prac-
tice and the quality of relationships that staff have
with individuals, families, and groups (Bournes,
2002b; Mitchell, Closson, Coulis et al., 2000).Processes of Leading in Change
Leading in a community involves processes of ex-
plicating, visioning, discovering, confirming, and
disclosing. These processes happen in the context
of discussions about human care and meaningful
service.
Explicatinginvolves a process of examining the
assumptions, values, and meanings embedded in
current practices. For example, this includes exam-
ination of the assumptions and values of the tradi-
tional nursing process multisystem assessments,
and prescription. Nurses require opportunities to
consider the meanings of words like “dysfunc-
tional,” “manipulative,” “unrealistic,” and “noncom-
pliant.” The Human Becoming school of thought
offers an alternative framework for all professionals
to think about the human-universe process and its
connections with practice and human care. The
outcome of explicating includes clarification of the
values and assumptions of different processes of
care and service.
Visioningis the process whereby staff imagine
the forms and patterns that could constitute
human care. The predominant questions that invite
discourse and insight here are “what if ” questions:
What if individuals were considered to be the ex-
perts about their own health and quality of life?
What if nurses were required to listen to individu-
als’ meanings and values in order to know how to
care and be helpful? What if records were kept at
the bedside and patients and families were the ones
who monitored access to the record, documented
their experiences, and evaluated care? These sorts
of questions invite staff to think outside of familiar
patterns of practice.
Discoveringhappens as staff see the familiar in a
new light. Nurses glimpse contrasting realities and
views in discourse with others who discuss alterna-
tive ideas. Insights occur in flashes that shed light
on how reality in practice could be shaped. The
process of discovery can be both exciting and un-CHAPTER 14 Applications of Parse’s Human Becoming School of Thought 205