Courage, conflict engagement and communities of practice

I love think-tank invitations. Recently, I was invited to participate in an emerging community of practice around conflict engagement in health care. The sponsoring organization is Emerging Health Care Communities (EHCCO). Besides the fact that there were many diverse and interesting people engaged in this three-day event, I was impressed that the conveners invited Etienne Wegner to introduce the group to the idea of a community of practice.

Nurses have been tacitly using and developing communities of practice around specific issues for some time. Making the principles and practices of cultivating a community of practice more explicit enables the evolution of new ideas and promotes mastery of understanding social learning, identity, belonging, relationships and the value of community in advancing learning, growth, change and new knowledge.

Perhaps, you are interested in developing a community of practice around an issue you are passionate about. Cultivating communities of practice requires attention to open dialogue, different levels of participation and diversity of thought, opinions and ideas, as well as commitment to the community that is evolving.

A highlight of the event for me was an award ceremony where my good friend and colleague Phyllis Kritek was recognized for her work in conflict engagement. It takes courage to engage and stay with the conflict resolution process. It also takes attention to communication and conflict resolution skills that can be used in any context. Phyllis blogs for a group known as Disruptive Women in Health Care. Perhaps, some of the posts and issues raised in the Disruptive Women in Health Care forum will give you the courage to engage in conflict resolution around issues that matter to you and the nursing profession at large.

For Reflections on Nursing Leadership, published by the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International.