Congratulations to Sandra Davidson on the publication of her recent article! Sandra is a 2011 graduate of the program and currently an Assistant Professor of Nursing at the University of Alberta, in Edmonton, Alberta.
Sandra J. Davidson, S.J. (2015). Shifting the Balance: Relationship as Power in Organizational Life. Nursing Forum. DOI: 10.1111/nuf.12115
Abstract: Power has traditionally been studied and experienced within organizations from a hierarchical and positivist perspective. However, organizational complexity has never been greater, and in our attempts to find new ways to live amid this complexity we seek alternative theoretical perspectives that may better represent and inform our experiences of organizational life. This article summarizes the positivist view of power within organizations and the limitations of attempting to study power from this perspective. Power is then reconceptualized and explored using the complex responsive process (CRP) analysis developed by Ralph Stacey and colleagues at the University of Hertfordshire in the UK. This is an exemplar of how narrative inquiry guided by CRP may be used as a frame for reflexivity and reflection amid organizational power dynamics.
By becoming aware of the power relations in which we engage, and by reflecting upon them using CRP, we may come to understand power relations in a different way. In the act of examining and reflecting on our habitual roles in power relations, we may open up the potential for personal and organizational transformation.