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EXTENDING COMMUNITY THROUGH COLLABORATIONJapan: Advancing the vision by Carolyn S. Melby “Cheshire Puss,” she [Alice] began rather timidly, ... “would you tell me please, which way I ought to go from here?” “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat. —Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll
As the world moves down the path of globalization and values a collaborative model over a vertical, hierarchical model, “societies are going to find themselves facing a lot of very profound changes all at once,” writes Thomas Friedman (2005). “This will affect how individuals, communities and companies organize themselves; where companies and communities stop and start, and how individuals balance their different identities as consumers, employees, shareholders and citizens; how people define themselves politically; and what role government plays in managing all of this flux” (p. 234). In 1985, leaders of the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau decided to proceed systematically toward internationalization and, in accordance with that decision, changed the organization’s name from Sigma Theta Tau to Sigma Theta Tau International. In concert with the vision of our leadership “to create a global community of nurses who lead in using knowledge, scholarship, service and learning to improve the health of the world’s people,” members have embraced President Carol Picard’s call for global health through collaboration. In resonance with her call to action, the theme of this issue of Reflections on Nursing Leadership is “Extending community through collaboration.” What globalization means may be something of a mystery to many members, even to those actively involved in advancing the process. What is this process, you may ask, and how is it accomplished? One good example is worth a thousand theories, so the following is a brief account of how our vision of globalization was further advanced in Asia with the establishment of Japan’s first chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International. The process begins Japan’s first nursing and health science journal published in English debuted in 1999 under the farsighted leadership of Susumu Tomonaga and Masato Tsukahara, former deans of the Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Nursing, Yamaguchi University School of Medicine. To promote academic exchange, Tomonaga and Tsukahara also entered into agreements with Ewha Womans University, Republic of Korea; Chiang Mai University, Thailand; University of Newcastle, Australia; and two U.S. schools, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and the University of Virginia. All of these schools had honor society chapters. Nursing leaders at Yamaguchi University expressed interest in following suit, recognizing that the mission of Sigma Theta Tau International to foster nursing leaders and promote academic excellence was important to nursing in Japan. A study group was formed to plan the steps needed to start a chapter at YU. Dean Tsukahara asked me to assist in this process. Informal discussions began in which I acquainted myself with what had been done and what was needed to achieve this long-awaited goal. Although Sigma Theta Tau International had been in existence for a long time, many Japanese nurses did not understand its purpose or the purpose of other international nursing organizations. To promote the concept, culture and language barriers needed to be overcome, and nursing faculty, leaders and students needed to be educated about the purpose and mission of the honor society. Working across languages Japan is defined as a high-context society (Hall, 1976), suggesting that the context in which a word is used contributes greatly to its meaning. For example, in the Japanese language, there are probably 10 words that mean “I,” but it is rarely the individual I—it is I in relationship to something or someone else. Unlike English, in which I means I no matter what the context, in Japanese, it is I in relationship to my job, my family or my friends. In translating honor society bylaws and information, we had to take into consideration the many different ways of referring to individuals and make it meaningful to people in a group-oriented culture. Several translations of key documents were made to ensure that we had both the context and content correct. Cultural convergence “Maintaining harmonious social relations is likely to take precedence over achieving personal success,” notes Richard Nisbett (2003). “Success is often sought as a group goal rather than as a personal badge of merit. Individual distinctiveness is not particularly desirable” (p. 49). This view contrasts with that of Westerners in general, and the purpose of Sigma Theta Tau International, in particular, with regard to individual merit, recognition and achievement. Other nursing schools in Japan tried to establish honor societies, but had largely given up. Promoting individual merit, trying to determine grade point averages and distinguishing some members of the group from others based on individual merit were concepts difficult to communicate. A typical, oft-repeated Japanese maxim is “The nail that sticks out gets hammered down” (derukuiha, utareru). In Japan, identity and rewards are based on group association, often related to family or employment, not individual merit. I asked a student what she remembered most about her visit to the United States. She responded, “The way Americans say yes and no.” It took me a while to grasp what she was saying. In Japan, people almost never say yes or no. Decisions result from a long process called “nemawashi,” literally, watering the roots. Consensus is built behind the scenes and, finally, a decision is announced that all can agree upon. It is more difficult, therefore, to build nursing organizations and societies in Japan than it is in the United States, which has hundreds of nursing organizations. Ultimately, the question we had to address was, how could an organization that is based on individual merit and where yes or no voting is required adapt to a group culture? Over a period of months, many hours were spent discussing the needs of nurses in Japan, the merits of establishing a chapter of the Honor Society of Nursing and how the process could be facilitated. The nursing faculty committee at YU was determined to find a way to overcome the cultural barriers and establish a chapter. The process was greatly facilitated by nurse leaders such as Misae Ito and Yumiko Ishikawa, who had obtained master’s degrees in nursing in the United States and who were indefatigable in their efforts to speak across both cultures. In consultation with honor society leaders such as Teresa Ransdell, Sigma Theta Tau International’s global development manager, consensus was reached on membership requirements—where flexibility was possible and where we could adapt the honor society’s membership requirements to the unique educational system of Japan. Over time, compromises were reached and decisions were made that paved the way toward establishment of a chapter. The nail that sticks out is greatly appreciated We encouraged risk taking and emphasized that those who became leaders would be part of a leadership team that would achieve benefits for all members of the group, a strategy that proved persuasive. We realized that sending out ballots was not a good idea; we didn’t know if we would get them back. To ensure an adequate response, we invited all new members to a meeting and asked them to vote while present. Tau Nu, Japan’s first Honor Society of Nursing
chapter Where we want to get to As members of an international nursing organization, we must do what is necessary to open ourselves to new ideas and change to ensure that the Honor Society of Nursing continues down its path of cultural learning, collaboration and convergence. RNL —Carolyn S. Melby, PhD, APRN, BC, CCH, an associate editor of the journal Nursing & Health Sciences, is professor and chair of international nursing at National College of Nursing in Tokyo, Japan. References |
