Example: NurseManifest Study Team Principles of Solidarity

Who are we?

• We are a group of nurses who have volunteered to do the work of the study that is titled “An Emancipatory Study of Nursing Practice”.
• We will remain stable as a group, but will inform everyone in the group of any person who we think might be included in some of our discussions, or who might participate for a specific part of our work, or who might join the group.  We will all discuss the possibilities, and will arrive at a mutual decision concerning new members and participants.
• We welcome any member of the group “sounding out” research issues with other colleagues, and sharing their insights with the group as well.

What is our purpose?  To conduct the study of Nurses Experiences of Practicing Nursing Today.

 What beliefs and values do we share around our purpose?

•  The Manifesto provides a comprehensive statement of our beliefs and values.
• We value an expansive reading of nurses’ stories and developing of metastories.
• We value the presence of colleagues who represent broader aspects of our nursing community than is represented by the initial group, and will seek ways to broaden participation by researchers representing different perspectives.

 What individual circumstances or personal values to we need to consider as we work together?

•  We acknowledge that our personal circumstances and individual habits around responding to e-mail varies considerably, and we will be mindful and respectful of these variations.
• We will not intentionally take any action individually or collectively that exploits any individual within the group or any other nurses, particularly exploitation that could arise from our roles and past experiences with research, or propensities to “take charge”
• We will keep at a minimum any financial expenses needed from any individual in relation to our work, and will openly negotiate these demands as they occur.  At the outset, there are no known of financial demands arising from the research itself . Richard, Sue and Peggy have individually assumed the costs associated with the web site itself, and with getting the gathering going.  Further web site costs will not occur until next year when the yearly fee will be due to renew the server agreement (which is somewhere below $20 per month or so payable a year in advance, and Peggy will keep everyone posted but plan to pay this as it comes due).
• We will be conscious of respecting everyone’s needs to maintain a balance between the demands of this work, and our personal and professional lives, so that as our ability to be fully engaged in the work ebbs and flows, we will adjust accordingly.

 What do we expect of every member?

•  We will keep the group informed about times that we are going to be away from our e-mail, and not able to respond to the study demands.
• We will use a signal in the subject line of all e-mail messages to indicate that we need or want a response to this message as soon as possible.  For example, if a message comes from any member of the team that has the word “important” in the subject line, we all know that this is one that needs a response, even if it is a esponse saying  “I can’t deal with this right now but I have the information and will get back to everyone by ——–“  Otherwise, we do not expect an answer to every single message that goes out to the team.
• Peggy (or anyone else who might assume responsibility for getting the nursemanifest.com e-mail, and thus the one who receives the stories) is responsible to remove all identifying information from all of the messages sent to us by participants, and then sending the anonymous message to everyone on the team.  All of us will maintain a file (electronic and/or paper, depending on our personal preferences) of all messages contributed to the study.  Peggy and at least one other person will make a back-up copy of all anonymous messages on a floppy disk that can be eventually stored in a locked cabinet.  Did we say we will erase the messages from our computers once the study in done?? I need to go back and look at this!!
• We will use Peace and Power as a process guide for making decisions, meaning on the internet that we will make sure that every person on the team expresses their perspective on an issue that requires a decision, that we will all acknowledge our changing and growing perspectives as they emerge through the process of considering other points of view, that all perspectives will be integrated into our decision (sometimes this means shifting into extinction!!), and that we will all acknowledge when we feel fully at ease with any decision.
• We will address conflicts, feelings and issues between us openly as soon as they reach our awareness, realizing that early awareness may not be perfect but deserves expression.
• We will share skills, leadership and responsibility within the group according to ability and willingness and will work to nurture these abilities so that we share them as fully as possible.
• We welcome any individual assuming specific tasks or taking initiative to develop any aspect of this work, with the understanding that we will all keep everyone informed of what we are doing. We do not inform the group to ask permission, but rather keep everyone informed and to request any needed support for what we want to do, as well as input and suggestions.
• We will shift primary authorship of publications that emerge from this work.  Any member who wants to, or is willing to take the lead on developing any aspect of the work for publication may do so by making a statement to the group concerning what they want to do.
• Whoever steps forward to assume primary responsibility takes the lead in indicating how they want others to participate, if at all – and sole responsibility will be fine.  If any of the rest of us want to be involved, we can  discuss this and reach a mutually agreeable arrangement.

What message do we wish to convey to the community outside our group?

•  We will consciously form a message that is consistent with the values expressed in the Nurse Manifesto – fundamentally always valuing nursing.
• Our presentation on the web will be consistent with Peace and Power principles, and our cooperative way of working together.  This means that we will all be equally visible, and that as things begin to appear on the web that emerge from the research itself (e.g. metastories), each of our individual contributions to the process will be visible.  For example, if Adeline develops a metastory then she will be named as that “author” of the metastory; Richard might develop another one with Sue, and they would be the “authors” of that metastory.
• We will carefully and constructively criticize (in the P&P sense of the word) everything that is placed on the web in light of the message we wish to convey, and will particularly hold Peggy accountable to make timely revisions on the web site that need to be made!!

How will we protect the integrity of our group?

•  We will share any request of our group when/if it comes along, and we will mutually decide if and how we can respond.