Empirical Research
“Go Live in ’05”—From Hierarchy to Shared Governance in Higher Education
By Pam Springer RN, PhD, Cynthia Clark RN, MS, PhD
Volume 5 - Issue 1
Feb 14, 2007 - 1:47:50 PM

Since 1999, the Department of Nursing at Boise State University has been engaged in a transition from a hierarchical system of governance to a shared governance model.  The process occurred in eight phases, according to John Kotter’s model for organizational change.  The goal of the department was to “Go Live in ‘05” by integrating the three separate nursing programs (practical nursing, associate of science, and bachelor of science) and instituting curricular changes to unify the nursing program.  This endeavor required the cooperation of all members of the faculty and resulted in increased communication and more equitable leadership.  The article presented here traces the progression of change that led to the shared governance model, which included the implementation of Teams that were responsible for different facets of the department.   The radical changes were made in incremental stages that allowed for adaptation to the unique needs of the nursing department.  This was a labor-intensive process that took place over six years and prepared the department to meet the needs of stakeholders.