By creating social learning spaces that intersect the boundaries between theory and practice, the Queen's Institute of Community Nursing (QICN), previously Queen's Nursing Institute, encourages novel leadership teaching and learning techniques during community nurse leadership programmes. Within these spaces, creative activities can shape the comprehension of complex ideas by bridging art and science.
A recent leadership programme for nurses working at a strategic level used a Japanese Haiku (traditional 17th Century Japanese poetry) workshop to stimulate intellectual creativity in analysing and reflecting the many facets of leading. The practice of writing Haikus has been cited as having therapeutic benefits and its use has been recognised as an educational tool for healthcare practitioners (Biley and Champney-Smith, 2002; Stephenson and Rosen, 2015).
In addition, when taught for creative writing, it encouraged empathy and supported transformative learning while showcasing the use of art in practice (Gair, 2012). It can also be used as an aesthetic method in research to analyse and translate data by capturing participants' depth and intensity of emotions, engagement and experiences (Prendergast et al, 2009).
The modern Haiku is a short non-rhyming Japanese poem using 17 syllables in a metrical pattern of five, seven and five syllables in the first, second and third lines, respectively (Pollack, 2013). The author and her team asked participants to write their reflections of strategic leadership in this form, challenging them to condense their ideas, thoughts, feelings and questions. The participants' use of Japanese poetry encouraged the simplification of complex ideas succinctly while articulating a message, which is an essential skill for nurses and leaders. It also promoted creative problem-solving, inspired innovative thinking, and enhanced skills for current and future leadership roles.
At the end of the workshop, the participants recited their Haikus to the group and reflected on the experience. Here are three examples from the leadership Haiku workshop; the first two written by individuals and the third as a group exercise for the Executive Nurse Leaders Programme, 2023:
Strength comes from within Growth from opportunity Culture from people Always be yourself Learn, teach, shine and deliver Stay blessed and humbled Your growth has progressed Now our seeds have been planted We are blossoming
Offering unique and lasting creative approaches to leadership education enables leaders to inspire and connect more deeply with their teams. In addition, on a practical level, creative education enables participants to cultivate supportive, mindful workplaces while offering insight and reflection on practice. By stepping aside from the busyness of life, I encourage you to write a Haiku yourself, based upon your speciality or perhaps one of the topics covered in this edition of the British Journal of Community Nursing, ranging from fitness to practice to loneliness. You will be surprised what a difference it will make in focusing your mind and giving you clarity of thought while also being fun.
The QICN currently offers two leadership programmes for community nurse leaders. Please see the website for details:
https://qicn.org.uk/explore-qicn/leadership-programmes/