| The ethic of care as introduced by Gilligan (1982) and elucidated by Noddings (1984) serves as the framework for a discussion about caring for the caregivers within healthcare organizations. Care, as defined by Noddings (1984) is predicated upon receptivity, relations, and responsiveness. Utilizing a hermeneutic approach, this action research study explores how healthcare providers understand care, examines my development as a caring leader, and discusses the role of leadership in caring organizations. The study proposes that caring within organizations can be developed through a process of modeling, dialogue, practice and confirmation.;The contributions of science and feminism support the importance and relevance of the ethic of care through the concepts of systems and webs of relationships. The demise of the traditional hierarchical ways of thinking, as the only worldview, is long overdue. Care rightly takes its place in the discussion of how we are with each other, not only in our organizations, but in our larger communities, and in the world.;The adoption of an ethic of care, within organizations, is both a top-down and a bottom-up enterprise. However, the championing of care falls, in great measure, to the leaders of healthcare organizations. Leaders must work within and through the current paradigms to effect change. The study emphasizes that care is foundational to living in community with others and to our becoming more fully realized human beings, more fully able to reach our potential. It concludes that incorporating an ethic of care into our thinking about organizations and organizational leadership is vital to the health of our organizations and to our growth as a society. |
