Managing Professional and Labor Interests Through Organizational Change in the American Nurses Association: A Professional Society Case Study

ABSTRACT MANAGING PROFESSIONAL AND LABOR INTERESTS THROUGH ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE IN THE AMERICAN NURSES ASSOCIATON: A PROFESSIONAL SOCIETY CASE STUDY Mark C. Crider, MSN, RN, PhD c University of California, San Francisco, 2008 This study utilizes professional and labor theory to explore the organizational change process experienced by the American Nurses Association from 1999 to 2004. Case study methodology was used to conduct telephone interviews with nurse leaders of three national nursing organizations serving on their respective boards of directors during the time frame of interest: the American Nurses Association (ANA); the United American Nurses; the Center for American Nurses. Along with interview data, public documents from the ANA were examined to better understand the process of organizational change. The data illuminated the pressures driving the ANA in its organizational change, including the struggle in meeting member needs that are diversified throughout the country. Specific conflicts surrounding professional and labor interests among state nursing organizations competing for influence in the ANA spearheaded the change process. Differing interests among member state nursing organizations in meeting individual nurse economic and general welfare needs began to compete for organizational resources. The ANA's struggle to maintain its position as the representative of professional nursing in the United States was specifically challenged as organizational members within the society threatened to withdraw their membership, weakening ANA's representative status. Years of internal focus on organizational structure greatly influenced the ANA of today and of the future