Constructing standards: a study of nurses negotiating with multiple modes of knowledge

Purpose – The aim of the paper is to explore how multiple modes of knowledge play out in the consolidation of nursing procedures in construction of “local universality”. The paper seeks to explore processes where nurses negotiate universal procedures that are to become local standards in a hospital.Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on a case study design. Working group sessions, where the activity was to consolidate different versions of nursing procedures were observed and videotaped. For this paper, transcribed videotaped observations, where tension‐laden situations were identified, are subject to interaction analysis.Findings – In the negotiations to construct standards, multiple modes of knowledge play out; personal experience, collective expertise and formalized knowledge. The paper demonstrates the contributions these modes of knowledge make in a process of standardization. This shows that standards, as such, do not stay universal for very long, but are constructed as “local universal...

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