Business Commons^™

A Framework For Introducing And Sustaining Play At Work, Hans A. Helgeson

Critical and Creative Thinking Capstones Collection

This paper presents a framework for introducing and sustaining play at work, focusing on its impact on creativity, problem solving, team performance, psychological safety, and organizational change. The author explores the concept of playfulness in a work setting and its potential to foster divergent thinking. Drawing on a real-life scenario involving a team of high school students participating in a Destination Imagination challenge, the paper highlights the role of play and risk-taking in problem-solving processes. The study emphasizes the importance of creating an environment that encourages play and experimentation while maintaining a sense of safety and support. The findings suggest …

Getting To Yes: The Makings Of Paid Leave In Massachusetts, Christa Kelleher, Laurie Nsiah-Jefferson, Priyanka Kabir, Lillian Hunter, Cassandra M. Porter, Center For Women In Politics And Public Policy, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Publications from the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy

Considered one of the strongest paid family and medical leave laws in the nation, the paid leave law adopted in Massachusetts in 2018 was notable for the depth and range of robust caregiving supports and protections for workers. But just as notable is how the law came to be. After all, paid leave bills had been filed for years in Massachusetts. Decades in fact. Yet until 2018, there had been limited movement in the legislature to establish a statewide program. What led to the passage of paid leave legislation in Massachusetts with approval from a Republican Governor? What factors influenced …

Reimagining The Role Of Physical Space In Future Human Thriving, Adrian Young

Critical and Creative Thinking Capstones Collection

As a positive psychology practitioner and residential planner, I divide energy and effort into two distinct fields; one focused on human welfare and the other on optimal aesthetics and functionality of our physical surroundings. This text explores a philosophical shift in motivation for space design prompted by the experience and new potential that result from COVID-19. Rather than space as a means to epitomize style and serve utility, I urge considering the full complexity of the human experience and what would be most conducive to general well-being as a new leading priority. What influence can environmental design bring to generalized …

Developing A Theater Skills-Based Workshop To Facilitate Exploration Of Self-Identity For Young People, Natasha N. Goss

Critical and Creative Thinking Capstones Collection

This synthesis will explore the premise of a working outreach platform comprised of experiential methodology, and practical tools and strategies to serve the intended audience. The paper presents an in-depth example of a workshop curriculum created for middle-school aged youth, (12-14 years old), who may struggle with self-esteem, understanding their self-worth, and making responsible decisions. The work explores two intersecting ideas that 1) poor self-concepts and misperceived thinking can lead youth to behave negatively and make detrimental decisions, and 2) theater involvement can produce a theater-based skillset capable of combating those poor self-concepts and misperceived thoughts and changing the trajectory …

Counterpoint: Laying The Groundwork For The First Geospatial Red Team, Rachel Parkin

Critical and Creative Thinking Capstones Collection

The goal of this synthesis has been to develop a set of principles or strategies to guide the establishment of a permanent red team within the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). Over the course of a decade spent working at NGA, I discovered a passion for analytic tradecraft and looking for ways I can push the agency toward a culture that allows critical and creative thinking to thrive. This paper combines my research about organizational culture and reflective narratives about events and observations that shaped my understanding of NGA’s current organizational culture. I identify significant blind spots in our organizational approach …

Systems Thinking: The Organisation As A Living System, Kate Mills

Critical and Creative Thinking Capstones Collection

Systems thinking is a paradigm that challenges the dominant paradigm of linear, or mechanistic thinking. It is a paradigm based on the perspective that everything in a system is inter-connected and interrelated and that the interplay of components in the system creates an emergent quality with its own behaviour and characteristics. Systems thinking as such is suited to be used for analysis of organisations, as organisations can be seen as a system where the interplay of its components create emergent qualities such as the culture of the organisation. Within systems thinking there are living and non-living systems. Living systems, such …

Sustainable Pathways For Successful Small Businesses In Chelsea, Massachusetts, Fabián Torres-Ardila, Lorna Rivera, Carolina Rojas-Pion, Daniela Bravo, Henry Chavez

Gastón Institute Publications

This report focuses on the critical role that small business owners and entrepreneurs play in the socioeconomic development of a predominantly Latino community like Chelsea, Massachusetts.

This report compiles the key findings and recommendations that resulted from conducting a qualitative study with small business owners and other individuals who play important roles in advocating for and supporting this community. Assuming an asset-based approach rather than a deficit-based one (Green & Haines, 2011), our study focuses on the skills and knowledge of small business owners and identifies a myriad of possibilities for City administrators to build upon existing practices and behaviors …

A Comprehensive Model Of Employment Support, Alberto Migliore, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

This brief describes a model of employment supports centered around achieving quality job matches and based on five key elements: building trust, getting to know job seekers, support planning, finding jobs, and support after hire.

New Frontier In Technology: Smart Homes, Daria Domin

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

Third in a series of Innovative AT Practices briefs, New Frontier in Technology: Smart Homes describes an initiative by the Alaska Assistive Technology Program centered around adopting a range of technologies to develop “smart homes.” These homes are equipped with devices that allow for tasks, typically performed by humans, to be automated by voice, touch, and sensors. Smart home technology has shown a lot of promise to increase quality of life and independence for individuals with disabilities.

Team Building & Coaching, Daniel Kelley

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

A supervisor’s ability to make proper hires and coach existing employees is related to the creation of a pipeline of future supervisors. As corporations grow, so does its personnel. As the personnel grows, so does the need for more leaders that can appropriately manage personnel without human resource intervention. This paper discusses the need for an internally designed program created to help existing supervisors build a bench of future company leaders. Background information of the company is discussed along with the importance of staff development in achieving its mission. A literature review was performed to determine the benefits of an …

Support After Hire, Alberto Migliore

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

Employment support doesn’t end when a job seeker finds work. This brief shares strategies for supporting an individual after hire.

Finding Tasks And Jobs, Alberto Migliore

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

Finding tasks and jobs is a core element of the comprehensive model of employment supports. Learn more about how to make this happen.

Supports Planning, Alberto Migliore

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

Supports planning is one of the five elements of the comprehensive model of employment supports. Learn exactly what it means and how to do it.

Latinos In The Labor Force, Phillip Granberry

Gastón Institute Publications

In 2018 a financial news and commentary website, 24/7 Wall St., ranked Massachusetts as the state with the largest economic and social disparities between Latinos and non-Latino whites. For example, median household income was shown to be slightly above $80,000 for whites and just under $40,000 for Latinos. Even more starkly, the rates of homeownership were shown as 69.3% and 26.0%, respectively.

The present report offers an in-depth look at one aspect of the disparity, namely, the difference between the median wage income of Latinos and non-Latinos (a great majority of whom in Massachusetts are non-Latino white). In 2017 …

Building Trust, Alberto Migliore

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

In this brief, you’ll find tips about building trust with job seekers as a first step toward finding the optimal job match.

Sports Leadership And Administration Program Annual Report 2019-20, Joseph N. Cooper, Shantal Petrie, Tara Parker

Sports Leadership and Administration Publications

The SLA Program is designed to foster critical consciousness among future leaders in sport and preparation for successful pursuits in sport administration, marketing, finance, management, and recreation.

Mission of the Program: The mission of the SLA Program is to cultivate equity-minded, character-driven, and transformational leaders who will positively improve society through sport.

Vision Statement: The vision of the SLA Program is to be the premier space and place for producing life-changing and society-shifting leaders in sport.

New Hire Training For Development Employees, Frances Pickles

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

Children’s Cancer Charity employs development staff members in field offices across the country. These new hires require a specialized training for their role within the organization. The existing new hire training consists of a sales training and a week-long training held quarterly at the Executive Office. The current training lacks a foundational understanding of the various fundraising programs that exist at CCC and the training on the soft skills required to be successful in a development role. Two training series were designed to meet the needs of development new hires: Fundraising Program Training and Business Skills Training. The program training …

Collaborative Leadership In Action, Maureen Scully, Catherine R. Bates

Center for Collaborative Leadership Publications

The 46 fellows in the 2018 cohort of the UMass Boston Emerging Leaders Program worked with seven community partners on projects of strategic importance to these nonprofit and government organizations. The fellows contribute their professional skills and discover collaborative leadership through practice. The theme of our public symposium is “Collaborative Leadership in Action.” The fellows shared their insights about what collaborative leadership involves – its challenges and benefits – and what they take back to their workplaces.

Organizational Transformation That Supports Community Employment, Amie Lulinski, Tibisay Guzmán, Avery Valins, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

A presentation at the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) Conference in Harford, Connecticut, on June 27, 2017.

Gender Inclusion Activities In Entrepreneurship Ecosystems: The Case Of St. Louis, Mo And Boston, Ma, Banu Ozkazanc-Pan, Karren Knowlton, Susan Clark Muntean

Management and Marketing Faculty Publication Series

Women-owned businesses have an economic impact of nearly $3 trillion in the U.S. Despite the tremendous opportunity for economic growth they present, women entrepreneurs lag behind their male counterparts in terms of number of start-ups and scaling of businesses. To understand how and why this may be taking shape, we focus on the role of entrepreneur support organizations (ESOs) or those organizations that act as intermediaries between the resources of a local ecosystem and entrepreneurs. All organizations that have as their proverbial mission to serve, support or partner with entrepreneurs can be categorized as ESOs. Given their role as decision …

Basic Knowledge Training For Vfx Production Assistants And Coordinators, Sharon Anne Roberts

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

Visual Effects (VFX) is a part of the film-making process that takes place during the broader phase of film-making known as post-production. There are two broad groups of individuals who are responsible for the outcome of the VFX project - artists and production. The groups work in conjunction to achieve the team goals. At present, there is no formalized training available for production individuals and much of the required learning is done on the job. This projects explores a basic training course for individuals looking to increase their basic knowledge of VFX production. Grounded in industry research conducted by the …

The Knowledge Worker And Upskilling: Can Instructional Design Frameworks Help?, Susan W. Brown

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

This paper explores how knowledge workers face uncertainties in the job market and how workers sustain a decades-long career in the midst of technology changes and globalization pressures. In particular, this paper asks how knowledge workers self-assess knowledge gaps, discover appropriate learning opportunities, demonstrate mastery, and promote credentials across decades-long careers. Interviews with 8 knowledge workers in educational publishing, an industry undergoing workforce changes due to market disruption, provides real-world context to this research question. Taking into account various theoretical frameworks offered for adult education and also reviewing the realities of the postmodern workplace, the paper outlines the hurdles impairing …

Data Note: Time From Vr Application To Closure In Employment For Adults With Intellectual Disabilities, Alberto Migliore, Uchenna Nwangwu, John Butterworth, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

Data Note Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

Getting a job as soon as possible after applying for vocational rehabilitation (VR) services is important for job seekers with intellectual disabilities. This DataNote describes how long it takes for job seekers with intellectual disabilities to go through the steps from application for VR services to determination of eligibility, completion of an individual employment plan, and closure into integrated employment.

What Is The Relationship Between Gender And Employment Status For Individuals With Idd? Findings From The National Core Indicators Adult Consumer Survey (Bringing Employment First To Scale, Issue No. 9), Kelly Nye-Lengerman, Caro Narby, Sandra Pettingell, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

Gender-based discrimination is a persistent problem in the workforce. Like their peers without disabilities, women with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) often have less opportunity to achieve employment outcomes as compared to their male counterparts.

Analysis of data from the 2012–2013 National Core Indicators (NCI) Adult Consumer Survey shows a disparity in access to community jobs between men and women. These data show that women are significantly less likely than men to have a paid job in the community. Among the sample of respondents who worked in a community setting, only about one third were women.

Cle Promising Practices: Flexible Scheduling And Creative Staffing, Heike Boeltzig-Brown, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

Headquartered in a small rural town in northern Maine, Katahdin Friends, Inc. (KFI) provides community employment and life engagement supports, as well as home supports, to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). A flexible approach to staffing and support scheduling helps KFI ensure customized daily support schedules that meet individual goals. This approach also allows individuals to interact with a variety of direct support professionals, which is important for having a more engaged and meaningful life in the community.

Cle Promising Practices: Using Mobile Communication Technology, Oliver Lyons, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

SEEC (Seeking Equality, Empowerment, and Community) is a Maryland-based provider of employment, community living, and community development supports to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Because SEEC has no central facility, having ways to maintain contact between staff and management is paramount. From prepaid cell phones in 2005 to outfitting every staff member with a tablet or a laptop today, SEEC has embraced mobile communication since it started its conversion. By pursuing non- disability-specific grants and reallocating resources, SEEC is able to maintain a mobile organization.

Cle Promising Practices: Using Staff Networks To Build Community Membership, Oliver Lyons, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

LOQW (Learning Opportunities/Quality Works) is a community skills training, service coordination, and employment services provider in northeast Missouri. LOQW operates several satellite offices in addition to its main office in Monroe City, MO. One of these satellite offices is located in Hannibal, MO, a city with a population of less than 18,000. But being located in a small city does have its advantages. One advantage is that a majority of the Hannibal staff has lived there for their entire lives, and they have countless connections in the area. Staff often use their own networks to bring people they support into …

The Strategic Potential Of Community-Based Hybrid Models: The Case Of Global Business Services In Africa, Stephan Manning, Chacko G. Kannothra, Nichole K. Wissman-Weber

Management and Marketing Faculty Publication Series

As a latecomer economy, Africa faces persistent difficulties with catching up in global markets. This study examines the strategic potential of community-based hybrid models, which balance market profitability with social impact in local communities. Focusing on the global business services industry in Kenya and South Africa, and the practice of ‘impact sourcing’ – hiring and training of disadvantaged staff servicing business clients – we find that while regular providers struggle to compete with global peers, hybrid model adopters manage to access underutilized labor pools through community organizations, and target less competitive niche client markets. We further identify key industry, institutional …

Cle Promising Practices: A Staffing Approach Based On Client Relationships, Heike Boeltzig-Brown, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

Avenues Supported Living Services of Valencia, California was founded in 1997 by a husband- and-wife team, Scott and Lori Shepard. The agency provides supported living and community life engagement (CLE) services to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Key to Avenues’ success is a staffing approach that is grounded in client relationships.

Cle Promising Practices: Braiding Community Employment And Life Engagement Services, Heike Boeltzig-Brown, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

WorkLink is a program that braids community employment and life engagement services. The goal is to enable individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) to work while receiving wrap-around day supports, as needed. Started in 1996, WorkLink is a program of TransCen, Inc. and is based in San Francisco.

WorkLink clients do not have to give up day supports when deciding to pursue work. In addition to helping individuals establish and maintain meaningful community relationships, day supports are used to discover and explore vocational goals and job options. This information then helps guide individuals’ employment planning process.