Organization Development Commons^™

Better Together: From Siloed To Relational Organizational Design, Brooke Moore

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

The impacts of historical inequities continue to limit access to quality outcomes for all learners in British Columbia. Organizational structures that separate and isolate efforts to create equity persist in BC school districts. Riverstone School District has attempted to disrupt the norm of siloed and discoordinated efforts by merging several central office support departments to offer increasingly wholistic and effective support to schools and the families they serve. However, despite the best intentions and despite now sharing physical space with one another, the departments have not yet merged effectively; isolated, conflicting efforts persist. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) offers a …

From Epistemic Bubbles To Generative Possibilities: Knowledge Leadership And Knowledge Mobilization For Child And Youth Care Practicum Education, Carys Cragg

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

Child and Youth Care (CYC) Practicum Education (CYCPE) operates in more than 40 public postsecondary institutions (PSI) across Canada. CYC educators instruct and assess, while supervisors mentor thousands of students at child, youth, and family-serving organizations. As an emerging profession, CYC does not yet experience well-established governance, widespread postsecondary research infrastructure, nor public recognition, leaving CYCPE with threats to its credibility and existence. Despite individual CYC educators’ and programs’ extensive professional knowledge, we lack CYC-specific CYCPE organizational knowledge. This problem of practice (PoP) limits CYC educators’ ability to inform, improve, and innovate upon CYCPE’s design and delivery. This organizational improvement …

How To Drink From A Firehose: Systemic Supports For Polytechnic Chairs, Jocelyn R. Crocker

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) is centred on the Problem of Practice of the inadequate institutional supports for academic Chairs at Prairie Polytechnic (a pseudonym), a large public higher education institution in Western Canada. Chairs are pivotal for higher education institutions because they impact student, departmental, and institutional outcomes; however, the leadership development needs of Chairs are overlooked, and the limited training available for Chairs is primarily ad hoc, episodic, short-term, and self-guided. The objective of this OIP is to determine how Prairie Polytechnic can provide more effective systemic supports for Chairs. Postmodernism is used to explore the relationships between …

Indigenous African-Centred Organizational Change: Building Capacity At A Grassroots B3 Organization, Emanuella Nicola Bringi

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

Nakupenda Community Services (NCS) is a B3 organization based in Ontario Canada. At NCS there are several valuable programs serving the everyday needs of clients. While the services are valued by the community, the internal challenge within the organization is the lack of capacity to lead all programs. Compounding this problem is the demand for more programs and services given the impacts of the recent pandemic. The very active board of directors and employees have made significant efforts to meet the needs of clients, but the problem of capacity persists and negatively impacts service delivery as employees and leaders tend …

Cracking The Shell Of White Fragility: Priming Employees For Anti-Oppressive/Anti-Racist Learning, Martha Jansenberger

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

Despite the adoption of AO/AR practice frameworks by most human service organizations, consistently integrating the practical elements of AR work into professional interactions continues to challenge many organizations (deFinney, 2011; Saraceno, 2012). This OiP considers the barriers to AO/AR praxis for staff in a crisis shelter, drawing from relevant leadership theory, CRT, change management research, and education research to develop a comprehensive plan aimed at building capacity among employees. With a focus on diminishing the impulse to deny or refute the impacts of systems of oppression on racialized and equity seeking groups, this project uses Kolb and Frohman’s model for …

Building Human And Organizational Capacity In A Small Nonprofit And Human Service Organization Through A Culture Of Leadership Development, Adam A. Silver

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

Nonprofit organizations are typically comprised of staff from different backgrounds and education, and with varying degrees of leadership experience. In many cases, underequipped staff members are thrust into senior roles without mentorship or development that would prepare them for increased responsibility, leading to operational challenges, depleted morale, and staff burnout. Furthermore, without developing future leaders, issues of succession planning become evident both at the organizational level, and at the sector level. These concerns, in part, can be remedied by embedding strategic and intentional leadership development into the organizational culture of small nonprofit human service organizations. The problem of practice (PoP) …

Promoting And Teaching Responsible Leadership In Software Engineering, Devender Goyal, Luiz Fernando Capretz

Electrical and Computer Engineering Publications

As software and computer technology is becoming more prominent and pervasive in all spheres of life, many researchers and industry folks are realizing the importance of teaching soft skills and values to CS and SE students. Many researchers and leaders, from both academic and non-academic world, are also calling for software researchers and practitioners to seriously consider human values, like respect, integrity, compassion, justice, and honesty when building software, both for greater social good and also for financial considerations. In this paper, we propose and wish to promote teaching soft skills, values, and responsibilities to students, which we term as …

Impact Of Covid-19 On The Italian And American Healthcare Systems : A Comparative Assessment, Bita Pejam, Jennifer Lam

All Reports

This report aims to examine and assess the impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic on the healthcare systems of the United States of America and Italy; two of the most heavily affected nations. Using data from December 2019 to January 2021, several consultations, and policy reviews, we identify risks and notable areas of issue in each nations’ approach to combating the virus. We focus our report particularly on the health policies and the governmental structures in place that contributed to each nations’ initial method of alleviating the impact of COVID-19. Our report compares the two healthcare systems and proposes a …

Evidence Informed Strategy To Improve Organizational Learning Engagement, Glenn G. Barton

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

The ability of an organization to effectively learn and apply knowledge not only equates with highly agile performance, it is increasingly important to surviving in a knowledge based economy. Organizational learning has been widely popularized in recent decades, however defining, coordinating, and maximizing this collective learning capability within organizations remains challenging. In part this difficulty may lie in conflicted views about the purposes of learning and who it benefits, varied ways in which learning or leading it can happen, and most importantly in employee’s different motivations to engage in learning at all. This plan examines organizational learning engagement and targets …

The Experiential Learning Connections Between University And Community: Recent Ontario Experience, Emmanuel Asafo-Adjei

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Experiential Learning (EL), including a range of pedagogical approaches such as co-ops and community service learning, connect the university and its external community. Universities are considering such approaches to meet a number of needs and priorities both on and off-campus. As it unfolds rapidly at the present time, EL becomes the connection between the university and the community beyond its gates, both locally and more extensively. However, university-community or so-called town-gown (TG) connections traditionally focus on research and/or science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). This thesis focuses on the teaching and learning connections, especially in Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences …

Creating Sustainable Support Systems For The Cultural Integration Of International Students At A Medium Size Ontario University, Muzi Li

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

This OIP investigates the lack of cultural integration and support for international students at Medium-Size Ontario University (MSOU). The support for cultural integration of the international students at MSOU is inadequate and international students are facing social, emotional and academic challenges as they are not provided with the needed assistance to acclimatize to Western culture. Three potential solutions to address the PoP are demonstrated and evaluated. The chosen solution of implementing extended orientation and workshops is inspected in detail. Transformational Leadership and Confucianism are examined to ensure their relevancy and appropriateness to address this PoP and OIP and connected to …

Supporting Dynamic And Distributed Decision Making In Acute Care Environments: Insights From A Cognitive Ethnography, Anthony Naimi

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The way that medical decisions are carried out in hospital environments has undergone radical changes in recent years, in part as a result of the changing landscape of care. To make decisions, physicians are expected to keep abreast of a growing and changing body of medical and patient knowledge, collaborate more with clinical colleagues, and utilize more technologies to inform care than ever before. This dissertation reports on a five month cognitive ethnography in an ICU in Ontario Canada, and utilizes distributed cognition to understand the challenges that physicians face in making decision in modern acute care environments. It also …

Organizational Behaviour During Instability: A Critical Discourse Analysis Of Shared Mental Model Through Various Forms Of Acute Care Learning Using Mixed Methods, Adam Morse, Ryan Chan

Western Research Forum

Background: The purpose of this study is to better understand nurses' performance based on training processes. This will determine if group training will increase performance compared to independent training through a shared mental model in a contextual setting of unpredictability mediated by the effects of nurses’ perceptions of patient safety climate. A mixed methods study is conducted using critical discourse analysis of organizational documentation and semi-structured interviews to determine measures of contextual setting when identifying and treating sex trade workers.

Methods: Pragmatic study will analyze two groups of 125 nurses each determining the impact of group and individual …

Mindfulness And Individual Error Orientation In High Reliability Organizations, Ellen Choi

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Mindfulness is a concept drawn from the contemplative traditions that refers to present-moment, non-judgmental awareness. Exactly how applicable mindfulness is in the workplace requires further empirical validation, particularly on outcomes immediately relevant to organizations. This study contributes to literature examining the effects of mindfulness in organizational settings by considering the effects of an 8-week workplace mindfulness training program in a high-reliability organization (hospital) on individual error orientation, an individual’s propensity to learn from error, worry about error, or hide error. This study adds to the current state of knowledge by providing further insight into why one holds a particular error …

Character In Leadership: Perceptions Of Canadian Intercollegiate Athletics Administrators, William Z. Weese

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Despite the importance of administrative leadership in high performance sport, minimal attention has been given to the area of leader character by sport management researchers. The current study examined the prevalence, perceived importance, and value of leader character within Canadian interuniversity athletics programs. Leader character was quantitatively measured using the Leader Character Insight Assessment (LCIA) instrument (Crossan et al., 2013a). Differences between sex, position, and experience were also examined. Overall, Accountability and Integrity were the most prevalent leader character dimensions. Sex of administrators did not yield any significant differences between dimensions. Athletic Directors perceived Transcendence to be more important to …

Older Woman Workers: Met And Unmet Needs For Health And Wellbeing In The Workplace, Gillian Gorfine

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Older women workers report experiencing occupational injustices however the literature focuses on barriers faced rather than understanding the needs-based strategies empowering women as they age at work. This study engaged women aged 55 and older in a participatory action research project defining and examining strategies for older women workers’ health and wellbeing. In Phase 1, a key informant advisory group (N = 4) defined the problem and guided the design of an open answer survey conducted with 72 older women in work. Three categories emerged informing the fundamental, instrumental, and contextual needs of older women workers. Meeting fundamental needs may …

Australian Approaches For Managing ‘Country’ Using Indigenous And Non-Indigenous Knowledge, Emilie J. Ens, Max Finlayson, Karissa Preuss, Sue Jackson, Sarah Holcombe

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

This paper synthesises the lessons learnt and challenges encountered when applying Indigenous and non-Indigenous knowledge and methods in natural and cultural resource management (NCRM) in northern and central Australia. We primarily draw on the papers within this special issue of Ecological Management & Restoration, which originated largely from the Indigenous land management symposium at the 2010 Ecological Society of Australia conference. Many of the papers and therefore this article discuss practical experiences that offer insight for enhanced on-ground cross-cultural NCRM and can inform broader thinking and theoretical critiques. A wider literature is also drawn upon to substantiate the points and …