Translating purpose and mindset into positive impact through shared vision, compassion, and energy-a comparative study of seven organizations

How do organizations that explicitly state the intention to be "positive impact companies" differ from traditional entrepreneurial companies? How does the quality of relationships in those companies affect the ability to deliver positive impact? This study explores the conditions under which business leaders turn their organizations toward generating prosperity for all stakeholders, achieving positive societal outcomes, improving human wellbeing, and delivering great business results. Seven case study companies are examined based on interviews with three executives from each firm, including the CEO. All seven companies are privately owned small/medium sized businesses from a cross section of industries and diverse geographic bases, ranging from Michigan to the Pacific Northwest, to Singapore, Egypt, and Florida. Four of the companies are considered "positive impact companies" (PICs) based on their organizational affiliations, while the other three are considered traditional entrepreneurial companies (TECs). The overall findings suggest that the core of positive impact leadership resides in a shift in the mindset of leaders toward one of connectedness and purpose, and that these factors influence the quality of relationships in organizations in a positive way whether the company is considered a PIC or a TEC. The results also suggest a close relationship between several core indicators of a fundamental shift in understanding about the role of business in society: shared values of human wellbeing, a common shared vision, an emphasis on collaboration and caring in organizations, and a long-term perspective toward the creation of shared economic prosperity.

Microteaching: Overview and examination evaluation

Nearly all teachers are forced into teaching and gain experience through time, but many do not feel adequately prepared for their fieldwork in their training program. Only solution which helps teachers and students is to connect theory to practice by microteaching. It is a strategy for acquiring teaching abilities on a smaller scale, in which teachers may practice previously learned skills as well as acquire new ones. The efficiency of microteaching may be predicted using feedback from participants. While preservice instructors benefit from microteaching and students themselves find it helpful, academics have not yet looked closely at the assignment itself to determine precisely what microteaching entails. As a result, this study aids in learning more about the interactional aspects of microteaching and the effect of it in both teachers and students.

Reflective Practices to Study Group Dynamics: Implement Empowerment and Understand the Functioning of Groups

Introduction: Individual and group reflection practices are qualitative methods useful in a group context to develop group skills and more awareness of the dynamics that take place within the group to which one belongs. Aim: The aim of this work is to highlight how individual reflective practices and group reflections contribute to the development of group skills. More specifically, the effectiveness of relevant group dynamics is investigated, with the aim of creating a space for reflection, and activation for individual and group empowerment. Participants: The participants were 130 university students (86% female), resided in northwestern Italy, and had a mean age of 27.5 years (SD = 7.52). They were randomly divided into 23 groups (ranged from four to nine members). Method: The participants engaged in several online training activities and at the end of every activity they completed individual reflection practice in which they presented both positive and negative aspects related to the group experiences. Then they participated in online group reflections that allowed them to reflect on the group dynamics, particular attention given to factors such as climate, participation and roles played by each participant in a variety of training activities. This study analyzes 130 individual reflective practices and 23 group reflections. The data collected through individual reflective practices and the transcripts of the group reflections were analyzed using grounded theory. Two independent judges analyzed and categorized the data and then identified the main common categories that emerged by the support of Nvivo software. Results: From the analysis of the content, it is determined that the participants, based on the construction of the individual and group reflections, paid greater attention to the dynamics that occurred within the group during the various activities in which they participated, thus allowing them to be more aware of the various factors that affected the importance attributed to the different roles, the climate, and their active participation. Conclusion: Combined, these factors allowed participants to strengthen their relationships with each other and enhance the cohesion of the group.

Forced Disruption of Anatomy Education in Australia and New Zealand: An Acute Response to the Covid-19 Pandemic

Australian and New Zealand universities commenced a new academic year in February/March 2020 largely with "business as usual." The subsequent Covid-19 pandemic imposed unexpected disruptions to anatomical educational practice. Rapid change occurred due to government-imposed physical distancing regulations from March 2020 that increasingly restricted anatomy laboratory teaching practices. Anatomy educators in both these countries were mobilized to adjust their teaching approaches. This study on anatomy education disruption at pandemic onset within Australia and New Zealand adopts a social constructivist lens. The research question was "What are the perceived disruptions and changes made to anatomy education in Australia and New Zealand during the initial period of the Covid-19 pandemic, as reflected on by anatomy educators?." Thematic analysis to elucidate "the what and why" of anatomy education was applied to these reflections. About 18 anatomy academics from ten institutions participated in this exercise. The analysis revealed loss of integrated "hands-on" experiences, and impacts on workload, traditional roles, students, pedagogy, and anatomists' personal educational philosophies. The key opportunities recognized for anatomy education included: enabling synchronous teaching across remote sites, expanding offerings into the remote learning space, and embracing new pedagogies. In managing anatomy education's transition in response to the pandemic, six critical elements were identified: community care, clear communications, clarified expectations, constructive alignment, community of practice, ability to compromise, and adapt and continuity planning. There is no doubt that anatomy education has stepped into a yet unknown future in the island countries of Australia and New Zealand.

A guide to introducing and integrating reflective practices in medical education

It is a significant challenge for any medical education program to provide adequate training in medical knowledge. It can be just as daunting to include appropriate opportunity to learn about and manage the emotional impact of illness experiences, the healing process, and provider-patient relationships. While there may be only a few basic changes to the core of medical knowledge, advances in medical practice regularly have an impact on the nature of patient care. Life-long learning is essential to maintain one's competence. However, everything doctors and other medical professionals learn about relationships with patients during their training is relevant for the rest of their career. One primary source of this learning are reflective practices. However, there is no guide or description of or comparison among the distinguishing characteristics of reflective processes. In addition, there are no criteria for the selection or integration of reflective processes in medical training or beyond. This article proposes understanding reflection as a complex, three-level process and identifies dimensions which differentiate a variety of reflective process activities. The discussion includes considerations for selecting which activities might be usefully incorporated in education curricula, and identifies conditions of medical training cultures that will support successful integration.