Netball, a popular team sport in New Zealand, has seven on-court players per team who individually occupy positions with specific roles and boundaries. V-ball is a modified netball game in which five on-court players per team gain experience in three varying roles due to the implementation of positional rotation. This study investigates players’ perceptions of self-satisfaction and team cohesion in netball, a modified netball game (V-ball) or both games. Self-satisfaction has been viewed in terms of individuals’ basic psychological need satisfaction (BPNS). Team cohesion has been considered in light of youths’ perceptions of task and social cohesion as identified in previous research. In the current study a mixed methodology was implemented and a process of purposive sampling was used to recruit 63, 11-12 year old participants from Whangarei, New Zealand. Participants had varying degrees of experience in either sport, which determined their placement in one of three groups; netball, V-ball or both games. All participants completed a quantitative questionnaire, results of which were analysed using a one-way ANOVA. A total of 12 questionnaire participants, representative of each group, then took part in a one-on-one semi-structured qualitative interview. Interview data was transcribed verbatim and analysed through a manual coding process. Three key findings have emerged: the extent of game structure was found to affect the fun experienced by youth participants, the presence of external regulation (from significant others) was identified to contribute to orientations of extrinsic motivation and winning orientations were found to have a negative effect on participants’ perceptions of team cohesion. These findings provide new information regarding players’ perceptions as a result of participation in netball and V-ball in New Zealand. These findings also contribute to those of previous research on the perceptions of youth as a result of participation in traditional and modified games.

Leaders are often called upon to make sense out of complicated situations and give direction to others, and the situations have increased in both number and complexity. A solution to this problem has been identified in sharing leadership and engaging the potential of entire organizations. Therefore the purpose of this literature review is to map and identify interesting areas about shared leadership. Investigating if shared leadership can help organisations become more efficient in a world of growing complexity. Focusing on why organisational actors should consider a shared leadership approach. Critically examine the potential outcome from shared leadership and how an organisation could move towards adopting a shared leadership approach, including steps, conditions and actions that would be required. Literature about shared leadership and similar concepts has increased extensively, causing dissension in the area. Aiming to explore, understand and express what the literature says about shared leadership we adopted the systems view with an inductive and qualitative approach. Realising that shared leadership most commonly is practiced and studied in teams we adopted this scope and went deeper into the social process and conditions for creating shared leadership in teams. Shared leadership was found to solve demands for increased knowledge, skill and ability among modern leaders. Preferably implemented successively by vertical leaders into cross-functional teams conducting knowledge work. Tasks to simple or time to urgent however makes shared leadership ineffective, while misaligned perceptions and purposes between team members might diminish trust and neglect shared leadership. This review then makes valuable implications for future research, suggesting deepened empirical research in the implication of shared leadership.

ABSTRACT Patient safety and safety outcomes in hospitals are a major concern. A hospital’s safety climate indicates the degree to which the organization prioritizes patient safety and achieves intended care outcomes. Relationships between nurse managers and frontline nurses and relationships between health care team members are pivotal in promoting a positive safety climate which in turn reduces adverse patient outcomes. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine frontline nurses’ perceived relationships with nurse managers and health team members to identify factors associated with safety climate (SC) in a community hospital located in a western Canadian city. The study was guided by Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) theory. Leader-Member Exchange theory postulates that dyadic relationships and work roles develop over time through a series of exchanges between nurse managers and frontline nurses. The study further incorporated Team-member exchange (TMX), a theoretical extension of LMX. Team-Member Exchange was used to guide the study of reciprocal exchanges among nurses and other members of the health care team. A non-experimental, cross-sectional survey design was used to explore the relationship between acute care nurses’ perceived LMX, TMX, and SC. A convenience sampling technique was employed. Licensed practical nurses (LPNs) and registered nurses (RNs) were invited to complete a survey package comprised of four scales. A response rate of 31.1% was achieved with N=105. The majority of respondents were female (89.5%), over 45 years of age, and employed part-time. About half of the respondents were diploma-prepared nurses, whereas the other half had a baccalaureate degree in nursing. Based upon data’s non-normal distribution and various levels of variables, Kruskall Wallis H statistics were used to assess and compare groups in terms of the nurses’ education, gender, length of experience in their current position, specialty experience, organization experience, age, and LMX, TMX, and SC scores. Age was the sole demographic factor that had a statistically significant positive association with LMX and SC. This finding supported the notion that mature nurses enhance the SC. The relationship between TMX, LMX, and SC was explored through Spearman’s rho correlation statistics. LMX and TMX were found to have statistically significant relationships with SC. Multivariable regression analysis was used to identify factors with an association with SC. Nurses’ relationships with team members had a slightly stronger association with SC in comparison with LMX. Over 66% of SC variance was accountable by LMX, TMX, and nurses’ age. This study’s results support the nurse manager who partners with nurses to promote team work to deliver safe patient care and accomplish organizational goals. The presence of strong leadership that incorporates LMX and TMX theories into practice with the reliance upon mature nurses may facilitate the attainment of a positive SC and positive patient outcomes. Further longitudinal studies are recommended to add to the knowledge of the relationships between LMX, TMX, SC and patient outcomes.

Syftet med studien var att undersöka vad som krävs för att specialläraren med inriktning utvecklingsstörning ska kunna skapa ett samarbetsklimat inom teamet som ger optimala förutsättningar för elevernas lärande och utveckling. Arbetet har utgått från tidigare forskning kring ledarskap i skolan, träningsskolans pedagogiska praktik och betydelsen av delaktighet och samarbete i arbetslivet. Ett historiskt avstamp har gjorts utifrån synen på hur utvecklingsstörning utvecklats, samt hur särkolan vuxit fram.  Studien har utgått från ett kvalitativt perspektiv, där jag genom en fenomenologisk ansats sökt förståelse kring speciallärarens roll som teamledare. För att undersöka hur speciallärarens sätt att leda och fördela arbetet inom personalteamet kan påverka ansvarsfördelningen, känslan av sammanhang och därmed även möjligheterna till måluppfyllelse för eleverna har jag genomfört gruppintervjuer av befintliga personalteam. Det förväntade resultatet har begränsats till en förståelse kring förhållandena i de grupper jag studerat, varmed allmängiltiga slutsatser inte kunnat dras. Teoretiska ansatser har hämtats från professionsteori, praktisk kunskap, Goffmans rollteori, Foucaults maktaspekt och Antonovskys tes om känslan av sammanhang. Resultatet av studien visade att det inom samtliga team fanns forum för gemensam planering och en tydlig ansvarsfördelning mellan teammedlemmarna, där specialläraren hade en given roll som ledare för såväl elevassistenter, som fritidspedagog. I samtliga team uttryckte teammedlemmarna att de kände sig delaktiga i den gemensamma planeringen, genomförandet och utvärderingen av undervisningen. Det som skiljde teamen åt var den tid teamen hade till förfogande för den gemensamma planeringen, samt djupet av teammedlemmarnas delaktighet. I analysen av resultatet utifrån de teoretiska utgångspunkterna framstod att orsaken till att det kan uppstå samarbetsproblem inom särskolans personalteam kan vara en begränsning i synsättet från samhällets, såväl som verksamheternas sida kring professionsbegreppet inom grundsärskolan. I studien framkom att vi behöver en vidare syn på vad profession innebär, för att bättre kunna se och ta vara på den verkliga kompetensen inom teamet. Professionen bör innefatta alla de som arbetar yrkesmässigt tillsammans. För teamen jag intervjuat skulle detta innebära att professionsbegreppet inte bara skulle inrymma speciallärarna, utan även innefatta övriga teammedlemmar. Genom ett mer omfattande professionsbegrepp skulle samtliga yrkesgrupper kunna mötas av såväl förväntningar som krav, varmed hela teamet under speciallärarens styrning och handledning skulle kunna utveckla en optimal undervisningssituation för eleverna. Vid diskussionen av resultaten framkom att för att de mest gynnsamma förutsättningarna för elevernas utveckling ska kunna uppnås, krävs att skolledningen skapar förutsättningar för teamet att mötas. Specialläraren bör vara trygg i sig själv för att kunna ta tillvara på teammedlemmarnas kompetens och kunna leda dem i att fokusera på elevernas mål enligt läroplan, skollag och aktuell forskning. Ytterligare en förutsättning för det goda samarbetet i teamen visade sig vara att speciallärarna, såväl som de övriga medlemmarna i teamet känner sig bekräftade i det arbete de utför.

The key to production effectiveness lies in the optimal utilisation of the organisations own employees. This has been accomplished by changing the power structure within organisations with the introduction of self-directed work teams. In addition to carrying out the work, SDWT members make decisions that are traditionally the jurisdiction of first line supervisors. This method of management and work planning can lead to added stress and behaviour not anticipated from employees. This behaviour, if not addressed, may have a debilitating effect on the team's performance and therefore on the organisations' bottom line. To address this behaviour, the specific causes must first be identified. The pressure within the teams of a gold mine is increased due to the fact that one day's loss of production can cost hundreds of thousands of rand. The objective of the research was to determine what causes certain dysfunctional behaviours in self-directed work teams, and the effect this has on the workplace and performance. A qualitative study was done whereby a single group of subjects was obtained. This group consisted of 40 subjects (N=40). Three different work groups were part of the case study. These groups were observed in the workplace, the group's interactions with other members in the group were observed, and the group's interactions with leadership figures were observed, and finally individual members participated in unstructured interviews in order to identify the experience of members in the work groups and also to discover what elements contributed to the dysfunctional behaviour identified in the workplace. Data from interviews was used to develop major groupings, or general classifications of broad categories of themes, where a theme is a recurrent topic of discussion or often mentioned key factor with regards to behaviour. Information was also gathered by observing individuals in their places of work. The results showed that the factors, which were most frequently sited, were the issues of contradictory demands and control (leadership). Another factor considered important by all role players was relationships. Other influences identified, but of less importance, were support, trust and communication, cultural diversity, role clarity and finally, individual needs. By way of conclusion, recommendations for future research are made. / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.

The criminal justice and mental health systems increasingly overlap as persons with mental illness (PMI) are disproportionately present throughout components of the criminal justice system, a concern to mental health and criminal justice professionals alike. In response, various initiatives (aimed across components of the criminal justice system) have been developed and implemented as a means of combating this overrepresentation. The following research will focus on one specialized police-based initiative, the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT), which aims to train police how to recognize mental illness, de-escalate persons in crisis, and to seek treatment-based alternatives to arrest, when appropriate (Schwarzfeld, Reuland, & Plotkin, 2008). Alternatives to arrest consist of various community-based mental health services such as public hospitals (some of which are designated as emergency receiving facilities, or ERFs) or private clinics. While the components of CIT training likely influence officers in unique ways, research has yet to empirically examine how CIT influences police perception, behavior or the incidence of referrals to mental health treatment. As an initial step, this research assessed the attitudes police have regarding the hospital and mental health system within their district. Specifically, this research provides a basic understanding of how police regard their local hospitals and mental health facilities that are posited as available alternatives to arrest, and help identify the role CIT plays in shaping these attitudes. This study found almost no significant difference in the attitudes CIT-trained officers had towards district ERF and the local mental health system as compared to non-CIT officers. Only in one of the six departments studied was there a significant difference between the attitudes of CIT-officers and non-CIT officers; with the non-CIT officers actually having more positive attitudes about their local mental health system than CIT-officers. The six departments studied had nearly similar attitudes of their mental health resources, which would barely be considered passing on a standard grading scale. While officers in this study do not have very positive attitudes towards the ERF they use to transport PMI or their districts’ mental health system, these attitudes may in fact be more positive than many police departments without any specialized approach or initiative. The significance and policy implications of these attitudes are discussed at length, as these findings speak to the need for increased attention by both the mental health and criminal justice systems. Recommendations for future research, including expanding this study to rural departments or agencies with no connection to CIT, are also outlined.

Centrum för Teknik i Medicin och Hälsa (CTMH) har, i samarbete med Stanford University, utvecklat programmet Clinical Innovation Fellowships (CIF) för att identifiera förändringsbehov inom vården. Syftet med den här uppsatsen är att undersöka huruvida arbetssättet med Clinical Innovation Fellowships har åstadkommit förändringar för patienter, medarbetare och ekonomi på värdklinikerna. Undersökningen har visat att arbetssättet med CIF framförallt har åstadkommit förändringar för medarbetare. Även förändringar för patienter har genomförts, dock har den ekonomiska aspekten av programmet varit svårare att mäta och se några konkreta förändringar inom. Det har gått att tyda en generell trend som visar att de undersökta värdklinikerna valt att börja med de förändringar som är av mer praktisk natur och enklare att genomföra lokalt på kliniken. Värdklinikerna har haft svårare att genomföra större, organisatoriska förändringar, vilka styrs mer centralt på sjukhusen. Undersökningen på de utvalda värdklinikerna visade att något som skulle gynna CTMHs arbetssätt med CIF skulle vara att etablera en uppföljning på klinikerna. Då undersökningen har visat på att inga större förändringar, vilka beslutas om på en central nivå, har genomförts skulle ett nätverk för tidigare värdkliniker underlätta genomförandet av dessa förändringar genom att klinikerna skulle kunna gå samman och med större genomslagskraft utarbeta förändringsförslag för gemensamma behov.

Background: Type I diabetes is a chronic disease that places great demands on the child and family. Parental involvement has been found to be essential for disease outcome. However, fathers’ involvement has been less studied, even though high paternal involvement has been correlated with less disease impact on the family and higher quality of life among adolescents. Aim: The overall aim of the study was to explore and analyze constructions of fathers’ involvement in their child’s everyday life with type 1 diabetes from an ecological and health promotion perspective. Four specific aims were applied: 1) explore and describe discourses in health care guidelines for children with type 1 diabetes in Nordic countries, focusing on parents' positioning (I), 2) analyze how Swedish pediatric diabetes teams perceived and discussed fathers’ involvement in the care of their child with type 1 diabetes, and to discuss how the teams’ attitudes toward the fathers’ involvement developed during a focus group process (II), 3) explore and discuss how fathers involved in caring for their child with type 1 diabetes experience support from their pediatric diabetes team in everyday life with their child (III), and 4) analyze how involved fathers to children with type 1 diabetes understand their involvement in their child’s daily life and to discuss their perceptions from a health promotion perspective (IV). Material and methods: A qualitative and inductive approach was applied. Data were collected and analyzed during 2010-2012. The sample consisted of three pediatric guidelines originating from Norway, Denmark and Sweden (I), three Swedish pediatric diabetes teams (PDTs) (II), and 11 (III) and 16 (IV) fathers of children with type 1 diabetes who scored high involvement on the Parental Responsibility Questionnaire. Data were collected through repeated focus group discussions with the PDTs (II), online focus group discussions (III) and individual interviews (III, IV) with the fathers. Three analysis methods were applied: analysis of discourses (I), Constructivist Grounded Theory (II, III) and content analysis (IV). Findings: The findings illuminated the complex interaction between the pediatric guidelines, the PDTs and the fathers. Fathers highly involved in their child’s daily life experienced different levels of tension between the general recommendations and their personal experiences of living with a child with type 1 diabetes (III). The fathers regarded their involvement in their child’s diabetes care as additional to their general parenting, and a fine balance was identified between a health promotion perspective and a controlling involvement. The common denominator between the highly involved fathers was their use of parental leave (IV). The PDTs initially perceived fathers’ involvement as gendered and balanced on the mother’s agement, but as focus was set on fathers’ engagement the PDTs increased their awareness of this and started to identify and encourage their engagement II). At the macro-level, parents’ voices were diminished in Nordic pediatric diabetes guidelines in favor of an expert discourse (I). Conclusions: Fathers’ involvement concerning a child with type 1diabetes is constructed in a complex way, based on an interaction between the fathers’ perceptions of their additional involvement and the support provided by the PDTs; the PDTs’ perceptions of the fathers’ involvement; and how parents/fathers are constructed in pediatric diabetes guidelines. In order to promote the health and well-being of children with type 1 diabetes, fathers’ involvement needs to be taken into account in the pediatric guidelines as well as in clinical practice.

Purpose The study theoretically examine if satisfaction of a sports team can create place attachment to a city from a residents’ perspective. It empirically tests if this theory can be applied in reality through a case study of a handball team IFK Kristianstad, and Kristianstad city. Design/methodology/approach A deductive approach that was based on theoretical insights from place attachment, satisfaction and service quality. A quantitative study was conducted on spectators in Kristianstad Arena. Findings The paper reveals that high service quality leads to high satisfaction among spectators, which creates place attachment to Kristianstad. The results proved that residents of Kristianstad are more place attached to the city than people living elsewhere. Originality/value The value of our paper is a new insight of place attachment from a resident’s perspective. The paper highlights that satisfaction of a sports team actually can create place attachment to a city. Research implications There are many variables that are important when exploring residents’ satisfaction and place attachment, several of them may be education, healthcare, entertainment and variety in a city. By studying the different variables it is possible to receive a larger perspective from residents’ point of views. Additionally, the study could be applied in a larger context where the target group is the whole population of a city. Practical implications The practical contribution might be valuable information for IFK Kristianstad about the spectators of the team; among other, the information demonstrates that the team is valuable for the city. Since the handball team is of importance for both the city and its residents, this information might be useful when marketing Kristianstad city in the future.

I många kommuner finns språkklasser. För att bli mottagen till språkklass krävs någon diagnos inom språkstörning. Aktuell forskning gör gällande att språkstörning sällan är en isolerad funktionsnedsättning. Barnets svårigheter kan förklaras utifrån att språkstörning är den mest framträdande funktionsnedsättningen vid en given tidpunkt eller att språkstörningen är en markör på andra utvecklingsrelaterade funktionsnedsättningar främst i skolålder. Syftet med studien är att få kännedom om beslutsfattares och pedagogers erfarenheter och uppfattningar om begreppet språkstörning och överlappande utvecklingsrelaterade funktionsnedsättningar samt hur detta påverkar kriterier och beslut som ligger till grund för mottagande till språkklass. Konkreta frågeställningar är: Hur definierar förvaltningschefer, rektorer och pedagoger begreppet språkstörning? Vilka kriterier finns för språkklass och hur avgränsas och definieras de? Vilka erfarenheter och kunskap finns om språkstörning och överlappande utvecklingsrelaterade funktionsnedsättningar? Undersökningen genomfördes som kvalitativ forskningsintervju med nio intervjudeltagare på organisations-, grupp- och individnivå i tre kommuner. Utgångspunkten är en fenomenologisk ansats som ger möjlighet att undersöka och beskriva intervjudeltagarnas erfarenheter och uppfattningar inom ämnet. Resultatet visar att språkstörning uppfattas som ett komplext begrepp och att det finns stora skillnader i hur intervjudeltagarna definierar begreppet språkstörning och vilka termer som används. Det framkommer att språkstörning kan förändras över tid och att andra symptom kan framträda tydligare. I beskrivningarna antas språkstörning ha en särställning till andra diagnoser för att den är kombinerad på så många olika sätt och att den har så många olika grader. Detta medför svårighet att avgränsa och gradera språkstörning i kriterier till språkklasser. Kriterier för mottagande till språkklass ser olika ut i kommunerna. Det framkommer vidare att logopeder har ett stort ansvar vid organisation av språkklasserna till exempel när det gäller att upprätta kriterier och vara med vid beslut om mottagande. Diagnos språkstörning, utrett av logoped, ska enligt intervjudeltagarna alltid ligga som grund inför ett beslut om mottagande. Det visar sig också att föräldrar har en viktig roll men har olika förutsättningar att driva sitt barns sak vid ansökan till språkklass. I resultatet framgår att majoriteten  av barn med språkstörning i skolålder har andra utvecklingsrelaterade funktionsnedsättningar och att det är svårt att förstå vad som är beroende av vad. Många barn med språkstörning har en långsam inlärningstakt och den kommunikativa förmågan är nedsatt. Ofta har eleverna pragmatiska svårigheter som sannolikt kan relateras till såväl språkliga problem som till andra kognitiva problem, exempelvis brister i uppmärksamhet och arbetsminne. Intervjudeltagarna poängterar att språkstörning är en funktionsnedsättning som ofta får sociala och emotionella konsekvenser. De flesta intervjudeltagarna är överens om att ett barn med språkstörning och andra överlappande funktionsnedsättningar skulle kunna tillhöra en språkklass. Samtidigt finns en vilja att kunna avgränsa och vara tydlig med att det ska vara barn med primär språkstörning som går i språkklass. Resultatet visar en saknad av ett gemensamt synsätt i kommunerna kring organisation, rutiner, underlag vid beslut, upprättande av kriterier och arbetssätt i språkklasser. Med detta visar resultatet vikten av att ha ett tvärvetenskapligt synsätt på barn med språkstörning. Olika professioner behöver "bygga broar" och uppföljningar i utredningsteam bör ske under tidig skiolålder.