I will present some voices from the fields of scouting as well as from outdoor focused schools and tell about their feelings for outdoor education and how they think it can be useful to help children develop a sense of belonging in a group. With a hermeneutic perspective on research I have aimed to show that there is a difference in how teachers and scout leaders look upon the effective use of outdoor education and how they use it both as an instrument for learning and as a tool for group development. I have been looking upon the questions with a holistic point of view and with progressive thoughts of education on my mind. I visited and participated in three school groups and three scout groups during some hours. The children were in the year span of 3 – 11 years. I interviewed the four teachers that works with outdoor education in different forms and five leaders active in three different scout groups/scout organisations. My pre knowledge and my preconceived notions has been my platform in this research. This research is a bit to small to prove anything but I state that my research show that there is benefits to gain from using the outdoors in a higher degree in learning situations. Also group development through leadership could give large benefits in Swedish schools if there is a conscious awareness about cooperative learning and leadership skills.

Studien syftade till att undersöka gruppmedlemmars upplevelse av ledarskapsstilen, effektiviteten samt utvecklingsstadium. Detta för att undersöka om det fanns ett samband mellan upplevd ledarskapstil, upplevelsen av gruppens utvecklingsstadium samt den upplevda effektiviteten. Det finns forskning kring ledarskap och effektivitet i förhållande till högpresterande yrken (Chi, Chung & Tsai, 2011; Guardia, 2007; Pillai & Williams, 2003) vilket gjorde att författarna till denna studie fann det intressant att studera om detta samband också förekom på en grupp kontorsanställda. Populationen bestod av kommunanställda på två kommuner, sammanlagt skickades enkäten ut till 104 individer. Deltagarna fick besvara enkäter som var sammansatta av Bass och Avolio (1995) för att besvara ledarskapsdelen samt Wheelan (2010) för att besvara utvecklingsstadium och effektivitet. Det var 41 av 104 individer som valde att delta i studien vilket gav en svarsfrekvens på 39,42%. Resultatet visade på en signifikant skillnad mellan stadium 3 och 4 när det gäller gruppens utvecklingsstadium kopplat till effektivitet. Studien visade ingen signifikant skillnad i effektivitet eller upplevt utvecklingsstadium mellan olika upplevda ledarskapsstilar. Trots få signifikanta kopplingar ger studien en möjlighet till vidare forskning inom området. / The study's aim was to investigate the group member’s experiences of the leadership, efficiency and developmental stage. This was done to analyse if there was a connection between the experienced style of leadership), the experience of the group’s stage of development and the experienced efficiency. There is research regarding leadership and efficiency in relation to high performance professions (Chi, Chung & Tsai, 2011; Guardia, 2007; Pillai & Williams, 2003) which led to that the authors of this particular study decided to investigate if this relationship was also present within a group of office employees. The population consisted of government employees in two different municipality, all together the form was sent out to 104 individuals. The participants had to answer surveys that were created by Bass and Avolio (1995) to answer the part about leadership and Wheelan (2010) to answer stage of development and efficiency. 41 out of 104 decided to participate in the study which resulted with a response rate of 39,42%. The result showed a significant difference between stage 3 and 4 when it comes to the group’s stage of development connected to efficiency. The study did not show a significant difference in efficiency or experienced stage of development between the different types of leadership. Even though there's few significant connections the study presents opportunities to further research in the area.

The view regarding social units as entities in their own right disappeared from scientific consideration in the mid-twentieth century as much for political and ideological reasons as scientific ones. Yet group psychotherapy rediscovered these ideas. The problem to re-establish them scientifically is lack of empirical methodology for investigating whole groups. / The study integrated theories of groups as psychic entities from sociology, social psychology and group psychotherapy to form hypotheses about therapeutic groups" functioning. Four dimensions of whole-group function were derived: Structure, Cognitive Organisation, Affect, and Action Coherence. An observational instrument, the "Group Function Record," was developed, categories defined for each dimension and a procedure established to rate minute-by-minute group function from videotaped psychotherapy groups. Therapists" Interventions were also recorded. The instrument treats the group as the object of study and quality of collective functioning is rated irrespective of members present or their roles. Reliability was established and ratings were made of one latency and four adolescent yearlong groups. / Results substantiated an eight-phase developmental sequence derived from the group development literature and outlined a theory of group formation. The most challenging, but creative state was found to be when the group is whole with all members in communication, though it is unstable and often managed by breaking into subgroups. A linear relation existed showing that the smaller the group, the better it functions. Groups also function best with one or two members missing, but more absentees threaten the group’s existence. More highly organized groups are more stable, but tend to destabilize when they become self-reflective. Homeostatic self-correcting tendencies and a close relationship between affective and action changes were evident. Change towards unpleasurable affect is associated with change from cooperation to conflict and vice versa. Crises tend to be precipitated by affective change, but correct themselves within the next minute or two. The effects of Therapists" Interventions towards members, the group or both were analyzed. Group interventions initially tend to reduce functionality, followed by improvement after several minutes; member interventions have inconsistent effects; interventions to group and members in the same minute tend to produce immediate improved function. / The findings and their implications for therapeutic goals and technique with adolescents are discussed in relation to the theoretical background. Considerable merit is found in the collective mentality theories, many of whose postulates are validated. Indications for therapeutic technique are outlined from the findings. The method provides a different view of group process posing new questions and suggesting simple techniques are therapeutically potent. Further avenues of research are suggested.

Emotionell intelligens (EI) i relation till ledarskap och organisatorisk effektivitet studeras allt mer och börjar anses mer viktigt. I denna studie redovisas ledarskapskonsulters attityder till EI och ledarskap. Kunskap om detta område är viktig eftersom deras attityder påverkar arbetssamhället då de utbildar, föreläser och lär ut till människor som ska bli eller som redan är ledare. Frågeställningar var: Vad anser informanterna innefattar EI? och Hur samverkar EI och ledarskap? Studien är kvalitativ där jag med hjälp av en semistrukturerad intervju samlat information från sju kvinnor och fyra män som alla arbetar som ledarskapskonsulter. De arbetar inom olika organisationer och företag och är mellan 40 - 62 år. Intervjuerna tog upp frågor som Vad innebär EI, Vad är en bra ledare, frågor kring bemötande samt hur de sprider sina attityder i ämnet. Vidare fick deltagarna reflektera kring om de anser att de finns något sätt att ersätta EI och om det går att utveckla graden av EI. Resultatet visar att samtliga informanter anser att EI är viktigt inom ledarskap för att på ett effektivt sätt kunna delegera, motivera och leda sina följare, men också för att kunna utveckla ett effektivt team. / EI in relation to leadership and organizational effectiveness is studied more than ever and is considered more important. I have through my study gathered leadership consultants attitudes towards EI and leadership. Knowledge about this area is important as their attitudes affect the work community as they train, lecture and teach people who will be or who are already leaders. The research questions where: What do the management consultants regard as EI? and How does EI and leadership interact? The study is qualitative and I was using a semi-structured interview to collect data from seven women and four men who all work as Leadership consultants. They work in various organizations and businesses and are between 40-62 years. The interview covered questions like What does EI mean? What is a good Leader? questions about treatment and about how they spread their attitudes in the area. Furthermore, the informants had to reflect on whether they think there is any way to replace EI and if it is possible to develop the level of EI. The results show that all informants believe that EI is important in leadership to effectively be able to delegate, motivate and lead their followers, but also to develop an effective team.

No description available.

En ständigt föränderlig omgivning, påverkad av globalisering, konkurrens och nya trender fostrar en komplexitet som flertalet forskare hävdar kräva ett ökat fokus på teamarbete (McDonough, 2000; Sheard & Kakabadse, 2002). Därutöver skriver Cannon-Bowers och Bowers (2011) att intresset för team och hur de fungerar vuxit dramatiskt sedan början av 1900-talet. Inte minst tros pressen från en global ekonomi ligga bakom det ökade intresset, tillsammans med behovet av att optimera användandet av team inom organisationer världen över. Trots att teameffektivitet tycks ligga i de flestas intresse, verkar litteraturen på området inte hänga med i omvärldens förändring. Vi anser att diskrepansen mellan teori och praktik ger upphov till barriärer som hindrar utvecklingen av effektiva team. Syftet med denna studie har således varit att öka förståelsen för de barriärer som hindrar utvecklingen av effektiva team inom en svensk verksamhet. Vår studie har en kvalitativ ansats där nio semistrukturerade intervjuer genomförts med medarbetare från ett team på IKEA of Sweden AB. Våra resultat visar att det finns tydliga barriärer mellan utvecklingen av effektiva team, teorin och praktiken. Med grund i vår undersökning har vi kunnat identifiera de tre följande barriärerna: ledarskap, kommunikation och tillhörighet (LKT). Barriärerna får sina uttryck i olika konsekvenser där den övergripande konsekvensen är förhindrandet av utvecklingen av effektiva team, andra konsekvenser yttrar sig på såväl team- som på individnivå. Vidare har vi funnit att barriärerna (LKT) även kan agera möjliggörare för utvecklingen av effektiva team. Såväl litteraturen som praktiken bör således lägga ett större fokus på att implementera, utveckla och förstärka de tre identifierade faktorerna (LKT). Slutligen anser vi att det behöver utföras mer empiriskt grundad forskning och teoribildning som tar hänsyn till omvärldens förändringar för att finna fler åtgärder för att hantera de identifierade barriärerna. / A constantly changing environment, influenced by globalization, competition and new trends, fosters a complexity that most researchers claim to require an increased focus on teamwork (McDonough, 2000; Sheard & Kakabadse, 2002). In addition, Cannon-Bowers and Bowers (2011) write that the interest in teams and how they function has grown dramatically since the early 1900s. The pressure from a global economy is believed to be a cause of the increased interest, along with the need to optimize the use of teams within organizations worldwide. Although organizations and people are taking an increased interest in team effectiveness it seems as if the literature within the field is not keeping up. We believe that the discrepancy between theory and practice creates barriers that impede the development of effective teams. The purpose of this study has been to increase the understanding of the barriers that prevent the development of effective teams in a Swedish context. Our study is based on a qualitative research method by which nine semi-structured interviews have been carried out together with members from a team at IKEA of Sweden AB. Our results show that there are distinct barriers between the development of effective teams, theory and practice. Based on our research we have been able to identify the following three barriers: leadership, communication and a sense of belonging (LCB). The overall consequence caused by the barriers is the impediment to the development of effective teams, other consequences include effects on teams and individuals of the teams. Furthermore, we have found that the barriers (LCB) could act as facilitators for the development of effective teams. Both literature and practice should thus place a greater emphasis on implementing, developing and strengthening the three identified factors (LCB). Finally, we argue that more empirically based research, that is taking a constantly changing environment into account, has to be carried out. Hopefully that would result in more measures to deal with the identified barriers.

Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka sambandet mellan organisationsstöd och grupputvecklingsnivåer. För att svara på studiens syfte har följande fråga formulerats: Kan grupputvecklingsnivå prediceras utifrån de 7 aspekter av organisationsstöd?Metoden som används i denna studie är en tvärsnittsundersökningsdesign med en kvantitativ ansats. Data samlades in med hjälp av en enkätundersökning som distribuerades genom en snöbollsurvalsstrategi, där respondenterna identifierades och uppmuntrades att sprida undersökningen via sociala medier och sina nätverk. Insamlade data analyserades med hjälp av multipel regressionsanalys. Stickprovet bestod av 92 projektmedlemmar som arbetar i olika branscher med olika bakgrund. Grupptuvecklingnivå mättes med Group Development Questionnaire short (GDQS). Organisationsstöd mättes med Organisational Support Checklist (OSC).De sju aspekterna av organisationsstöd utgjorde oberoende variabler och grupptuvecklingnivå utgjorde den beroende variabeln. Resultatet visade att endast fyra av de sju aspekterna av organisationsstöd kunde predicera grupptuvecklingnivå, vilket är “Organisationens kultur”, “Tydligt uppdrag”, “Arbetsuppgifter och tekniskt stöd” samt “Återkoppling och erkännande”. Medan aspekten "Utbildningskvalitet" inte kunde inkluderas i analysen, på grund av att många har valt att inte svara på frågorna angående denna aspekt. De resterande två aspekterna “Autonomi och tillgänglighet” och “Utbildning och utveckling” kunde inte predicera grupputvecklingnivå i denna studie. Avseende studiens frågeställning kan följande slutsats dras att 4 av de 7 aspekterna av organisationsstöd har visat sig ha unika signifikanta bidrag till grupputvecklingsnivå, vilket är “Organisationens kultur”, “Tydligt uppdrag”, “Arbetsuppgifter och tekniskt stöd” samt “Återkoppling och erkännande” / The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between organizational support and group development levels. To answer the purpose of the study, the following question has been formulated: Can group development level be predicted from the 7 aspects of organizational support?The method used in this study is a cross-sectional survey design with a quantitative approach. Data was collected using a survey distributed through a snowball sampling strategy, where respondents were identified and encouraged to disseminate the survey through social media and their networks. Collected data were analyzed using multiple regression analysis. The sample consisted of 92 project members working in different industries with different backgrounds. The group development level was measured with the Group Development Questionnaire Short (GDQS). Organizational support was measured with the Organizational Support Checklist (OSC).The seven aspects of organizational support were independent variables and group development level was the dependent variable. The results showed that only four of the seven aspects of organizational support could predict group development level, which is "Organizational culture", "Clear mission", "Tasks and technical support" and "Feedback and recognition". While the aspect "Quality of training" could not be included in the analysis, since many have chosen not to answer the questions regarding this aspect. The remaining two aspects "Autonomy and availability" and "Training and development" could not predict team development level in this study. Regarding the study's question, the following conclusion can be drawn that 4 of the 7 aspects of organizational support have been found to have unique significant contributions to the level of team development, which are "Organizational culture", "Clear mission", "Tasks and technical support" and "Feedback and recognition".

No description available.

O presente trabalho teve por objetivo incorporar a reflexão da teoria do habitus concebida por Pierre Bourdieu, nas discussões sobre as potencialidades e limites das intervenções sociais situadas, atualmente, no âmbito do Desenvolvimento Local Sustentável. Para tanto, preocupou-se inicialmente em explorar na revisão de literatura as concepções que salientam a necessidade da adoção de uma nova práxis política, com um maior envolvimento da população e das organizações da sociedade civil, na busca de um modo sustentável de desenvolvimento. Verificou-se, no entanto, que existe uma polêmica em torno do rótulo da sustentabilidade pelo fato de existirem ações que ainda não estão comprometidas em tornar este novo paradigma um projeto integrado, fruto de relações sociais complexas envolvendo conflito, competição, cooperação e reciprocidade entre os diferentes agentes. Como base empírica desta análise é apresentada a experiência da oficina de artesanato desenvolvida pelo Projeto Pé da Serra, cujos resultados permitiram demonstrar a importância de se refletir sobre o papel mediador do habitus na imbricada relação entre sujeito e sociedade. A metodologia utilizada para este trabalho, além da revisão de literatura, baseou-se também, em duas estratégias de pesquisa de campo. Primeiramente, fez-se um estudo do meio onde se procurou caracterizar o que Bourdieu denomina de campo social, entendido como território onde se opera a estruturação do habitus durante o processo de socialização do indivíduo. Com base nestas observações, pôde-se melhor interpretar e compreender, através da história oral dos agentes envolvidos no Projeto Pé da Serra, as diferentes percepções manifestadas acerca desta intervenção social que resultaram na sua insustentabilidade. / The aim of the current work is to incorporate the reflection on the habitua theory, conceived by Pierre Bourdieu, in the discussions about the potentialities and limits of social interventions situated nowadays in the field of Sustainable Local Development. With this purpose, in the review of literature this study has initially been focused on exploring the conception that emphasizes the need of adopting a new political praxis, with a greater involvement of the population and the civil society organizations, in the search of a sustainable way of development. However, it has been verified that there is a polemic around the label of sustainability due to the fact that there are still actions that are not engaged in making this new paradigm an integrated project, the result of complex social relations involving conflict, competition, cooperation and reciprocity among the different agents. The empiric basis of the current analysis is the experience of craftwork developed by Pé da Serra Project, whose results made it possible to show the importance of reflecting upon the mediating role of the habitus in the imbricated relation between subject and society. Besides the review of literature, the methodology used was based on two strategies of field research. Firstly, a study of the environment was carried out with the aim of characterizing what Bourdieu calls social field, understood as the territory in which the structuring of the habitus takes place during the process of socialization of the individual. Based on these observations, it was possible to better interpret and understand, through the oral history of the agents involved in Pé da Serra Project, the manifested different perceptions about this social intervention which resulted in its unsustainability.

The purpose of this study was to explore the nature of cognitive and emotional processes during the three reflective stages of the experiential learning cycle of experiential activities using written debriefings. The study examined three written debriefings from five senior-level undergraduate management students enrolled in a business management course. The debriefings consisted of four to five free-response questions modeled after Kolb’s experiential learning cycle: concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation. The study triangulated results using two qualitative methods, a grounded theory analysis and a content analysis. In the grounded theory analysis, two process maps were developed from the debriefings. A learning process map identified four stages of learning: introduction, mental rehearsal, abstraction, and priming. A group process map identified four stages of group experiential activities: problem-solving, consensus building, reactions, and resolution. The group decision-making process was seen to follow four paths: agreement, teamwork, conflict or confusion. A possible moderating variable, prior group affiliation, affected the persistence of the groups in finding satisfactory solutions when encountering conflict, or confusion. Six themes emerged from the grounded analysis: iterative reflection, richness of connections, attachment of personal reactions, role of writing in debriefings, fluid group development, and the role of affiliation. In the content analysis, three raters coded the debriefings using seven variables: content, process, connections, context, affect, relevance, and intent. Growth was seen between the first half and second half of debriefings for all variables, and the presence and intensity of variables was highest for all variables except content during the last stage of the experiential learning cycle, active experimentation. The amount of content present in debriefings was highest during the third stage, abstract conceptualization. The results of this study may provide insight into the mental processes that occur in written reflection and help instructors design experiential learning debriefings.