Large Group Processes Research Articles

Digital Mega-Studies as a New Research Paradigm: Governing the Health Research of the Future.

'Digital Mega-Studies' are entirely or extensively digitised, longitudinal, population-scale initiatives, collecting, storing, and making available individual-level research data of different types and from multiple sources, shaped by technological developments and unforeseeable risks over time. The Australian 'Gen V' project exemplifies this new research paradigm. In 2019, we undertook a multidisciplinary, multi-stakeholder process to map Digital Mega-Studies' key characteristics, legal and governance challenges and likely solutions. We conducted large and small group processes within a one-day symposium and directed online synthesis and group prioritisation over subsequent weeks. We present our methods (including elicitation, affinity mapping and prioritisation processes) and findings, proposing six priority governance principles across three areas-data, participation, trust-to support future high-quality, large-scale digital research in health.

“We are still here”: the stories of Syrian academics in exile

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to generate insight into the experiences of Syrian academics in exile in Turkey; and second, to explore approaches to collaboration and community building among academics in exile and with counterparts in the international academic community.Design/methodology/approachThe study employs a hybrid visual-autobiographical narrative methodology, embedded within a large group process (LGP) design.FindingsFindings are presented in two phases: the first phase presents a thematic analysis of narrative data, revealing the common and divergent experiences of 12 exiled academics. The second phase presents a reflective evaluation of undertaking the LGP and its implications for community building and sustaining Syrian academia in exile.Research limitations/implicationsWhile this is a qualitative study with a small participant group, and therefore does not provide a basis for statistical generalisation, it offers rich insight into Syrian academics’ lived experiences of exile, and into strategies implemented to support the Syrian academic community in exile.Practical implicationsThe study has practical implications for academic development in the contexts of conflict and exile; community building among dispersed academic communities; educational interventions by international NGOs and the international academic community; and group process design.Originality/valueThe study makes an original contribution to the limited literature on post-2011 Syrian higher education by giving voice to a community of exiled academics, and by critically evaluating a strategic initiative for supporting and sustaining Syrian academia. This represents significant, transferable insight for comparable contexts.

A trialectic framework for large group processes in educational action research: the case of academic development for Syrian academics in exile

ABSTRACTThe term ‘large group process’ (LGP) refers to a range of participatory approaches to community engagement, geared towards exploring and/or identifying solutions to shared issues and problems, and planning change. Primarily used for applied purposes, they can be also used as a method of inductive inquiry in social research, particularly within action research projects. In this methodological paper, I outline and critically evaluate an LGP design implemented within an action research project focused on the needs of Syrian academics in exile. The LGP elicited multi-level data from a geographically dispersed community, while simultaneously constituting a relational learning experience and community action event for the participant population, and therefore aligned with the threefold aims of educational action research. The paper makes three significant contributions: a model for LGP design that elicits participants’ collective and individual meaning frames; a trialectic framework for ensuring that the research, action and learning aspects of educational action research projects are mutually-supporting; and an accompanying orientation to researcher–participant relationships that may help to enhance the epistemological validity, catalytic validity and ethical foundations of projects.

A "Trans-Dyadic" Perspective on the Goldwater Rule.

The Goldwater Rule has been debated, redefined, and debated further since the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States. This column offers a perspective on the Goldwater Rule that moves beyond psychiatry's current preoccupation with precision DSM-5 diagnosis of individuals, which ethically requires consent or other legal authorization for release of diagnostic information to others, and into the realm of leadership as seen through the "trans-dyadic" lens of psychoanalytic understanding of large group processes on a societal level. Concepts from large group psychology are introduced to illustrate "trans-dyadic" perspectives on leadership that do not challenge the Goldwater Rule.

Large groups, collective gestalts and prejudices – autoethnographic reflections on attending large groups in training

"Abstract: This is a single case study on attending large groups in psychotherapy training using autoethnographic theory. Originating in a description of the personal experiences of the author attending large groups, this article presents an introduction to a wide range of large groups across different therapeutic modalities and examines an application of Gestalt therapy theory to understanding large group processes. A proposition is made to consider collective gestalts in working with large groups and to understand them as an ongoing dialogue among often opposing social forces. It is suggested that openness towards one’s own prejudices, and a rejection of finality create supportive conditions for attending to collective gestalts when participating and facilitating large groups. The article concludes with describing outcomes of large groups in three areas: diversity, learning therapeutic skills, and community building. Key words: large groups, autoethnography, prejudices, diversity, groups, psychotherapy training."

Effective Teaching and Learning in Interprofessional Education in Child Welfare

This article reports on research regarding interprofessional education (IPE) in child welfare conducted in 2009 and 2010. Pre service nursing, social worker and teacher education candidates participated in a workshop that “exposed” (Charles, Bainbridge & Gilbert, 2010) students to IPE in child welfare. This paper addresses a gap in literature in IPE in child welfare. Literature in IPE precedes a description of the workshop followed by an explanation of the integrated expert presentation, case study, modeling, reflection and small and large group processes. Results of the survey administered to workshop attendees are presented. Likert scaled questions indicate a high degree of satisfaction with the workshop organization, pedagogy and objectives. Responses to the open-ended questions align closely with the Thistlethwaite and Moran (2010) learning outcomes framework. It is clear that pre-service students learned with, from and about each other’s discipline. 2 tables and an extensive reference list are included.

Engaging the public with low-carbon energy technologies: Results from a Scottish large group process

This paper presents the results of a large group process conducted in Edinburgh, Scotland investigating public perceptions of climate change and low-carbon energy technologies, specifically carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS). The quantitative and qualitative results reported show that the participants were broadly supportive of efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, and that there is an expressed preference for renewable energy technologies to be employed to achieve this. CCS was considered in detail during the research due to its climate mitigation potential; results show that the workshop participants were cautious about its deployment. The paper discusses a number of interrelated factors which appear to influence perceptions of CCS; factors such as the perceived costs and benefits of the technology, and people's personal values and trust in others all impacted upon participants’ attitudes towards the technology. The paper thus argues for the need to provide the public with broad-based, balanced and trustworthy information when discussing CCS, and to take seriously the full range of factors that influence public perceptions of low-carbon technologies.

FRI0521 A framework and process to develop core outcome measurement sets for clinical trials in rheumatology: omeract filter 2.0

BackgroundLack of standardization of outcome measures limits the usefulness of clinical trial evidence to advance clinical practice and improve health. Agreement on a core set of outcome measures to be...

Public Preferences to CCS: How does it Change Across Countries?

The aim of this research was to extend an Australian developed large group process which proved effective in engaging the general public on issues related to climate change, energy technologies, and the overall shift towards a low carbon society. The results from Australia, the Netherlands, Canada and Scotland found that in each of the geographic locations the context varied, and participants reported different experiences and understanding of each topic. This paper explores how context may have impacted on the results, the differences that arise and discusses the implications for policy makers and research developers.

Toward Environmental Justice in Transportation Decision Making with Structured Public Involvement

Environmental justice (EJ), in the form of distributional justice, is mandated by a 1994 Executive Order. However, EJ is not easily achieved. EJ research can be divided into identification and mitigation strategies. EJ mitigation strategies intersect with public involvement, which in transportation has a long, and often controversial, history. This paper examines how a philosophy based on John Rawls’ theories of procedural justice and access to justice can address the need to achieve distributional justice. To improve procedural justice, the authors examine how effective large-group processes can deliver high-performance public involvement. Methodological barriers and the role of technologies such as electronic polling and visualization are discussed. The authors propose four process metrics for public involvement. On the basis of data on structured public involvement projects, the authors argue that such processes enhance procedural justice and thereby address specific EJ aims. These data illustrate that realizing this potential improvement will require a philosophical shift to a higher Arnstein ladder level, the identification and use of appropriate methodologies for involving large groups, and the integration of their valuations into effective decision support systems.

Large Group Interventions

Large group interventions are an important method of organization change. The large group intervention literature is largely descriptive and normative and contains a number of case studies that describe the process and some immediate outcomes. There is a large void with respect to empirical investigation. This research tested fundamental hypotheses related to large group composition, process, and outcomes in a field study. Six large group interventions (decision accelerators) were used to develop clinical service area strategies and instigate strategic change in a health care system. The results support the assertion that stakeholder diversity in the group’s composition affects the number of stakeholder perspectives that were heard during the meeting and the breadth of issues addressed during decision making, but failed to support the assertion that composition affects the intensity of debate and disagreement. Stakeholder diversity had a weak relationship with novel and relevant large group outcomes, but debate intensity was strongly related to those outcomes. The implications of these results on large group intervention research and practice are discussed.

Reflections on a process for developing public trust in energy technologies: Follow-up results of the Australian large group process

Abstract This paper presents the results of an evaluation of the longer term impact of a series of workshops conducted in four Australian cities which sought to engage representatives of the Australian public in discussions about climate change and low emission energy options. These workshops were designed to explore the public’s awareness and acceptance of the various low emissions energy technologies, including carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS), and to assess whether a large group workshop format was an effective means of affecting change in awareness and acceptance of the various energy technologies. Initial results of these workshops, presented at the International Conference on Greenhouse Gas Technologies (GHGT) in 2008, found that the workshop was indeed effective. Results from an online survey conducted in October 2009 with 95 participants of the original workshops indicate that over the longer term awareness remains at a higher level than prior to workshop attendance, while changes in participants’ attitudes were not sustained over time. However, the results of 22 follow-up in-depth interviews conducted in November and December 2009 found that many workshop participants reported a change in their awareness of and preference for the energy technologies, and that they pro-actively spoke with others and sought further information regarding the technologies and their place in a low carbon economy. While wind and solar energy were clearly favored, carbon mitigation was generally recognized as a complex issue requiring a portfolio of energy solutions. Building trust in the range of energy solutions, including carbon capture and storage, will require ongoing engagement and dialogue with members of the public.

Deutsche Psychoanalytiker in China und der Beginn gruppentherapeutischer Arbeit - ein Erfahrungsbericht

German Psychoanalysts in China and the Start of Group Therapeutic Work The author reports about a training project in psychoanalytic oriented psychotherapy in Shanghai, in which also analytic group psychotherapy is taught and analytic group self experience offered. He reflects the importance of the changes in Chinese society as a large group process for the individual and for the therapeutic work in small groups as well as the specify of group therapeutic work as development process for a new generation of psychotherapists in China. He takes in account also the process of the lecturers group, understood as a group matrix, in which the anxieties, irritations and fascinations of the lecturers are embedded.

The Use of Large Groups to Address Cultural Differences in the Psychotherapy Community in Aotearoa New Zealand

- This paper focuses on large group experiences in the psychotherapy community in Aotearoa New Zealand as case illustrations for the themes that emerge relating to culture, identity, and large group process. The large group works to establish a new socially relational context where it becomes possible to build new personal relationships in the socio-political domain; to sit with and confront the pain that is held by the individual and the minority group and blocks thinking outside divisive positions in society. This is the work that psychotherapists in New Zealand are doing.

Engaging the public on carbon dioxide capture and storage: Does a large group process work?

This paper reviews the use of a large group process for engaging the public on energy sources and technologies with a low emission profile. Specifically reported in this paper is how the large group process supports exploring Australian society's acceptance of energy technologies by examining the effectiveness of the process for informing knowledge and changing attitudes towards low emission energy technologies. Carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) is given further attention in the paper because, as a relatively unknown technology with perceived risks, it is useful to examine the effects of information provision on the way the technology is perceived. Given the large group process has proven to be a successful method for accessing and informing larger numbers of stakeholders, it is one recommended to policy makers and other researchers with an interest in low emission energy technologies.

Sally’s Dilemma: Making Tough Choices In Collaborative Visioning

This case involves an experience in large group visioning, specifically the processes of developing and building consensus around institutional goals and objectives. It takes place at a point roughly halfway through the process. The protagonist, Sally, is the project coordinator. At this point in the process, the participants have collectively invested hundreds of hours in the creation of widely diverse ideas for the future of the university. Her dilemma is the challenge of maintaining the commitment and support of the participants as the vision is reduced to a much shorter and more focused statement.The case is based on archival data and interviews with 40 of the 300+ participants who were engaged in the process, including Sally, steering committee members, faculty, staff, and outside stakeholders (alumni and members of the board of directors). The Instructor's Manual provides key questions for future large group process consultants, OD professionals and students of organizational behavior and leadership, including references from the OD and visioning literature. An Epilogue provides the actual decision at the time of the challenge and its rationale.

Communicating Across the LTC Continuum

Communicating Across the LTC Continuum

Transforming conflict into community: post-war reconciliation in Croatia

How can we support reconciliation and community building after violent conflict? This article describes a 5-year project that brought together Serbs, Croats, and Muslims after the war in Croatia. Using the ideas and methods of Process Work (developed by Arnold Mindell), the authors facilitated large group processes that focused deeply on issues that continued to divide the country. Work with mistrust and symmetrical blaming led to connection. Work with trauma allowed people to go into and beyond the wounds of war. Work with issues of personal and collective accountability helped participants to transform their notions of responsibility, and therefore take fuller leadership in their communities. This project can be seen as a possible model for post-conflict reconciliation efforts. Copyright © 2005 Whurr Publishers Ltd.

A Model for Training Master's Level Addiction Counselors in Group Process

ABSTRACT The authors present a model for teaching group at the master's level that integrates classroom with experiential group practice. The basis for this adult learning model is an understanding of addiction, a model of how people change, and an appreciation of the stages of group development. The components of the model are didactic presentation, class discussion, small and large group process, a clinical laboratory and faculty clinical supervision. A performance scale, the Group Leadership Effectiveness Scale, is utilized to evaluate student progress and complete this model.

Unleashing and Combining the Wisdom: Rapid, Whole-Systems Change in Public Organizations

This article describes an approach called Whole-Scale™ Change, a large group process that appears to have helped others achieve dramatic, sustainable results in their organization or communities. It describes the possibilities for applying the predictable processes and the critical elements of Whole-Scale Change to achieve rapid, whole-system solutions in today’s complex environment of public organizations.