Collaborative Work Research Articles

Children, common bracken and cows at work: re-considering work in multispecies relations through childhood memories

ABSTRACT Drawing on Tim Ingold’s conceptualization of taskscape, this article explores children´s being and working within the landscape through childhood memories and walking ethnography. It examines situated relationships among children, common bracken and cows as they jointly inhabited and shaped steljniki – specific patches of land in South Eastern Slovenia. In contrast to conventional perspectives that narrowly frame children’s work as either an economic necessity or an educational endeavour, our emphasis is on the symmetrical unfolding of work in the multispecies collaboration of children, common bracken and cows in shaping the landscape in keeping with the seasons, natural rhythms, topography, soil composition and temporality. Situated in the context of the subsistence agriculture of extensive farming, where children have actively participated in work for generations, our study reimagines work within multispecies relationality. This conceptual shift responds to the imperative of challenging prevailing paradigms governing the relationship between young people and the environment.

Considerations in Acquisition of 3D-Printed Art

ABSTRACT 3D printing (also known as Rapid Prototyping or Additive Manufacture) is increasingly common and technically sophisticated, and is utilized in art and design, industry, and consumer applications. Museums and collectors are now acquiring works made using this technology though their preservation needs are not fully understood. This article provides an overview of the technology and related terminology, review of related conservation literature, and introduction to current efforts for the care of these works. Discussion includes the formulation of collaborative working practices, documentation during acquisition, and consideration of periodic reprinting. Case studies include a pre-accession checklist developed at SFMOMA (San Francisco Museum of Modern Art) and the reprinting of select components from Altar/Engine (2015) by Tauba Auerbach at MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) in New York. Though 3D-printed works may be found in science, history, and other collections, this study will focus on works of contemporary art and design.

The management of adult and paediatric uveitis for rheumatologists.

Uveitis encompasses multiple different conditions that are all characterized by intra-ocular inflammation. Uveitis occurs in the context of many different rheumatological conditions and carries a substantial risk to vision. Uveitis can develop both at the early stages of rheumatic diseases, sometimes even preceding other clinical features, and at later stages of disease. Uveitis can also occur as either a direct or anindirect complication of therapies used to treat patients with rheumatic disease. Conversely, patients with uveitis of non-rheumatic aetiology sometimes require immunosuppression, a treatment option that is not readily accessible to ophthalmologists. Thus, collaborative working between rheumatologists and ophthalmologists is critical for optimal management of patients with uveitis. This Review is written with rheumatologists in mind, to assist in the care of patients with uveitis. We collate and summarize the latest evidence and best practice in the diagnosis, management and prognostication of uveitis, including future trends and research priorities.

Spinal cord evaluation in multiple sclerosis: clinical and radiological associations, present and future

Abstract Spinal cord disease is important in most people with multiple sclerosis (MS) but assessment remains less emphasized in patient care, basic and clinical research, and therapeutic trials. The North American Imaging in Multiple Sclerosis (NAIMS) Spinal Cord Interest Group formed to determine and present the contemporary landscape of MS spinal cord evaluation, further existing and advanced spinal cord imaging techniques, and foster collaborative work. Important themes arose: 1) Multiple Sclerosis Spinal Cord Lesions (differential diagnosis, association with clinical course); 2) Spinal Cord Radiological-Pathological Associations; 3) “Critical” spinal cord lesions; 4) Multiple Sclerosis Topographical Model; 5) Spinal Cord Atrophy; 6) Automated and Special Imaging Techniques. Distinguishing multiple sclerosis from other myelopathic etiology is increasingly refined by imaging and serological studies. Postmortem spinal cord findings and MRI-pathological correlative studies demonstrate MRI’s high sensitivity detecting microstructural demyelination and axonal loss. Spinal leptomeninges include immune inflammatory infiltrates, some in B-cell lymphoid-like structures. “Critical” demyelinating lesions along spinal cord corticospinal tracts are anatomically consistent with and may be disproportionately associated with motor progression. Multiple Sclerosis topographical model implicates the spinal cord as an area where threshold impairment associates with multiple sclerosis disability. Progressive spinal cord atrophy and “silent” multiple sclerosis progression may be emerging as an important multiple sclerosis prognostic biomarker. Manual atrophy assessment is complicated by rater bias, while automation (e.g. Spinal Cord Toolbox), and artificial intelligence may reduce this. Collaborative research by NAIMS and similar groups with experts combining distinct strengths is key to advancing assessment and treatment of people with multiple sclerosis spinal cord disease.

Fostering Critical Digital Literacy Through Podcasting, Collaborative Work, and Oral Interaction

Introduction: Mastering a second or foreign language, especially oral communication, is complex and challenging, influenced by external pressures as seen in Colombia's education and language policy reforms, which compel teachers and institutions to address how to develop language skills with students. Objective: This study aimed to explore how collaborative podcast development, as a critical digital literacy practice, can enhance 11th graders' oral and critical interaction in English. Methodology: Conducted in a public school, the research employs a qualitative approach within a case study methodology. Although quantitative techniques like checklists and questionnaires were used for data collection, the study maintains a qualitative design. Through semi-structured interviews with a subgroup of five students, participants reflect on their experiences of collaborative learning and interaction in English while constructing a podcast. Data was analyzed using a triangulation method. Findings: Thematic analysis revealed that collaborative podcast development promoted English oral interaction among participants, fostering collaboration, exchange of thoughts and feelings, and increased language confidence. Discussion and Conclusions: The study advocates for a reexamination of digital practices in the classroom to promote English oral interaction from a critical perspective. It recommends collaborative podcast development as a digital practice to enhance oral interaction, empowering students to use English in social and academic contexts.

The Influence of Leadership Behavior Assessments and Servant-Oriented Leadership on Employee Engagement

Employee engagement is vital for organizational success, driving productivity, innovation, and resilience. Despite efforts to enhance engagement, challenges persist, particularly in adapting to remote and diverse workforces. This research evaluates the influence of leadership behavior assessments and servant-oriented leadership on employee engagement within Chinese organizations. The study also uses a quantitative research design based on questionnaires to explore how demographic factors impact engagement levels. Findings reveal that differences in occupation and Types of Job generate differences in Employee Engagement, emphasizing the need for tailored engagement strategies. Additionally, Leadership Behavior Assessments and Servant-oriented Leadership demonstrate significant positive impacts on Employee Engagement, underscoring the critical role of effective leadership in driving engagement and enhancing organizational performance. Integrating servant leadership principles into leadership development programs can foster a collaborative and productive work environment, ultimately contributing to organizational success.

Prácticas docentes en materia de competencia comunicativa que facilitan la inclusión de niños y niñas en situación de vulnerabilidad

Classroom diversity, as a space oriented to the full development of its learners requires various inclusive practices that bridge gaps and favor collaborative and respectful work, thus promoting a democratic and dialogic space. This article seeks to describe the communicative teaching practices that favor inclusion in elementary classrooms in Chile, by identifying their effect on the students from the perspective of teachers. To achieve this objective, a two-phase study was carried out: 123 teachers from different regions of Chile participated in the first phase responding to a quantitative instrument; 21 teachers participated in the second phase through a semi-structured interview. The main findings are related to teaching strategies, not very intentional although systematic, but which comply with the diversity, evaluation and self-evaluation components, and also favored the students’ protagonism in their learning process.

Coordinación, cooperación y colaboración interorganizacional para la transformación digital empresarial

The ability of an entrepreneur to create is limited by the lack of resources. Among the dominant resources in emerging countries, the creation and adoption of new technologies stands out. It is understood that the power to compete and lead in the markets resides in the rarity and distinction in the selection of resources. Many companies choose to increase the complexity of their products and promote the sophistication of services, however; They neglect to strengthen the business model by diversifying their values with the support of external agents. The research objective of this article is to understand the disposition of enterprises to collaborate, cooperate, and coordinate with external agents in order to adopt technology programs and digital competencies. The methodology is based on closed questionaries for twenty-one managers. The results indicate that there is a greater willingness to collaborate and cooperate than to coordinate, which translates into a greater openness of businesses to work together in an operational rather than strategic context. In depth, the interest in collaboration for the development of digital competencies and cooperation in the transfer of personnel focused on technology exceeds, in comparison, the interest in jointly planning investments in digital transformation programs or making joint hires of information technology specialists. Additionally, companies have high expectations for collaborative work in generating new digital platforms and launching new products, but they lack initiative in creating patents, licenses, or new ventures. Realidad Empresarial No. 18, 2024: 65-75.

In the Belly of the Beast: Service and the Future of the Public Humanities

Abstract In this piece we argue for the revolutionary power of collective and collaborative work through the most maligned aspect of academic labour: service. The co-authors are the heads of academic units at Concordia University, who in fall 2023 organized a coalition of unit heads from across their university who worked collecitvely to push for greater budget transparency. Their experience challenges the false paradigm that would identify the “public humanities” exclusively with academic research and teaching, to show how service to one’s unit, faculty, and university is an important site of resistance, activism, and struggle. Done with intention and by modelling democratic and collective processes, service is not only a form of resistance to the erosion of any thinking and doing that is not under the thrall of capitalism, but it is also a way of enacting the public humanities themselves, through thinking, writing, talking and working out ideas together, a potential site for creating intellectual life by co-opting bureaucracy to creative and political ends.

Remote Sensing Data Quality in the Era of AI

Abstract. The era of Artificial Intelligence ‘AI’ with all the benefits brought along, has raised new and additional challenges to the ongoing efforts of assessing, defining, formulating, and implementing the quality aspects of geospatial remote sensing data. Developed practices using artificial intelligence leveraged techniques such as image interpretation, classification, thematic mapping, and even image quality enhancement, necessitating by that the reassessment and redevelopment of some of the related emerging quality aspects. Moreover, technology also made the generation of false images and false data possible, this matter constrained and increased precaution and doubtfulness, altogether making some practices based on that data almost halt to further notice. This paper presents the collaborative research work to assess and clarify the quality aspects that arose with the advent and implementation of AI and associated technologies; the concerns and issues that can accompany the generation of false satellite and aerial images including the generated geospatial data out of which, how the new emerged quality aspects fit into the currently existing methods through the lifecycle of remote sensing data production and usage, and consequently how the quality dimensions are affected and should be further developed and improved to tackle the changes and innovations. Also, lame a bit on investigating how to accommodate the new challenges in standards, and practical procedures and raise the awareness to users, the level of dependency on improved and enhanced satellite images when it comes to data collection interpretation and classification, and finally define the research gaps, future expected challenges and thus enclose suggestions and recommendations in that respect.

Assessing the Impact of a Leadership Development Programme for Community Pharmacy Neighbourhood Leads in South East London

Community pharmacists continue to deliver a growing number of services, with an increased need for collaborative work between local teams in community settings. In South East London, the Integrated Care Board and Pharmacy Alliance have invested in the development of community pharmacy neighbourhood leads (CPNLs), who represent community pharmacies in a locality and provided a tailored five-session leadership course that ran between November 2023 and March 2024, covering theory and implementation. This study aimed to evaluate the experiences of the CPNLs and other colleagues who participated in the leadership development programme. Participants were asked to complete an evaluation survey after each session, along with individual interviews taking place with those who volunteered. Ethical approval was received. There was a total of 37 participants at the sessions, and 7 participated in an interview. Overall confidence increased throughout the course, with males statistically more confident than females. Relationships with new stakeholders also increased throughout the course. The proposed actions after each session echoed the topics covered, with planning meetings being prioritised. The interviews highlighted new opportunities identified and being acted on, a greater understanding of the role, and an increase in confidence and key relationships. Barriers in the role included time for meetings. Overall, investment in the CPNL role showed that learning from the programme was applied in practice, with an increase in confidence and understanding of the role and improved local relationships. The findings from this study can be used by others to support community pharmacy transformation and integration.

THE THEORY OF ORGANIZATIONAL ACTION IN THE INTEGRATED WORKER HEALTH CARE SUBSYSTEM (SIASS): ELUCIDATING BEHAVIORS AND INTEGRATING OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH ACTIONS

This article investigates how the Theory of Organizational Action can improve work processes and management in the Integrated Subsystem for Employee Health Care (SIASS), focusing on employee behavior, organizational culture, and interactions between individual and collective actions. The research demonstrates that the principles of this theory can be applied to strengthen occupational health management in SIASS, highlighting the role of individual and organizational action, as well as social interactions in creating a more collaborative and efficient work environment. The results indicate that the Theory of Organizational Action offers a deeper understanding of internal dynamics, highlighting the need to align individual behaviors with institutional and collective objectives, aiming at optimizing management processes. In addition, the approach allows identifying critical points and opportunities for improvement in occupational health practices, contributing to a healthier and more productive work environment. The study recommends that future research carry out comparative analyses between different SIASS units, to expand the practical evaluation of theoretical concepts and provide support for the development of more effective management strategies, adapted to the specificities of each unit that makes up the SIASS network.

Overcoming Barriers to Healthcare Reform: A Call to Action.

The success of healthcare reform hinges on policymaker, regulator, and administrator actions that shape policies at various levels. These policies can either facilitate or hinder the practice of healthcare professionals and collaborative work environments. It is imperative for all healthcare professionals to fully utilize their education and certification, as fostering an equitable workplace culture is vital for retaining staff and improving access to care. Using nurse practitioners (NPs) as an exemplar, this article aims to specify systemic barriers to healthcare reform and call for policymakers, regulators, and clinical agency administrators to enact change. Barriers to NP practice include restrictive oversight by external stakeholders, financial incentives for indirect billing, and hierarchical constraints that limit NP contributions to the healthcare system. The growing healthcare provider shortage disproportionately impacts primary care and rural settings. NPs are increasingly more likely to fill these roles than medical doctors and have documented positive patient health outcomes. Removing systemic obstacles for NP practice increases access to care. Nursing-the largest healthcare workforce with diverse roles-operates under complex oversight from multiple organizations for licensure, accreditation, certification, and education. The recent trend of external stakeholders influencing and requiring additional oversight has created barriers to nursing practice. Despite national education, accreditation, and certification standards, nursing licensure and practice are increasingly negotiated with external stakeholders and supervised at the state and institutional levels. Supporting all healthcare professionals to practice according to their education and certification can advance healthcare reform, address workforce shortages, increase access to care, and improve health.

Awareness support in collaborative programming tools: An evaluation based on programmer's perception and eye tracking

Groupware technology is an essential asset for organizations and a successful medium to support social meetings and teacher-learning processes when people are geographically distributed. Computer programming is a domain that can take advantage of the Collaborative Work paradigm and of this technology. However, to be truly effective, groupware systems must provide suitable awareness support, i.e., be capable of informing users of the activity taking place and of the team outcome, so that they can build a setting for their work. The study of awareness mechanisms and their influence on collaborative programming processes is an open research question. In this context, this article contributes an experimental study to evaluate the mechanisms to support coordination, communication, and awareness of COLLECE, a distributed group programming system rich in awareness support. This study brings as a novel approach the combination of subjective and objective information sources, specifically eye tracking techniques, and incorporates a heuristic evaluation of awareness support based on a well-known framework. Thanks to this experiment, we have been able to verify that this blended approach, in which users participate intensively, provides a more comprehensive and deeper assessment of awareness and other coordination and communication mechanisms, and thus a better understanding of how their use can influence the collaborative programming process and outcome (program or piece of software). The study has revealed strengths, weaknesses and opportunities for improvement of the evaluated system, and has yielded concrete results as to which are the most useful awareness components of the user interface not related to the activity supported by the system (programming), these being the traffic lights; the easiest to use, such as the session panel; or the components that impose a greater cognitive load, such as the multi-scrollbar. Regarding the relationship between the supported awareness dimensions and the quality of the collaboration outcome (computer program), the results point to the need to adequately support the What-Artifact dimension, i.e., highlighting in which part of the shared workspace (the source code) the user with floor control is working.

Working together to move the profession forwards (Librarians and Learning Development)

What happens when you cannot get the buy-in from your colleagues and the workload is driving you mad? In this presentation we showed what we do to disrupt and rewrite the game. Using a fictional scenario, the wise three guided you through the trials and tribulations of embedded support for key academic skills. You were invited to share your experiences in advance of the conference so our agony aunts can come up with ideas and suggestions to help you succeed in your role. Academic skills are most successful when embedded within the curriculum (Coulson et al., 2021; Wyatt, 2011). However, in our experience getting buy-in from academic staff and professional colleagues can be difficult. Engaging students with an active teaching approach can be even harder (Armellini et al., 2021; Hicks and Sinkinson, 2021). Using the model of Integrated Learner Support (ILS) developed at the University of Northampton for undergraduate support (Library and Learning Services, 2022), the workshop highlighted different approaches that can be used to navigate through difficulties, and offered potential solutions to collaborative working between Learning Developers and Academic Librarians.

Grounded synergy: addressing the challenge to co-construct meaningfully collaborative, quality assured, transnational education (TNE) provision

The number of students studying through transnational educational (TNE) arrangements at UK higher education institutions (HEIs) has grown considerably over the last decade. Universities UK (2022), drawing on 2020/21 data, reported that 162 HEIs engaged in TNE arrangements with 228 countries. TNE provision encompasses diverse delivery methods, including dual awards, joint awards, double degrees, and franchised or validated arrangements. HEIs grapple with enormous operational complexities in delivering partnership course arrangements. One fundamental challenge is delivering partnership courses that reflect meaningful collaborative work between host and partnership institutions (producing more engaging, creative, and inclusive learning experiences), while also ensuring parity of high-quality educational provision between the institutions. This session was intended to facilitate discussion around how partnerships can navigate these complexities, build a climate of respectful and open dialogue, and successfully deliver high quality, innovative environments for all learners. In doing so, it centred around three core questions: How can HEIs involve partners in more meaningful, sustainable ways in educational provision? How might TNE work help HEIs understand their own internal partnerships more clearly? Where could or should TNE provision in higher education go from here?

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION THROUGH COOPERATIVE LEARNING

In today’s complex world, a continuous upgrade of knowledge is crucial. Digital literacy, as one of the key competencies of the 21st century, is becoming more critical since it enables an efficient use of digital devices and tools. The European Union has set five key competencies for digital literacy, including informational and data literacy, digital content creation and communication and collaboration. In education, communication is widely accepted as a crucial skill for achieving common goals. Collaborative learning has proven to be a practical approach to teaching since it encourages the active participation of learners, provides many valuable and innovative solutions, and enables the development of key competencies. The collaborative workability can be further enhanced through cross-curricular integration, where learners are taught independent learning, information-seeking skills and critical thinking. In the school context, combining digital competencies, collaborative learning, and cross-curricular integration is key to preparing students for life in the modern world. This research presents an example of developing digital competencies in technology engineering lessons. The example above is offered in three stages and covers a period of ten school lessons. In addition to digital competencies, students are developing other competencies that will benefit their daily lives. Research is aimed at teachers who want to build digital competencies in their students through experiential learning, collaborative work, and cross-curricular integration, as well as prepare them for future challenges. Keywords: digital competences, digital literacy, cross-curricular approaches, cooperative learning, technology and engineering learning, technology and engineering literacy

Collaborative work processes in establishing a MiniMaria treatment center for youth substance addiction: a qualitative inquiry of county council healthcare and municipal efforts

BackgroundThis article is part of a larger study exploring the collaborative dynamics between key stakeholders in providing care to youths suffering from alcohol or substance use and their families in formulating policies and operational practices for county and country-wide application in similar settings. The focus of this article is to describe the collaborative processes between two stakeholders, a municipality, and a county council, in establishing a MiniMaria treatment center. While collaborative efforts between municipalities and county councils in health service provision are often acknowledged, little is known about how communication and decision-making processes between these entities shape the success of such initiatives. This study aims to fill this gap by providing insights into the communicative processes that foster organizational cohesion, agility, and innovation. The guiding research question is: What communicative processes occur between the county council and municipal stakeholders during the planning phase of the MiniMaria treatment center?MethodsThe municipality and county council were selected based on purposive sampling, owing to the proximity and accessibility of the field. An exploratory and descriptive design, incorporating a participatory research approach, was employed for this qualitative investigation.ResultsTwo central themes, each underpinned by specific subthemes sum up the essence of our findings. The first theme underscores the collaborative dynamics and shared objectives that have emerged through the project, thus showing the importance of a unified vision and mutual understanding in driving the initiative forward. The second theme points to the practical aspects of implementing the project, including recruitment strategies, and the significance of interpersonal communication.ConclusionsThis article sheds light on the establishment of a MiniMaria treatment center through collaboration between a municipality and county council, using the Four Flows Model to interpret communicative processes. Membership negotiation was crucial for defining roles and building a unified team identity, while activity coordination ensured aligned stakeholder efforts. Self-structuring facilitated internal organization and operational clarity, and institutional positioning aligned the initiative with broader healthcare norms, enhancing its credibility and impact. These communicative practices were central to get a grip on inter-organizational complexities, emphasizing communication’s constitutive role in organizational development and innovation.

Deep Speech Synthesis and Its Implications for News Verification: Lessons Learned in the RTVE-UGR Chair

This paper presents the multidisciplinary work carried out in the RTVE-UGR Chair within the IVERES project, whose main objective is the development of a tool for journalists to verify the veracity of the audios that reach the newsrooms. In the current context, voice synthesis has both beneficial and detrimental applications, with audio deepfakes being a significant concern in the world of journalism due to their ability to mislead and misinform. This is a multifaceted problem that can only be tackled adopting a multidisciplinary perspective. In this article, we describe the approach we adopted within the RTVE-UGR Chair to successfully address the challenges derived from audio deepfakes involving a team with different backgrounds and a specific methodology of iterative co-creation. As a result, we present several outcomes including the compilation and generation of audio datasets, the development and deployment of several audio fake detection models, and the development of a web audio verification tool addressed to journalists. As a conclusion, we highlight the importance of this systematic collaborative work in the fight against misinformation and the future potential of audio verification technologies in various applications.

Multidimensional Individualized Stuttering Therapy Outcomes At 24 Months Post Clinic: An Embodiment and Awareness Perspective.

Multidimensional Individualized Stuttering Therapy (MIST) is based on proactive collaborative work and shared decision making between client and clinician with the goal of identifying individual case-appropriate procedures and therapy elements in a manner that is meaningful and context-sensitive for each person. MIST combines value- and awareness-based elements from acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) with stuttering and speech modification interventions. In keeping with the principles of ACT, we locate mindfulness as part of an embodied practice facilitated through a collaboration between the person who stutters and the speech-language therapist. The aim of this study was to see whether the positive results of MIST recorded at 12 months post-therapy remained stable at 24 months post-therapy and to consider the role of embodiment and awareness within MIST. Fifteen of 18 adults already enrolled in a treatment study (2015/FO12451) took part in a single-group repeated-measures design. They completed measures of stuttering severity, impact of stuttering, unhelpful thoughts and beliefs about stuttering, general anxiety symptoms, and fear of negative evaluation. There was a significant reduction of stuttering severity and negative impact of stuttering from pre-therapy to 24 months post-therapy. Unhelpful thoughts and beliefs about stuttering, symptoms of general anxiety, and fear of negative evaluation were reduced at 12 months post-therapy, and these values remained stable at 24 months post-therapy. MIST was associated with positive outcomes at 24 months post-therapy, suggesting a possible connection between the person-centered approach and longer-term benefit. Findings are discussed within the context of mindfulness and embodied adjustment, and shared client-clinician decision making. The absence of a control group is a limiting factor regarding certainty of interpretation. Future research is therefore needed on collaborative and individualized approaches to stuttering therapy that include embodiment and awareness perspectives.