Conflict in the EMS Workforce: An Analysis of an Open-Ended Survey Question Reveals a Complex Assemblage of Stress, Burnout, and Pandemic-Related Factors Influencing Well-Being.

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) clinicians provide patient care within a high-stakes, unpredictable, and complex work environment in which conflict is inevitable. Our objective was to explore the extent to which added stressors of the pandemic exacerbated EMS workplace conflict. We administered our survey to a sample of U.S. nationally certified EMS clinicians during the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2022. Out of 1881 respondents, 46% (n = 857) experienced conflict and 79% (n = 674) provided free-text descriptions of their experience. The responses were analyzed for themes using qualitative content analysis, and they were then sorted into codes using word unit sets. Code counts, frequencies, and rankings were tabulated, enabling quantitative comparisons of the codes. Of the fifteen codes to emerge, stress (a precursor of burnout) and burnout-related fatigue were the key factors contributing to EMS workplace conflict. We mapped our codes to a conceptual model guided by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) report on using a systems approach to address clinician burnout and professional well-being to explore implications for addressing conflict within that framework. Factors attributed to conflict mapped to all levels of the NASEM model, lending empirical legitimacy to a broad systems approach to fostering worker well-being. Our findings lead us to propose that active surveillance (enhanced management information and feedback systems) of frontline clinicians' experiences during public health emergencies could increase the effectiveness of regulations and policies across the healthcare system. Ideally, the contributions of the occupational health discipline would become a mainstay of a sustained response to promote ongoing worker well-being. The maintenance of a robust EMS workforce, and by extension the health professionals in its operational sphere, is unquestionably essential to our preparedness for the likelihood that pandemic threats may become more commonplace.

Community-engaged education in health promotion: Exploring equity and ethical dimensions to problem-solving in community

Given the shifting context related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and shifting community needs and pressures, it is important now more than ever to equip students with the applied knowledge and skills to facilitate community engagement within health promotion. However, traditional models of classroom-based, lecture-style teaching are insufficient in providing students with the tools to holistically navigate 'real-world' settings and solve complex community health challenges. The pandemic has increased the need to develop experiential educational programs that place the community at the forefront to improve health equity. This chapter analyses a transdisciplinary case study, the 'Health Change Lab', and the utilisation of diverse curricular approaches including systems thinking, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary perspectives, social innovation theory, human-centred approaches and equity-centred design that emphasize empathy and community participation. Further, a comprehensive and multifaceted framework is presented to examine key questions arising the equity and ethical dimensions of community-engaged education in health promotion. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022. All rights reserved.

Promoting College Student's Systems Thinking

This study examined how college students in a medical school in China engaged in learning in asynchronous online learning environments during the COVID-19 health crisis. A quasi-experimental design approach was employed to compare if a class of students had better learning outcomes and developed systems thinking when asynchronous discussion forums incorporated an inquiry-based pedagogical approach in one unit, whereas the other unit followed a traditional instructor-led approach. In sum, 25 junior students participated in this study. Quantitative results show that the students had statistically significant higher assessment scores and improved systems thinking when the unit incorporated the inquiry-based pedagogical approach. Qualitative findings also demonstrated how students engaged in learning and how the instructor scaffolded students' inquiries and learning. Practical implications for instructors' teaching online courses are also discussed. © The author(s) 2023.

Understanding superintendents' approaches to the implementation of district systems in the context of a crisis

The COVID-19 pandemic presented a crisis that district superintendents and their leadership teams had not before experienced. In a matter of weeks, school systems needed to transition away from a traditional learning model, where teaching and learning occurred in a physical classroom, to a virtual learning environment. School districts were provided little time to strategically develop a model to transform their systems to continue to meet student learning goals. The districts were still expected to fully operate, while prioritizing the acquisition of resources that could provide the means for a deliberate shift to establish a virtual learning system. This qualitative study examined how superintendents aligned resources and implemented systematic change during the initial months of COVID-19. Findings show that the voices of the local community stakeholders played the most integral part in identifying the values that primarily influenced how the districts navigated the crisis. Choice was the most prevalent value and, as a result, stakeholders were provided learning offerings in myriad formats. Superintendents considered how their decisions would affect each stakeholder group, as well as every aspect of their organizational structure. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

The effect of knowledge sharing and systems thinking on organizational sustainability: the mediating role of creativity

PurposeThe main purpose of this paper is to examine the direct effects of knowledge sharing and systems thinking on creativity and organizational sustainability in the hotel industry in Malaysia. In addition, the study aims to examine the mediation effect of creativity between knowledge sharing, systems thinking and organizational sustainability.Design/methodology/approachA survey method based on a questionnaire was used to gather data from 407 middle managers in the hotel industry in Malaysia. The partial least squares technique was used to examine the hypotheses.FindingsThe study found support for the effects of systems thinking and knowledge sharing on organizational sustainability. It also found support for the impact of creativity on organizational sustainability. Besides, the mediating role of creativity between systems thinking and organizational sustainability, and between knowledge sharing and organizational sustainability was also supported by data.Originality/valueThis is a pioneer work that has combined various human resources (i.e. systems thinking, knowledge sharing, creativity) to examine their impacts on organizational sustainability. Moreover, this work has established comparatively new relationships, i.e. the impact of systems thinking and knowledge sharing on creativity and organizational sustainability. In addition, the mediation role of creativity between systems thinking, knowledge sharing and organizational sustainability is relatively new in the literature. Furthermore, this study has confirmed the validity and reliability of knowledge sharing and organizational sustainability at first and second orders in the hotel industry in non-Western context.

Transitioning towards human–robot synergy in agriculture: A systems thinking perspective

Digital transformation has unveiled new prospects for increased performance and productivity in the agricultural sector to meet rising food security needs. Continuous industrialization and unexpected disruptions (e.g., workforce mobility restrictions due to the COVID‐19 pandemic) call for the adoption of agricultural robots. However, automated solutions could be associated with societal challenges in rural areas;unemployment growth has been perceived as a major threat that jeopardizes societal welfare, potentially hindering the implementation of digital technologies. In this context, human–robot synergistic systems could act as a promising socially viable alternative. Through systems thinking, this research investigates the complex interconnections and key feedback mechanisms of automation diffusion (conventional and human–robot interactive) under the socio‐economic perceptions (drivers and barriers) of agribusinesses and rural communities. Overall, this study contributes towards eliciting the mental models that underpin the transition from agricultural robots to human–robot collaboration by transforming automation‐related societal risks into opportunities for sustainable rural development.

Challenges to Systems Thinking and Abstract Thinking Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Engineering, and especially hardware and software engineers, need systems thinking and thinking mindset. Hands-on interactive assignments utilizing a combination of hardware and software have been shown to be the most effective methods of teaching systems thinking and thinking. Nevertheless, this environment was shattered by the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, creating a number of challenging situations. During the pandemic, remote learning and social distancing posed the biggest challenges. Educators faced a challenge when creating hands-on and laboratory -based classes, and were forced to use innovative methods like virtual laboratories online. The research described in this paper examined the effect of changes to the educational environment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic on students' cognitive abilities development related to systems thinking and thinking education. The study, which used quantitative and qualitative tools, involved 70 senior high school electronics students. According to the findings, there was a significant drop in both skills among remote group students in comparison with face-to-face group students. This study found that students are incapable of adapting to change in instruction modes if not given sufficient time, support, and communication.

Leverage points to address climate change risk in destinations

Transformational system change is required to respond to the current climate emergency and the COVID-19 induced structural break presents an opportunity to progress such change. While the tourism industry accepts the need for change, how this may look like remains unclear. This article contributes to identifying pathways by presenting critical reflections on the research process and findings from a three-year research project on reducing climate change risk in Vanuatu. The approach is anchored in systems thinking and draws on the concept of leverage points. Seven points are identified for intervening in the tourism system to reduce climate change risk and achieve varying levels of systemic change. Each is explored in the context of Vanuatu before its broader relevance is discussed. The findings highlight the importance of engaging with deeper influences of risk and unsustainable system outcomes. This has implications for how decision-makers approach crisis management and what ‘tourism recovery' means, especially when considering that system resilience might stand in the way of more profound transformational change required to address long-term risks.Alternate :中文摘要为了应对当前的气候突发事件, 需要进行转变性的制度变革。新型冠状肺炎引发的结构性突破为推动这种变化提供了机会。虽然旅游业接受了有必要进行改变, 但这可能会变成什么样子仍然是未知数。该文通过对一项为期三年的关于减少瓦努阿图气候变化风险研究项目过程和结果的批判性反思, 提出对气候变化进行转变性制度变革的路径。本文方法以系统思维为基础, 并借鉴杠杆点的概念, 提出对旅游系统进行干预的七个要点, 以减少气候变化风险, 实现不同程度的系统性变化。每个要点都是先在瓦努阿图的范围内进行探讨, 然后再讨论其更广泛的启发意义。研究结果强调应对风险和不可持续系统的更深层次影响因素的重要性。该研究结果对决策者如何处理危机管理和理解"旅游业复苏”的意义有启发, 尤其当决策者考虑到系统的弹性可能会阻碍解决长远风险所需要的更深远的转变性变革。

The Lessons of COVID for Climate Pedagogy with Young People: Learning to Navigate Urgency

Young people are currently emerging as political citizens into a world dominated by intersecting global crises, from the COVID pandemic to the quintessentially ‘wicked' problem of climate change. The rapid response of governments and education systems to the pandemic, once sufficient consensus built on the urgency of the threat, demonstrated that it is both possible and necessary to reorient education around supporting young people and their communities to thrive in crisis situations. Yet the very urgency of climate action has generated pedagogical approaches which can disillusion, frustrate and overburden young people. I draw on both educational literature and my own experience as an educator in schools, universities, youth theatres and activist spaces to identify four paradigms of climate education—‘Do Your Bit', ‘Apocalypse Soon', ‘Manifestos and Microcosms' and ‘Emotionally Reflexive Pedagogies'—and examine what each might learn from the ‘crisis pedagogies' of the COVID pandemic. Emotional literacy, active hope, systems thinking and comfort with uncertainty emerge as more important aims than immediate behavioural change. I also propose that story should take on a much greater role within learning, as a central pillar of a ‘thing-centred pedagogy' which brings adults and children together around the problem of building community resilience. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022

System Action Learning: Reorientating Practice for System Change in Preventive Health.

It is now widely accepted that many of the problems we face in public health are complex, from chronic disease to COVID-19. To grapple with such complexity, researchers have turned to both complexity science and systems thinking to better understand the problems and their context. Less work, however, has focused on the nature of complex solutions, or intervention design, when tackling complex problems. This paper explores the nature of system intervention design through case illustrations of system action learning from a large systems level chronic disease prevention study in Australia. The research team worked with community partners in the design and implementation of a process of system action learning designed to reflect on existing initiatives and to reorient practice towards responses informed by system level insights and action. We were able to observe and document changes in the mental models and actions of practitioners and in doing so shine a light on what may be possible once we turn our attention to the nature and practice of system interventions.

Developing an agent-based model to minimize spreading of malicious information in dynamic social networks.

This research introduces a systematic and multidisciplinary agent-based model to interpret and simplify the dynamic actions of the users and communities in an evolutionary online (offline) social network. The organizational cybernetics approach is used to control/monitor the malicious information spread between communities. The stochastic one-median problem minimizes the agent response time and eliminates the information spread across the online (offline) environment. The performance of these methods was measured against a Twitter network related to an armed protest demonstration against the COVID-19 lockdown in Michigan state in May 2020. The proposed model demonstrated the dynamicity of the network, enhanced the agent level performance, minimized the malicious information spread, and measured the response to the second stochastic information spread in the network.

Thinking like a system in the turbulent world of outdoor recreation management

The world is turbulent, everchanging, non-linear and uncertain. COVID-19 demonstrated this uncertainty at all social scales. A consequence of this situation is that surprises are a universal occurence. Systems thinking is a way of thinking about the wholes and making sense of what appears to be chaos. Systems thinking is oriented toward developing understanding how the parts of a system, which outdoor recreation and tourism form, relate to the system as a whole. But systems thinking is not enough to create action in this situation. We need to do three things: Dive deeper to better understand the mental models at play;Think differently to develop resolutions to challenges based on new mental models;and Act Holistically to ensure that new ideas and all voices are included and respected. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

The good, the bad and the ugly: Reflections on obtaining a PhD in Healthcare Systems Design amid the COVID-19 pandemic

This paper presents a reflection on the experience of obtaining a PhD degree in Participatory Healthcare Systems amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper first introduces the PhD research and how the methodology was adjusted during the pandemic. Then, the reflections are presented considering the benefits/advantages (the good), the barriers/difficulties (the bad) and the struggles (the ugly). The topics presented show that positive aspects were overshadowed by the emotional burdens and increasing limitations of data collection and study design. Learnings from this experience indicate that designing a more resilient methodology that integrates creative methods, supporting PhD students to pause the research, fostering a culture of care that rethinks what a successful PhD is, and a greater focus on the Mental Health of PhD students is advisable. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Design for Health is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Co-creating innovation for sustainability

This contribution to the journal Gruppe. Interaktion. Organisation. (GIO) presents a case study for an approach to design sustainable innovation. No nation is on track to achieve the UN sustainable development goals for 2030. The traditional innovation ecosystem is insufficient. Rather than only solving problems, technological innovation is creating new challenges that society is struggling with. Innovation needs to be developed differently to focus on impact. Geneva Macro Labs initiated a new approach to foster sustainable innovation which was based on a combination of systems theory, collective intelligence, agile development and design thinking. The initiative, called Geneva impACTs, brought together a diverse group of experts, start-ups and investors to develop innovative projects, aiming to make inroads towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals 2030. It started at a time when COVID-19 measures made it impossible for groups to meet in person and so the entire process was conducted virtually using a range of online tools. A critical reflection shows the methodological strengths of the Geneva impACTs approach and identifies suggestions for improvement to be considered for future iterations. As an overall result, this new methodology is highly conducive to impact innovation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) (German) Dieser Beitrag der Zeitschrift Gruppe. Interaktion. Organisation. (GIO) stellt anhand einer Fallstudie einen Ansatz zum Design nachhaltiger Innovation vor. Die Ziele der Vereinten Nationen fur nachhaltige Entwicklung bis 2030 zu erreichen, scheint keiner Nation zu gelingen. Die bestehenden Innovationsmechanismen haben sich als unzureichend herausgestellt. Statt blos Probleme zu losen, schafft Innovation zusatzliche Herausforderungen, mit denen die Gesellschaft zu kampfen hat. Daher muss Innovation darauf fokussiert werden, die Nachhaltigkeitsziele zu fordern. Geneva Macro Labs initiierte und verfolgte einen neuen Ansatz zur Forderung nachhaltiger Innovation, der auf einer Kombination aus Systems Theory, kollektiver Intelligenz, agiler Entwicklung und Design Thinking basiert. Die Initiative Geneva impACTs brachte eine Vielzahl von Experten, Start-ups und Investoren zusammen, um innovative Projekte zu entwickeln, die einen Beitrag zum Erreichen der Ziele fur nachhaltige Entwicklung 2030 leisten sollen. Als die Initiative ins Leben gerufen wurde, machten COVID-19-Masnahmen es den Beteiligten unmoglich, sich personlich zu treffen und zwang sie dazu, komplett via Online-Tools zu interagieren. Eine kritische Reflexion zeigt die methodischen Starken dieses Ansatzes und identifiziert Verbesserungsvorschlage, die bei kunftiger Anwendung berucksichtigt werden sollten. Im Ergebnis konnen Innovationen, die Nachhaltigkeit zum Ziel haben, sehr von dieser neuen Methodik profitieren. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

A Tutorial on How to Set Up a System Dynamics Simulation on the Example of Covid-19 Pandemic

The Covid-19 virus has substantially transformed many aspects of life, impacted industries, and revolutionized supply chains all over the world. System dynamics modeling, which incorporates systems thinking to understand and map complex events as well as correlations, can aid in predicting future outcomes of the pandemic and generate key learnings. As system dynamic modeling allows for a deeper understanding of the manifestation and dynamics of disease, it was helpful when examining the implications of the pandemic on the supply chain of semiconductor companies. This tutorial describes how the system dynamics simulation model was constructed for the Covid-19 pandemic using AnyLogic Software. The model serves as a general foundation for further epidemiological simulations and system dynamics modeling. © 2022 IEEE.

Evaluation of the effectiveness of government intervention strategies to control and prevent COVID-19 in Malaysia by systems thinking

Purpose: This paper aims to identify the interaction of different intervention strategies implemented in Malaysia towards flattening the curve of COVID-19 cases. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, many approaches were adopted and implemented by the Malaysian government. Some strategies gained quick wins but with negative unintended consequences after execution, whereas other strategies were slow to take effect. Learning from the previous strategies is pivotal to avoid repeating mistakes. Design/methodology/approach: This paper presents the cause, effect of and connection among the implemented COVID-19 intervention strategies using systems thinking through the development of a causal loop diagram. It enables the visualisation of how each implemented strategy interacted with each other and collectively decreased or increased the spread of COVID-19. Findings: The results of this study suggested that it is not only essential to control the spread of COVID-19, but also to prevent the transmission of the virus. The Malaysian experience has demonstrated that both control and preventive strategies need to be in a state of equilibrium. Focusing only on one spectrum will throw off the balance, leaving COVID-19 infection to escalate rapidly. Originality/value: The developed feedback loops provided policy makers with the understanding of the merits, pitfalls and dynamics of prior implemented intervention strategies before devising other effective intervention strategies to defuse the spread of COVID-19 and prepare the nation for recovery. © 2023, Jack Kie Cheng, Fazeeda Mohamad, Puteri Fadzline M. Tamyez, Zetty Ain Kamaruzzaman, Maizura Mohd Zainudin and Faridah Zulkipli.

Using Archetypes to Teach Systems Thinking in an Engineering Master's Course

Systems Thinking can help to solve complex problems in different domains. For an engineering master's program, we designed a seminar course to teach Systems Thinking. For the seminar we use qualitative models known as archetypes as conceptual models and the Covid-19 pandemic as problem context. In this paper we describe the course design and report findings from running it. Based on students' evaluation and the materials they produced throughout the course, our findings (1) support our design assumptions regarding student motivation, (2) give hints on students' struggling with Systems Thinking and understanding and applying archetypes in particular. With this we want to contribute to the discussion of how to teach Systems Thinking in Higher Education. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Exploring Covid-19 Survivor Perception Toward Government's Policies in Responding to Covid-19

Effective strategies could be generated by understand the problem through system thinking. Besides curing Covid-19, the government needs to formulate good risk communication to their society thus the society could accept the right message and act the right response. Before formulating the good risk communication, it is important to understand the society and their perception toward the pandemic. The understanding of perception is necessary to the balance response between risk and response. The exploration through Causal Loop Diagram (CLD) can show the structure of given system and help to capture a mental model. This study aims to develop CLD model of risk perception toward government attempts in handling Covid-19, so the government can formulate the strategies by proposing suggestion based in risk perception of society. © 2022 IEEE.

Application of six sigma and the system thinking approach in COVID-19 operation management: a case study of the victorian aged care response centre (VACRC) in Australia

COVID-19 has posed many unique and critical challenges in various contexts and circumstances. This often led the stakeholders and decision-makers to depart from traditional thinking and the business-as-usual processes and to come up with innovative approaches to tackle various mission-critical situations within a short time frame. In this paper, a real-life case study of COVID-19 operation management following a multi-disciplinary, multi-stakeholder novel integrated approach in aged care facilities in Victoria, Australia, is presented which yielded significant and positive outcomes. The purpose of the intervention was to develop an integrated system performance approach through the application of various quality management tools and techniques to achieve organizational excellence at the aged care centers. The case involved the use of mathematical models along with statistical tools and techniques to address the specific problem scenario. A system-wide management plan was proposed, involving various agencies across several residential aged care facilities during the pandemic. A three-step methodological framework was developed, where Six Sigma, a system thinking approach, and a holistic metric were proposed to manage the value chain of the pandemic management system. The experimental result analyses showed significant improvement in the management process, suggesting the validity and potential of this holistic approach to stabilize the situation and subsequently set the conditions for operations excellence within the sectors. The model offers new insight into the existing body of knowledge and offers an efficient approach to achieving operational excellence in any organization or business regardless of its type, shape and complexity, which can help practitioners in managing complex, mission-critical situations like a pandemic.

Systems thinking to facilitate "double loop" learning in tourism industry: a COVID-19 response strategy

It is evident there is an urgent need for tourism companies to build highly responsive learning systems to adapt to COVID-19 threats and beyond. As such, only learning tourism companies that promote inquiry, challenging current actions, and departing away from adopted assumptions will be able to survive. However, there is paucity of studies exploring effective learning methods in tourism companies to adapt to unpredictable crisis consequences. This study argues that systems thinking approach for service delivery design can operationalize double loop learning in tourism companies of finding alternative service offerings. An exploratory case study was conducted in a leading cruise group company in Vietnam. Results show that systems thinking activated double-loop learning by promoting three different drivers: systematic judges and acts, problem-based task force teams, and service innovation. This paper theorizes systems thinking with double-loop learning as an organizational means to help tourism companies survive during COVID-19 global tragedy, and to transform their service offerings. It also extends current understanding of tourism companies' organisational learning by incorporating double loop learning with structural design issues based on the lens of organic structures and introduces managers of tourism companies to the significance of organic structures for competitive advantage creation during crisis. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Journal of Sustainable Tourism is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)