scholarly journals Researcher self-care in organizational ethnography

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanne Vincett
Keyword(s):  
Compassion Fatigue ◽  
Research Training ◽  
Self Care ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Project Planning ◽  
Care Plan ◽  
Emotional Impact ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Institutional Ethics

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to offer practical researcher self-care strategies to prepare for and manage the emotions involved in doing organizational ethnographic research. Institutional ethics policies or research training programs may not provide guidance, yet emotions are an integral part of research, particularly for ethnographers immersed in the field or those working with sensitive topics or vulnerable or marginalized people. Design/methodology/approach The paper draws on ethnographic fieldwork over nine months with a voluntary organization in the UK, Yarl’s Wood Befrienders, to explore the experiences and activities of volunteer visitors who offer emotional support to women detained indefinitely in an immigration removal center. The author is a “complete member researcher,” or “at-home ethnographer,” a volunteer visitor and a former detainee. Findings The author describes the emotional impact the research personally had on her and shares learning from overcoming “compassion fatigue.” Self-care strategies based on the literature are recommended, such as a researcher self-assessment, identification of the emotional risks of the research, and self-care plan formulated during project planning. Suggested resources and activities to support the well-being of researchers are explored. Practical implications This paper provides practical resources for researchers to prepare for and cope with emotional and mental health risks throughout the research process. It builds awareness of safeguarding researchers and supporting them with handling emotional disruptions. Without adequate support, they may be psychologically harmed and lose the potential to critically engage with emotions as data. Originality/value The literature on emotions in doing research rarely discusses self-care strategies. This paper offers an actionable plan for researchers to instil emotional and mental well-being into the research design to navigate emotional challenges in the field and build resilience.

Can using a servant-leadership model of supervision mitigate against burnout and secondary trauma in the health and social care sector?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daryl Mahon
Keyword(s):  
Servant Leadership ◽  
Compassion Fatigue ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Secondary Trauma ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
Core Characteristics

Purpose This paper aims to set out a model of servant leadership that can be infused within a supervisory setting to mitigate employee burnout and negative stressful experiences in the health and social care sector. Design/methodology/approach A brief targeted review of the literature was undertaken to assess the prevalence of burnout in the health and social care sectors. The supervision literature was also explored. The outcomes associated with servant leadership were also distilled, focusing on employee well-being. Findings Research suggests that burnout and related concepts such as secondary trauma and compassion fatigue impact these professions disproportionately. At the same time, servant leadership is suggested to mitigate some of these factors. The author presents a conceptual model of servant leadership supervision consisting of an ideographic model of servant leadership, Servant Leadership Scale-28 (SLS-28), using the most recent meta-analysis defining this construct, and previously validated measures in the extant literature to inform its design. A Servant Leadership Supervision Scale (SLSS) is also presented aligning its use to several of the core characteristics of servant leadership practice. Research limitations/implications In doing so, the author proposes that this approach will help reduce burnout of health and social care sector employees. Limitations are considered in light of the conceptual paper and no primary data. Practical implications A model of servant leadership supervision that can be infused into health and social care supervision. Originality/value This is the first model of servant leadership supervision articulated for the health and social care sector.

scholarly journals Unpacking the problem of research access(es)

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 274-293 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mira Karjalainen ◽  
Charlotta Niemistö ◽  
Jeff Hearn
Keyword(s):  
Academic Writing ◽  
Research Training ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Organizational Ethnography ◽  
Multi Level ◽  
Multiple Levels ◽  
Access To The Field ◽  
Conducting Research ◽  
Knowledge Intensive

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to unpack the question of research access(es), especially ethnographic access, seen as an intrinsic part of research projects that should be scrutinized carefully to gain a deeper understanding of the field. Two main questions are asked: what does the process of accessing knowledge-intensive businesses (KIBs), specifically large international consultancies (LICs), tell us about access more generally? And what does accessing KIBs, specifically LICs, tell us about these organizations more generally? Design/methodology/approach – The paper builds on discussions of research access issues in organizational ethnography, in part when setting out to employ shadowing as a method of inquiry. It focuses on the challenges of gaining access to KIBs, where confidentiality is central to the work. The empirical focus is a study of LICs from where the data for this paper is drawn. Findings – To answer the two questions, the paper provides an analysis of: accesses in the plural; ongoing processes of accessing; multiple levels of access and contradictory negotiations; research accesses, including access difficulties, as constitutive of research itself; and research accesses as dependent on and giving data on the organizations in question. Building on literatures on ethnographic access and empirical data gained while negotiating access to LICs, this paper contributes to prior research on access, focusing on LICs as an arena for organizational ethnography, whose particular character has to be taken into account when conducting research. Originality/value – This paper examines the processes of accessing, a neglected but important part of research: the phase(s) of negotiating and gaining access to the field, and the need to fully absorb these phases into the research process as a whole. Access as such multi-level ongoing processes is often neglected, however, in both academic writing and importantly in doctoral education curricula. Therefore, the paper offers guidelines for use in research training.

Ten lessons for qualitative transformative service researchers

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 100-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Courtney Nations Azzari ◽  
Stacey Menzel Baker
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Service Research ◽  
Multiple Perspectives ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
Service Ecosystems ◽  
Creating Meaning ◽  
Research And Design

Purpose This paper offers key methodological insights for scholars new to qualitative transformative service research (TSR). Design/methodology/approach The paper offers ten lessons on conducting qualitative TSR that the authors have gleaned, across more than 30 years (combined) of qualitative inquiries and engagement with other scholars conducting and publishing what may be now termed TSR. Findings The key lessons of conducting qualitative TSR work include: displaying ethics in conducting and presenting qualitative TSR; preparing for and understanding the research context; considering design, mechanics and technical elements; being participant-centric; co-creating meaning with participants; seeking/using diverse types of data; analyzing data in an iterative fashion, including/respecting multiple perspectives; presenting evidence in innovative ways; and looking inward at every stage of the research process. Social implications The paper provides implications for addressing the vulnerability of both research participants and researchers with the aim of improving research methods that lead to improved service research and well-being outcomes. Originality/value Clearly, the complexity and importance of the social problems TSR scholars investigate – poverty, war, disaster recovery, inadequate healthcare – requires preparation for how to engage in transformative service research. Importantly, the paper fits with recent persistent calls within the broader literature of services marketing to: use service research and design to create “uplifting changes” within society and broaden the paradigmatic underpinnings of service research to include dynamic, process-oriented approaches, which capture the dynamic and relational aspects of service ecosystems.

Yoga in a palliative care suite: Promoting self-care amongst nurses and practitioners.

2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (29_suppl) ◽  
pp. 169-169
Author(s):  
Cheryl Gancio ◽  
Bridget Earle
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
Compassion Fatigue ◽  
Self Care ◽  
Well Being ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Unique Challenge ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Quality Of Life Scale ◽  
Organizational Involvement

169 Background: North Shore University Hospital (NSUH) in Manhasset, NY has a thriving in-patient palliative medicine consult service and a 10 bed palliative care suite (PCS). The PCS specializes in managing and treating symptoms as well as the psycho-social, interpersonal and emotional needs of our patients and families. Approximately 80% of the admitted patients expire on the unit. This high rate of patient expiration presents a unique challenge for staff working in this setting. In order to promote self-care and prevent burnout we implemented a yoga program for the nurses and practitioners in the PCS. Our goal was to assess the effectiveness of the yoga program on staff well-being and perceptions on the unit. Methods: We started with an evidence based literature search to validate the high amount of burnout in the clinical setting amongst staff and the benefits of yoga on reducing stress and promoting self-care. A fellow nurse certified yoga instructor was identified to run each session. Participation waivers were obtained from all staff. The yoga program started in June 2013 once to twice weekly in the PCS. All participants were surveyed to evaluate compassion fatigue, burnout and perception of organizational involvement using the professional quality of life scale (ProQOL). Results: There were a total of 23 subjects; 13 (56.52%) participated in yoga and 10 (43.48%) did not. Most of the participants were female and registered nurses. Results of the ProQOL showed no significant difference in compassion fatigue but the majority of subjects reported high perception of organizational involvement from their managers after the program was implemented. Conclusions: The program was feasible, of low cost and sustainable although we did face some challenges. It further identified the value of support from management to improve practitioner self-care and burnout. Our future plans include, assessing effectiveness on a larger scale, offering yoga to patients and family and continuing to implement the project on a more structured basis in the PCS.

Self-Care

2019 ◽  
pp. 817-823
Author(s):  
Kathy G. Kravits
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Stress Response ◽  
Compassion Fatigue ◽  
Emotional Labor ◽  
Secondary Traumatic Stress ◽  
Self Care ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Stress Symptoms

Self-care is growing as a topic for scientific inquiry. In this chapter, the biological basis of the stress response and the recent evidence of the consequences of persistent and ongoing stressors overwhelming the individual’s resources will be discussed. Secondary to the growing awareness of the destructive consequences of persistent stress, palliative care providers are affected by both stress inherent in the emotional labor of the work and lack of self-care. The result is risk for the development of compassion fatigue, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress symptoms. Martin Seligman’s work in positive psychology and Happiness Theory will be used to explore well-being and the intentional creation of greater life satisfaction.

scholarly journals An exploration of the emotional impact of organisational ethnography

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 304-316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela Stephanie Mazzetti
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Emotional Experience ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Ethnographic Study ◽  
Emotional Impact ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Emotional Challenges ◽  
Ethnographic Studies ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Insight Into

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to highlight the diverse and strong emotions experienced by the researcher when conducting an ethnographic study in an organisational setting. Design/methodology/approach In this paper extracts from research diaries written over a three-year organisational ethnography study period are presented to the reader. Findings This paper provides an insight into the range of emotions that are experienced throughout the various stages of the research process from securing access, to conducting fieldwork and writing up research for publication. Research limitations/implications Although this paper focusses on organisational ethnography, comparisons are drawn with related disciplines and as such, this paper may also be of interest to those conducting ethnographic studies in other fields. Practical implications It is hoped that the sharing of emotional experiences will better prepare new organisational researchers for the emotions they may experience in the field. Originality/value There is a recognised need for more sharing of emotional experience in organisational studies. It is hoped that this paper goes some way to highlighting these emotional challenges and providing a catalyst for other researchers to do the same.

The self-care practices of school principals

2020 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
pp. 435-451
Author(s):  
Joshua Ray ◽  
John Pijanowski ◽  
Kara Lasater
Keyword(s):  
School Principals ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
Self Care ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Care Needs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Building Administrators ◽  
Effective Leaders ◽  
Policies And Procedures ◽  
Care Practices

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to explore the well-being of school principals and the job-embedded demands responsible for challenging their adoption of healthy self-care practices.Design/methodology/approachDrawing upon a multidisciplinary theoretical framework that included contributions from the fields of neurobiology and psychology, three tiers of self-care needs were established to inform the study: basic physiological needs such as sleep, hydration, and nutrition; active self-care practices such as exercise, relaxation, and stress relief; and higher order needs such as belongingness and love addressed through work-life balance, volunteerism, and relational belonging. A 45-question survey containing Likert scale items and open-ended questions was returned from 473 practicing building administrators (a 24.4% response rate).FindingsFindings from this study, compared to estimates from the literature, indicate that school leaders work longer hours, are more sleep deprived, more dehydrated, have poorer diet practices, exercise less regularly, and spend less time with their friends and family than the general population. Administrators struggled to find ways within their control to improve their self-care behavior and offered suggestions regarding how the structure of the job itself might be changed to facilitate improving the health of school leaders.Originality/valueThis work offers insight into the current well-being of school principals, and by better understanding administrators’ self-care practices, this study can inform the field in developing supports, practices, and expectations, which promote the health and well-being of building-level leaders. Unhealthy self-care practices may influence their effectiveness, happiness, and possibly their longevity within the profession. Data collected through this study informed ideas about policies and procedures that could promote greater opportunities for healthier, more effective leaders within schools.

Reflections on women’s career responsibilities in neoliberally driven universities

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 111-129
Author(s):  
Sheeba Asirvatham ◽  
Maria Humphries-Kil
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Short Review ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Professional Autonomy ◽  
Social Construction Of Reality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Institutional Control ◽  
Radical Feminist ◽  
Aotearoa New Zealand

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to reflect on career aspirations and experiences explored with senior women organizational scholars employed in neoliberally driven public universities in Aotearoa (New Zealand) legally mandated to serve as a critic and conscience of society. Design/methodology/approach Over the 18 months period, three sequential research conversations were conducted with each of 12 participants known for their commitment to social justice and planetary well-being. The conversational approach allowed for spontaneous participant-lead development of ideas. Sequencing of conversations allowed for reflection on matters raised in previous conversations. Findings Vitality and creativity deemed essential to scholarly careers were reportedly under pressure. Career concepts in use indicate a protean commitment to self-direction but also recognized constraints of institutionally driven neoliberal output regimes. Detrimental impacts of neoliberal values permeating their employing institutions were offered spontaneously often in radical feminist terms but paradoxically given liberal feminist remedies. Research limitations/implications The 12 diverse transcripts of participant conversations generated remarkable similarities that indicate the influence of career articulations on the social construction of reality. The implications of this interpretation invite further reflection on the consequences of normalization of career metaphors and their implication in the intensification of institutional control, the weakening of professional autonomy and the system preserving restriction of career-related responsibilities. Practical implications Highlighting constraints to creativity and vitality necessary for scholarly work can inform further research into professional influences on justice and environmental matters in and beyond the Academy. Social implications In this paper a short review of Aotearoa (New Zealand) as in vanguard of neoliberal intensification globally, the implication of this doctrine in neoliberally driven universities and the impacts on career opportunities, degradations and responsibilities of scholars are explored. Originality/value The conversational research process contrasts with more tightly framed empirical research methods by generating spontaneous participant-led articulations of career-related dynamics explored and expanded over subsequent conversations.

Sustaining Self-Care and Thriving as a Private Practitioner

2017 ◽  
pp. 576-590
Author(s):  
Patricia A. Rupert ◽  
Ellen K. Baker
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Private Practice ◽  
Self Care ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Care Plan ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Care Needs ◽  
Health Service Providers ◽  
Individual Self

The importance of self-care for the well-being and professional functioning of mental health service providers has been increasingly recognized. Emphasizing a proactive, prevention-oriented approach, this chapter offers practical ideas and guidance on self-care for mental health professionals in private practice. The demands and rewards of private practice, as well as the challenges of making and sustaining a commitment to self-care, are discussed. An approach to developing a self-care plan is presented. This approach uses an organizing framework that views self-awareness, work-life balance, and connections as critical goals of self-care. Each of these areas is discussed in detail, with examples of ways to integrate self-care into daily life and questions to consider in assessing individual self-care needs, identifying resources, and planning for self-care. The importance of viewing self-care as a process and paying attention to evolving self-care needs and opportunities is emphasized.

scholarly journals Recollage as a tool for self-care

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georgina Barton
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Self Care ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Social Implications ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Everyday Work ◽  
Early Career Researcher ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose Working in the academy can be both challenging and exciting as it can be trying and difficult to negotiate if one is unprepared. Past research has acknowledged the importance of reflective practice in order to face such trials positively. This study utilises arts-based/multimodal reflection to contemplate the lived experience of one early career researcher in her first five years of employment. Adopting an arts-based approach, the researcher regularly reflected via the medium of collage. The purpose of this paper is to report on recollaged artefacts that are analysed in relation to meta-semiotic meanings as well as how they correspond to Schwab’s “lines of flight”, revealing both positive and negative acuities. Findings show that taking the time to delineate feelings via arts-based reflection can illuminate silent thoughts and deliberations and support an early career academic in appreciating and improving awareness of higher education regularities. Implications highlight how recollage can be an effective tool for the self-care of early career academics. Design/methodology/approach Adopting an arts-based approach, the researcher regularly reflected via the medium of collage. This paper reports on recollaged artefacts. These were analysed in relation to meta-semiotic meanings as well as how they corresponded to Schwab’s “lines of flight”, taking both positive and negative acuities. Findings Findings showed that taking the time to delineate feelings via arts-based reflection can reveal silent thoughts and deliberations and support an early career academic in appreciating and improving awareness of higher education regularities as well as self-care. Research limitations/implications Implications highlight how recollage can be effective for early career academics in reflecting on their everyday work and improve self-care. Practical implications Practical implications include the fact that readers will be able to adopt the arts-based methods used in this paper in order for them to reflect on their everyday work in the academy. The recollaged practice will improve their self-care and allow time to reflect effectively and creatively. Social implications Social implications include that colleagues could do recollaged practice together. Reflection done collaboratively can also improve self-care and well-being for those working in the academy. Originality/value Recollage is a new method of autoethnography the author has developed for the purpose of reflecting on my journey as an early career researcher. Now, in leadership roles, this approach has allowed the author to move forward positively in the academy.

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