Organizational Well-Being

The aim of this paper is two aspects: to provide an overview of organizational wellbeing (OW) research; to present a new model of OW focusing on successful outcomes and its operationalization of the construct and the recommendations for future. A summary literature review of the OW literature, focusing on organizational well-being and its possible consequences. The literature is used to develop and propose a new model of OW and its success indicators. Testable relationships are proposed between these indicators. The research model has not been tested empirically. It is an external representation, is a new and untested concept in the OW literature. The paper provides a model that leaders, managers and newcomers may find useful to successfully establish the OW process. The model proposed is novel and raises the important issue of appropriate OW success indicators. New propositions are made regarding relationships between antecedents and output variables.

Outcomes Associated With Osteochondral Allograft Transplantation in Dogs

The purpose of this study was to retrospectively characterize outcomes and complications associated with osteochondral allograft transplantation for treating chondral and osteochondral lesions in a group of client-owned dogs with naturally-occurring disease. Records were reviewed for information on signalment, treated joint, underlying pathology (e.g., osteochondritis dissecans; OCD), and type, size, and number of grafts used. Complications were classified as “trivial” if no treatment was provided, “non-surgical” if non-surgical treatment were needed, “minor surgical” if a minor surgical procedure such as pin removal were needed but the graft survived and function was acceptable, or “major” if the graft failed and revision surgery were needed. Outcomes were classified as unacceptable, acceptable, or full function. Thirty-five joints in 33 dogs were treated including nine stifles with lateral femoral condyle (LFC) OCD and 10 stifles with medial femoral condyle (MFC) OCD treated with osteochondral cylinders or “plugs.” There were 16 “complex” procedures of the shoulder, elbow, hip, stifle, and tarsus using custom-cut grafts. In total there were eight trivial complications, one non-surgical complication, two minor surgical complications, and five major complications for a total of 16/35 cases with complications. Accordingly, there were five cases with unacceptable outcomes, all of whom had major complications while the other 30 cases had successful outcomes. Of the 30 cases with successful outcomes, 15 had full function and 15 had acceptable function. Based on these subjective outcome assessments, it appears osteochondral allograft transplantation is a viable treatment option in dogs with focal or complex cartilage defects. However, no conclusions can be made regarding the inferiority or superiority of allograft transplantation in comparison to other treatment options based upon these data.

Measuring for Learning

Measuring systems change raises the fundamental questions of systems work: namely, who, what, and when are we measuring, and why? Measurement should be embedded in systems work as a practice, not just to prove successful outcomes but as part of the overall learning process of organizations and broader collectives. This kind of measurement puts primary actors in charge of their own data, revealing a deeper understanding of what is valued by those who are immersed in the context of a social issue. To measure systems work more effectively, organizations and their supporting actors can support self-evaluation, surface invisible value, shorten feedback loops, and measure for meaning. When measuring for learning, organizations are able to ask different questions, recognizing that the primary aim is to determine “what is happening” rather than “what worked.” Organizations and primary actors are also able to access “deep data” that captures the richness of individual experiences while visualizing the bigger picture as it emerges.