Mid Sweden University

During crises, efficient coordination, information sharing, and decision-making are critical but difficult to achieve due to the complexity and uncertainty. This review aims to describe how Emergency Operation Centres (EOCs) can be conceptualized as a team with particular attention to teamwork and information sharing during crisis management. A literature review was conducted by searches across PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science, resulting in 42 papers identified for review, whereof 69% were published within the last 5 years. Most studies were performed in Sweden, the USA, the Netherlands and Germany, with the majority published in the ISCRAM conference proceedings and The Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management. The analysis resulted in six prerequisites essential for real teamwork. This suggests that research in the field of EOC could benefit from integrating perspectives from team and teamwork theory, thereby facilitating a more structured comprehension of work processes, responsibilities and roles. The findings indicate the need to cultivate a culture within EOCs that promotes desirable values and behaviours, and to establish shared goals. Equally important are clear routines for translating knowledge into practice, and work processes supporting long-term knowledge development. Such team culture and routines can help stabilize interactions in an unstable environment. As crisis management increasingly relies on technology, developing competencies, infrastructure and adaptive capacity are essential. Future research could examine how shared values, behavioural norms and team cultures emerge within EOCs, and how these influence system-wide resilience. Research could explore how technological innovations interact with organizational structures, and how EOCs can integrate new tools without disrupting coordination practices.

Introduction Contemporary schools operate in increasingly complex environments, yet much school improvement research continues to emphasize compliance, accountability, and measurable outcomes. This study examines how cultural and operational factors interact to foster organizational responsiveness in schools understood as living systems.Methods Using a Straussian Grounded Theory approach within an Interactive Research Design framework, researchers partnered with practitioners at an independent PreK-8 school in the United States. Data were generated through iterative workshops, interviews, and document analysis, and analyzed through open, axial, and theoretical coding.Results The resulting Dynamic Interplay Model conceptualizes responsiveness as a continuous cycle in which culture informs systems and systems reinforce culture. The analysis identified key "life force variables" (including psychological safety, teaming, reflection, and feedback loops) that sustain this interplay. Misalignments between cultural ideals and operational structures functioned as generative tensions, prompting learning and adaptation.Discussion Findings suggest that responsiveness is not a static attribute but an emergent, system-level capacity grounded in the ongoing alignment of values, behaviors, and organizational structures. The study contributes a conceptual framework for understanding how schools may navigate accountability pressures while sustaining adaptive, human-centered development.

Purpose: To explore the concept of nursing homes as attractive workplaces perceived by staff and interpreted through the lens of the Magnet Model®.

Methodology: Two workshops with staff from two departments at a nursing home and one workshop with registered nurses, occupational therapists and physiotherapists were held to explore attractive workplaces. Additionally, interviews were conducted with 12 registered nurses, occupational therapists and physiotherapists in another municipality. For the analysis, the authors combined all of the text from the workshops and the interviews and analysed it versus the five core components from the Magnet Model®: 1) transformational leadership, 2) structural empowerment, 3) exemplary professional practice, 4) new knowledge, innovation, and improvements, and 5) empirical quality results as a deductive frame of analysis.

Findings: The analysis revealed how the staff perceived nursing homes as attractive workplaces through the lens of the Magnet Model®. When sorting the material versus the five core components, all the components contributed attractive workplace examples even though innovation and improvements had the fewest examples and empirical quality results the second least.

Research limitations/implications: This study was limited to staff from one nursing home and all registered nurses, occupational therapists and physiotherapists in another municipality. Further research can be conducted at several nursing homes to explore their view of attractive workplaces. 

Originality/Value: The originality of this research is the use of the Magnet model to analyse an attractive workplace in nursing homes within a municipality context.

Aim To explore how chief nursing officers perceive and enact their leadership within bureaucratic healthcare systems, with a particular focus on patient safety, strategic responsibilities and the advancement of nursing care quality.Methods A qualitative study design was used. Semistructured interviews were conducted between October 2023 and May 2024 with nine female Chief Nursing Officers, representing diverse regional healthcare settings across Sweden. The interviews were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis, which was informed by the theory of bureaucratic caring to support interpretation.Findings Chief nursing officers described navigating hierarchical and bureaucratic systems while promoting person-centred care and professional governance. Their work involved balancing strategic mandates with ethical imperatives, advocating for workforce development and fostering a culture of proactive safety. The analysis generated four interrelated themes: (1) grappling with complexity and power structures; (2) guided by ethics, compassion and purpose; (3) empowering the nursing workforce to provide improved care; and (4) shaping quality care through innovation, evidence and technology.Conclusion Chief Nursing Officers can act as key agents of transformation at the intersection of structure and care. Their leadership extends beyond administrative functions to encompass strategic influence, ethical advocacy and system-level improvement. The findings underscore the need to further formalise and institutionalise the role, ensuring it is equipped with the mandate and structures required to lead across organisational levels. Strengthening such roles calls for leadership models that foster collaboration, support shared governance and enable flatter organisational hierarchies-structures designed to enhance participation, distribute decision-making and promote professional autonomy.Reporting Method This study followed reporting standards for qualitative research by adhering to the EQUATOR Network guidelines and using the COREQ checklist.Patient or Public Contribution Only health care staff participated in this study.Implications for the Profession and/or Patient Care This study highlights the strategic, ethical and relational dimensions of chief nursing officers' leadership and its impact on patient safety, quality improvement and workforce development. The findings demonstrate that they can play a pivotal role in embedding ethical perspectives into healthcare leadership-bridging professional nursing values with structural and strategic priorities. This underscores the importance of enabling nurses to shape care systems in ways that promote safety, professional governance and person-centredness.

Bakgrund

Arbetstiden inom akademin karakteriseras ofta av många och olika arbetsuppgifter samt ständiga avbrott i arbetet. Det gör den akademiska arbetstiden fragmenterad. För att skapa sammanhängande tid avsätter, till exempel medarbetare därför ofta tid i sina kalendrar för olika arbetsuppgifter. Det kan dock leda till suboptimering och en än mer fragmenterad arbetstid för kollegor. Ett sätt att komma till rätta med detta kan vara att enas om kollektiva strategier för hur medarbetare tillsammans kan skapa sammanhängande tid och därmed förbättra sin gemensamma arbetsmiljö.

Syfte

Syftet med studien var att enas om kollektiva strategier för att öka den sammanhängande akademiska arbetstiden och därmed förbättra den gemensamma arbetsmiljön vid en enhet på ett universitet.

Metod

Inom ramen för ett internt projekt med målet om att förbättra arbetsmiljön,så träffades lärare och forskare vid en enhet på ett universitet vid tre tillfällen för att diskutera kollektiva strategier för en ökad sammanhängande arbetstid. Träffarna, i form av workshoppar faciliterades av två projektmedlemmar från det interna projektet och genomfördes enligt följande:• I workshop 1 fick medarbetare, både individuellt och i grupp, reflektera utifrån frågeställningarna: Vad ser du för orsaker till fragmentisering? och Hur gör du för att skapa sammanhängande tid? Reflektionerna skrevs ned på post-it lappar som sattes upp på en vägg och diskuterades. Därefter kategoriserade de två projektmedlemmarna post-it lapparna och gav kategorierna övergripande rubriker.

• Workshop 2 genomfördes i hybrid format och utgick från resultatet från workshop 1. Syftet var att tillsammans i arbetsgruppen identifiera och prioritera kollektiva strategier för att skapa gemensam sammanhängande arbetstid. Medarbetarna delades upp i tre grupper. Inom varje grupp prioriterades först, enskilt och sedan i grupp, de tre viktigaste kollektiva strategierna från workshop 1. Övningen genomfördes på en digital arbetsyta i Mural.• Workshop 3 utgick från resultatet från workshop 2 samt från en enkät som medarbetarna besvarat gällande teamarbetet i arbetsgruppen. Syftet med workshopen var att identifiera gemensamma spelregler och kollektiva strategier för att skapa gemensam sammanhängande tid. Varje medarbetare fick visualisera och skriva ned en eller flera spelregler för att skapa gemensam sammanhängande tid (kollektiva strategier). Medarbetarna berättade sedan om sina bilder. Berättelserna noterades också på post-it lappar och sattes upp på en vägg i workshoplokalen. Workshopen avslutades med att deltagarna gemensamt enades om två spelregler som arbetsgruppen kunde börja tillämpa direkt. 

Resultat

Resultatet från workshoparna var flera, dels bidrog diskussionerna från workshoparna till en ökad insikt och förståelse för varandras arbete, dels till ett antal konkreta gemensamma spelregler och kollektiva strategier som arbetsgruppen kunde börja tillämpa för att skapa gemensam sammanhållen arbetstid. Workshopparna mynnade också ut i ett arbetssätt för hur arbetsgruppen kan arbeta för att öka den gemensamma sammanhängande tiden. Ett arbetssätt som kan vara möjligt att använda även i andra typer av verksamheter för att minska fragmentering av arbetstid.Nästa steg för arbetsgruppen blir att tillämpa och utvärdera hur de kollektiva strategierna påverkat den gemensamma arbetsmiljön. 

Purpose: To present the results of a research project aimed at developing and improving team-based ways of working and methods of creating functional teams and a sustainable quality culture (SQC).

Methodology: A department within a Swedish municipality was studied with an interactive research design. Both the management team (MT) and the workers participated in the study and engaged in parallel with activities to improve teamwork and strengthen their SQC. Baseline and follow-up measurements were obtained with a questionnaire, and the results were statistically analysed.

Findings: Comparison between the baseline and follow-up measurements revealed that the members of the MT generally agreed to a greater extent with the statements regarding SQC in both measurements, indicating that they believed the culture to be stronger than it may have been. However, the MT members’ perceptions of statements regarding teamwork decreased in the follow-up measurement. One reason for this decrease could have been the reorganization of the MT during the project. Furthermore, the workers agreed to a greater extent with the statements regarding teamwork in the follow-up measurement than in the baseline measurement, but only a few factors measuring SQC increased in the follow-up measurement, namely, the pride and internal systems view. Interestingly, assessments of leadership commitment decreased in the follow-up measurement, indicating a decline in leadership quality.

Research limitations/implications: This research was limited to one department in one municipality. Its significance could be strengthened by applying the same interactive approach to other parts of the municipality or other municipalities or organizations.

Originality/Value: Working with an MT and workers of an organization in parallel and in an interactive way benefited both the studied organization, by creating a learning environment, and the research society, by bringing theoretical development into SQC and teamwork.

Abstract

Purpose: To explore the concept of teamwork between professionals perceived by staff at nursing homes and interpreted through the lens of the Magnet model. 

Methodology: Two workshops with assistant nurses from two departments and one workshop with registered nurses (RNs), occupational therapists and physiotherapists at a nursing home were performed to explore teamwork between professionals. The workshops were held between November 2024 and January 2025. Data were deductively analyzed using the Magnet model’s core component, Exemplary Professional Practice and its five Magnet forces as an analytical framework. 

Findings: Findings from the analysis were that all Magnet forces for Exemplary Professional Practice were embraced by the data. However, the Magnet forces for Autonomy and Nurses as Teachers only included a few reflections from the healthcare professionals. The Magnet model can function as a structural model for describing and improving teamwork in nursing homes. However, other data collection methods and the voices of relatives could complement the present research.

Research limitations/implications: This study was limited to one nursing home. Further research will be conducted at several nursing homes in different municipalities and with other stakeholders to more broadly explore the concept of teamwork between professionals.

Originality/value: The originality with this research is the use of the Magnet model to analyse and improve teamwork in nursing homes within a municipality context.

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to suggest quality criteria that may be suitable for the evaluation and development of doctoral supervision.

Methodology: Three unpublished papers written by three authors for a higher education course in doctoral supervision were deductively analysed using the ‘five facets’ of doctoral supervision as an analytical framework.

Main findings: Findings from the analysis is a broader picture of the different papers’ contributions to the ‘five facets’ of doctoral supervision and how values in a quality culture can support bridging the perspectives of quality in doctoral supervision with quality management. Furthermore, the authors suggest six overarching quality criteria for doctoral supervision: focus on the doctoral student’s needs, improve continuously by reflecting on the supervision and need for training, base decisions regarding the supervision on lived knowledge and experience, let the doctoral student take an active part in forming her or his research process, focus on supporting the doctoral students in the academic processes, and develop a committed leadership by supporting and guiding the doctoral students.

Research limitations/Practical implications: Assessing quality and addressing areas for the development of doctoral supervision may serve as effective means of achieving higher standards in doctoral supervision.

Originality/Value: Identifying and assessing the quality of doctoral supervision may strengthen both the well-being and self-confidence of the doctoral student, as well as the supervisor’s reflective capacity and practice development.  

Patient safety culture is a critical component of health care quality in nursing homes. Surveys on patient safety culture can be helpful tools to evaluate care. The aims of the study were to translate a survey on patient safety culture, namely, the Nursing Home Survey on Patient Safety Culture (NHSOPS 1.0) from English into Swedish and to adapt it to Swedish conditions and to validate the translation. The survey was translated into Swedish following the TRAPD translation process —translate, review, adjudicate, pre-test, and document, as suggested by the provider of the original survey. The validity of the items was measured by Cronbach's alpha. Some changes in wording were made according to Swedish conditions. A pre-test with staff working in nursing homes showed adequate results for the translation. In this pilot study, all items and questions were considered valuable for measuring patient safety and were therefore retained in the Swedish version. The translated survey may be a helpful tool for measuring patient safety in nursing homes and prompting staff to reflect on their workplaces.