Hi Everyone,
This first half of the semester has gone really fast and it's really strange to think that after a short break and another 6 weeks our year will be over! I have already thoroughly enjoyed this paper and its great to see my team's and my own writing develop.
In this weeks blog post we were asked to find an article on 'Working in Remote Teams' and then comment on our own 'Remote Team'. The article I found to support this blog post is one written by Michael D. Watkins called 'Making Virtual Teams Work: Ten Basic Principles'.
Although there are disadvantages of working in remote teams, there are also many advantages. When building a remote team, you have the ability to make or join a team who have similar goals and thinking as you. You do not need to live in the same area to make your team work. When a shared leadership is established, the team can work effectively to produce high quality work. Whilst working in a remote team, a 'meeting' can be held at any time and at almost any place. This is an advantage to people who live busy lives and who don't often have time during their day to attend an 'in person' meeting to discuss things. The evolution of technology has greatly helped with this previous issue.
However, there are disadvantages of working in remote teams. A lot of the time, with the team I am working in, next to none of us are working on our assignments at the same time. This can become tricky because sometimes one of us would like to ask the team a question about what we are doing at the time but due to us all working at different times, sometimes that question is not always answered. My team usually doesn't have this problem but it can be a large disadvantage. Michael D. Watkins provides solutions to help with the disadvantages of working in remote teams. He suggests to get the team together and talk face to face. This is a good way to establish the relationship with the people in your group and to build friendships. He also suggests to create a 'virtual water cooler' using social networks to make it easier to get information across. We created one of these very early on with the use of our closed Facebook page and our Facebook Messenger chat which we use daily.
Over all, I think our team works very well together and we are always eager to help each other out with anything. We seem to be very organised even though outside of study we all lead very busy lives. We get along very well and have mutual interests which is always helpful. I have found that working in this team has allowed me to voice my opinions (which I am usually not very good at doing) and not worry about what they are going to think because usually someone is already thinking it!
Reference:
Watkins. M.D. (2013). Making Virtual Teams Work: Ten Basic Principles. Harvard Business Review.
Saturday, 26 August 2017
Friday, 11 August 2017
Why My Topic Matters - Week 4
Hi Everyone,
For this weeks blog post we were asked to choose from 4 different topics. Out of the 4, I decided to choose 'Why my topic for Assignment 1 matters: to other people or the world in general.' My topic for assignment 1 is 'New Zealand's current health strategies for the elderly focus on physical well-being. More focus should be given to their social well-being.' I believe that this topic is important for a number of reasons.
I strongly agree that more focus should be given to the social well-being of the elderly. Improving the social connectedness and subsequent health of elderly people is important to other people and the world in general in a number of ways.There are economic as well as social ramifications. Improving social connectedness is strongly linked to health and physical well-being in the elderly. So, activities and interventions to improve social well-being of older people will make them healthier and less dependant of health systems throughout the world. Spending on health is one of the most significant components of most nations budgets. Any reduction in health spending would free up money for increased investment in things like education, infrastructure (eg roading) and social services. If more money is spent on social services, that could help the elderly and their social connectedness.
But probably more important then the economic factors, are the social or human factors to do with the elderly that effect other people and the world in general. They've looked after us so we have to look after them. All older people were young once and it won't be long before we are considered elderly, no matter what our current age. The elderly people in our communities have been around for a long time and hold a lot of history. For example, my Grandad, who died in 2011 aged 91, fought in the Pacific during WWII. He was able to tell me a lot of stories about having to pull boats into shore and about meeting a lot of new people. He also had many stories about growing up in a rural area in the 1920's. My grandmother who is still alive tells stories of an even earlier generation - her Irish grandfather who lived with her family when she was a little girl. He remembered going to school in Ireland in secret because the ruling English did not want the Irish children to be taught. Apart from being important in a historical sense, the stories that elderly people can tell put our lives today in context and show us how easy things are for us these days. They've worked hard all their lives, contributed a lot in both social and financial sense sot they deserve to be looked after now.
I very strongly believe that if the current health strategies focused more on the social well-being of elderly people as well as their physical well-being that not only the elderly but other people and the world in general would benefit from it. Wouldn't it be fantastic if all the billions of dollars spent on defence and missiles and wars were put into financial resources? The world would be a much better place.
"One person caring about another represents life's greatest value." - Jim Rohn
For this weeks blog post we were asked to choose from 4 different topics. Out of the 4, I decided to choose 'Why my topic for Assignment 1 matters: to other people or the world in general.' My topic for assignment 1 is 'New Zealand's current health strategies for the elderly focus on physical well-being. More focus should be given to their social well-being.' I believe that this topic is important for a number of reasons.
I strongly agree that more focus should be given to the social well-being of the elderly. Improving the social connectedness and subsequent health of elderly people is important to other people and the world in general in a number of ways.There are economic as well as social ramifications. Improving social connectedness is strongly linked to health and physical well-being in the elderly. So, activities and interventions to improve social well-being of older people will make them healthier and less dependant of health systems throughout the world. Spending on health is one of the most significant components of most nations budgets. Any reduction in health spending would free up money for increased investment in things like education, infrastructure (eg roading) and social services. If more money is spent on social services, that could help the elderly and their social connectedness.
But probably more important then the economic factors, are the social or human factors to do with the elderly that effect other people and the world in general. They've looked after us so we have to look after them. All older people were young once and it won't be long before we are considered elderly, no matter what our current age. The elderly people in our communities have been around for a long time and hold a lot of history. For example, my Grandad, who died in 2011 aged 91, fought in the Pacific during WWII. He was able to tell me a lot of stories about having to pull boats into shore and about meeting a lot of new people. He also had many stories about growing up in a rural area in the 1920's. My grandmother who is still alive tells stories of an even earlier generation - her Irish grandfather who lived with her family when she was a little girl. He remembered going to school in Ireland in secret because the ruling English did not want the Irish children to be taught. Apart from being important in a historical sense, the stories that elderly people can tell put our lives today in context and show us how easy things are for us these days. They've worked hard all their lives, contributed a lot in both social and financial sense sot they deserve to be looked after now.
I very strongly believe that if the current health strategies focused more on the social well-being of elderly people as well as their physical well-being that not only the elderly but other people and the world in general would benefit from it. Wouldn't it be fantastic if all the billions of dollars spent on defence and missiles and wars were put into financial resources? The world would be a much better place.
"One person caring about another represents life's greatest value." - Jim Rohn
Thursday, 3 August 2017
Summarising the Debate - Week 3
Hello Everyone!
Week 3 is well underway and my research and understanding for the topic of my Position Paper have increased dramatically. I have been looking at sources that contrast my opinion towards the subject of my paper. There aren't many around that are reputable but with the ones I have found, it has been interesting to read and come to terms with the authors opinion.
Week 3 is well underway and my research and understanding for the topic of my Position Paper have increased dramatically. I have been looking at sources that contrast my opinion towards the subject of my paper. There aren't many around that are reputable but with the ones I have found, it has been interesting to read and come to terms with the authors opinion.
There are a lot of references which highlight the importance of social connectedness in improving health and well-being, particularly in elderly people. Cornwell and Waite (2009) review a number of these then present their own scientific research showing how "social disconnectedness" and "perceived isolation" are associated with lower levels of physical health in people aged 57 to 85. They describe social disconnectedness as a lack of contact with others due to a small social network, infrequent social interactions and a lack of participation in social activities and groups. Perceived isolation is characterised as a lack of companionship and support and feelings of loneliness.
Cornwell and Waite's (2009) findings show that social disconnectedness and perceive isolation are associated with worse physical and mental health in the elderly. They state that social disconnectedness is associated with worse physical and mental health, regardless of whether it results in feelings of loneliness or a perceived lack of social support. They conclude that the health policy should take their findings into consideration and make efforts to increase social connectedness and the perceived availability of social resources among older adults.
Cornwell and Waite have taken the point of view that supporting the social well-being of the elderly is important, based on good scientific research. They use data from a nationally representative study of older adults in the USA and carried out statistical tests on the data. Their position is based on science and not on policy or popular or current thinking.
In contrast, the Ministry of Health (2016) does not place a lot of emphasis on supporting the social well-being of elderly people in their Healthy Ageing Strategy. In it's Vision and Priorities for Action section, the Strategy highlights healthy ageing, acute and restorative care, living well with long term conditions, supporting people with high needs and providing respectful end-of-life care. It mentions social connectedness in the text and says that transport solutions are needed to reduce social isolation and improve older peoples ability to participate in their communities and access health and other social isolation in its 15-page Action Plan. There are no sections in the Action Plan related specifically to social well-being.
Given that there is a lot of evidence that social well-being is related to physical well-being in the elderly, it is surprising that the Ministry of Health has taken the position of not prioritising social connectedness. However, the Ministry of Health is a government agency and is probably constrained by government policy, current thinking and government spending or financial allocation. Developing new services and activities to address social connectedness and well-being in older people would increase costs and require higher spending in New Zealand's health sector - something that the current Government does not want to do.
"To care for those who once cared for us is one of the highest honours." - Tia Walker
References
Cornwell, E. Y. and Waite, L. J. (2009). Social Disconnectedness, Perceived Isolation and Health among Older Adults. Journal of Health and Social Behaviour. 50 (1): 31-48.
Ministry of Health. (2016). Healthy Ageing Strategy. Wellington: Ministry of Health.
Cornwell and Waite's (2009) findings show that social disconnectedness and perceive isolation are associated with worse physical and mental health in the elderly. They state that social disconnectedness is associated with worse physical and mental health, regardless of whether it results in feelings of loneliness or a perceived lack of social support. They conclude that the health policy should take their findings into consideration and make efforts to increase social connectedness and the perceived availability of social resources among older adults.
Cornwell and Waite have taken the point of view that supporting the social well-being of the elderly is important, based on good scientific research. They use data from a nationally representative study of older adults in the USA and carried out statistical tests on the data. Their position is based on science and not on policy or popular or current thinking.
In contrast, the Ministry of Health (2016) does not place a lot of emphasis on supporting the social well-being of elderly people in their Healthy Ageing Strategy. In it's Vision and Priorities for Action section, the Strategy highlights healthy ageing, acute and restorative care, living well with long term conditions, supporting people with high needs and providing respectful end-of-life care. It mentions social connectedness in the text and says that transport solutions are needed to reduce social isolation and improve older peoples ability to participate in their communities and access health and other social isolation in its 15-page Action Plan. There are no sections in the Action Plan related specifically to social well-being.
Given that there is a lot of evidence that social well-being is related to physical well-being in the elderly, it is surprising that the Ministry of Health has taken the position of not prioritising social connectedness. However, the Ministry of Health is a government agency and is probably constrained by government policy, current thinking and government spending or financial allocation. Developing new services and activities to address social connectedness and well-being in older people would increase costs and require higher spending in New Zealand's health sector - something that the current Government does not want to do.
"To care for those who once cared for us is one of the highest honours." - Tia Walker
References
Cornwell, E. Y. and Waite, L. J. (2009). Social Disconnectedness, Perceived Isolation and Health among Older Adults. Journal of Health and Social Behaviour. 50 (1): 31-48.
Ministry of Health. (2016). Healthy Ageing Strategy. Wellington: Ministry of Health.
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