Introduction. Individual and group reflection practices are qualitative methods useful in a group context to develop group skills and more awareness of the dynamics that take place within the group to which one belongs. Aim. The aim of this work is to highlight how individual reflective practices and group reflections contribute to the development of group skills. More specifically, the effectiveness of relevant group dynamics is investigated, with the aim of creating a space for reflection, and activation for individual and group empowerment. Participants. The participants were 130 university students (86% female), resided in northwestern Italy, and had a mean age of 27.5 years (SD = 7.52). They were randomly divided into 23 groups (ranged from four to nine members). Method. The participants engaged in several online training activities and at the end of every activity they completed individual reflection practice in which they presented both positive and negative aspects related to the group experiences. Then they participated in online group reflections that allowed them to reflect on the group dynamics, particular attention given to factors such as climate, participation and roles played by each participant in a variety of training activities. This study analyzes 130 individual reflective practices and 23 group reflections. The data collected through individual reflective practices and the transcripts of the group reflections were analyzed using grounded theory. Two independent judges analyzed and categorized the data and then identified the main common categories that emerged by the support of Nvivo software. Results. From the analysis of the content, it is determined that the participants, based on the construction of the individual and group reflections, paid greater attention to the dynamics that occurred within the group during the various activities in which they participated, thus allowing them to be more aware of the various factors that affected the importance attributed to the different roles, the climate, and their active participation. Conclusion. Combined, these factors allowed participants to strengthen their relationships with each other and enhance the cohesion of the group.

Reflective Practices to Study Group Dynamics: Implement Empowerment and Understand the Functioning of Groups

The article investigates the role of team empowerment in enhancing team engagement by collecting data from 33 teams comprising of 330 individuals from IT/IT-enabled services (ITES) organizations belonging to the Delhi-NCR region of northern India. The research findings established a positive association between team empowerment and team engagement, as was hypothesized. Team reflexivity and team orientation moderated the association between team empowerment and team engagement. The study draws the attention of management towards designing their vision and mission in such a manner that the employees take ownership and feel a sense of pride in being a part of the organization. Perceptions about team oriented behaviour and team reflexivity will help the employees, in particular, and the organizations, in general, compete in the journey towards excellence. Not much evidences to study team empowerment, specifically in the context of virtual teams, and its beneficial outcomes have been found in literature in Asian milieu. In this context, this is a significant and critical attempt to investigate the linkages between team empowerment and teamwork engagement and any moderating role of team reflexivity and team orientation in the above stated relationship.

Towards Team Engagement Through Team Empowerment: Moderating Roles of Team Reflexivity and Team Orientation

Maestri di Strada (MdS) è un'associazione non profit che lavora nella periferia est di Na-poli per contrastare dispersione scolastica ed esclusione sociale attraverso interventi socioeducativi complessi. La pandemia da COVID-19 ha investito all'improvviso tutte le attività di MdS, spingendo ad utilizzare la tecnologia come risorsa per affrontare il problema dell'isolamento. A marzo 2020 è nato il Progetto CoroNauti, con l'obiettivo di supportare anche a distanza il senso di comunità per fronteggiare in modo resiliente il trauma, limitando gli effetti del divario dovuto alle povertà educative del territorio. Si è costituita così una comunità virtuale di pratiche di tipo riflessivo, che ha sostenuto in modo nuovo i processi educativi già avviati. L'intervento si è sviluppato con tutti gli attori della comunità locale educante, giovani, scuole, famiglie e ha prodotto diversi cambiamenti.

Da Maestri di Strada a CoroNauti: l'impatto della pandemia sulla comunità educante di una periferia metropolitana

Introduction: The professional self is often hindered by a lack of self-care and poor work-life balance, and cannot be considered an unlimited resource. Given this, the reflexive team is an important organizational tool for protecting workers' well-being. The non-profit organization Maestri di Strada (MdS) ("Street Teachers") conducts action research (AR) in the area of socio-education. The main tool used by the group to protect the well-being of its members is a guided reflexivity group, inspired by the Balint Group and termed the Multi-Vision Group (MG). In March 2020, because of the COVID-19 lockdown, the MdS team had to quickly revamp its working model, and MGs were held online for the first time. Aim: Through qualitative research that takes a longitudinal approach, the aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of the MG in supporting the team's reflexivity in this new online format. Methods: This article considers MGs during two different time periods: pre-pandemic (T1) and early pandemic (T2). During T1, the MdS team met 18 times in person, while during T2 the team met 12 times through an online platform (always under the guidance of a psychotherapist). During all sessions in both time periods, a silent observer was present in the meetings, and they subsequently compiled narrative reports. The textual corpora of the reports were submitted for a Thematic Analysis of Elementary Contexts through T-Lab Plus, in order to examine the main content of the groups' discourse. Results: The results (five clusters in T1; and five in T2) show that, during T2, the group devoted considerable time to experiences tied to the pandemic (T21: schools facing the pandemic crisis; T2.2: the pandemic: death, inner worlds, and thought resistance; T2.3: kids' stories involving physical distancing and emotional proximity). The group also came up with innovative educational initiatives that defied the lockdown (T2.4: fieldwork: the delivery of "packages of food for thought"; T2.5: the MdS group: identity and separation). Based on these findings, the MG most likely contributed to the emergence of MdS as a "resilient community," capable of absorbing the shock of the pandemic and realizing a fast recovery response.

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Rosa Gentile

Papers

Supporting Team Reflexivity During the COVID-19 Lockdown: A Qualitative Study of Multi-Vision Groups In-person and Online