Building wholebeing: Crafting organisations for greater long-term authentic sustainable change.

Abstract 

In this workshop the presenters take you through a case study of wholebeing in a large organisation, with a view to providing tools, tips, and strategies so you can take a wholebeing approach to your work. This includes a novel, innovative and creative Eudaimonic Systems-Informed Appreciative Inquiry and Design Thinking (ESIAIDT) approach. The workshop covers aspects such as assessment and evaluation, co-design, systems informed approaches, eudaimonic design, and sustainability and environmental factors. The aim is to utilise the wholebeing model for a more informed and proactive approach to building wellbeing, resilience, and health, reducing illbeing, and enabling potential and performance to better position people and organisations against future stressors and to sustainably thrive. We see this work as the next level in sophistication of systems informed positive organisational design, delivery and implementation; wholebeing.

Learning Outcomes

• Demonstrate understanding of the construct of wholebeing, including major theories, approaches, concepts, and current research findings underpinning and supporting wholebeing.
• Understand how to apply a wholebeing journey process to organisational practice, including assessment and evaluation, tools and program components, and implementation science principles.
• Utilize some of the techniques, skills and tools necessary for the practice of the wholebeing approach.
• Demonstrate professional and ethical responsibility with regard to the scope of wholebeing in an organisational setting.
• Recognize systems behaviour with regard to wholebeing implementation.
• Work in multi-disciplinary teams and with different stakeholders, and provide leadership on challenges that arise in working in multi-disciplinary work.

Ideal Audience: Organisational practitioners interested in taking their practice to the new frontiers of wellbeing, organisational, and systems science.

Note: This workshop is based on the in press book chapter “Next level flourishing in education: A case study of ‘wholebeing’” which will be provided in advance to workshop participants.

About Aaron Jarden 

Associate Professor Aaron Jarden is Director of the Masters of Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) program at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education, University of Melbourne. He is a wellbeing consultant, social entrepreneur, has multiple qualifications in philosophy, computing, education, and psychology, and is a prolific author and presenter. He has previously been a Senior Research Fellow at Flinders University, and Head of Research at the Wellbeing and Resilience Centre at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI). He is past president of the New Zealand Association of Positive Psychology, also co-editor of the International Journal of Wellbeing, and lead investigator for the International Wellbeing Study amongst others.

About Andrea Downie

Andrea is an honorary fellow of the Centre for Wellbeing Sciences at the University of Melbourne, and is an educator, strategist, action researcher and activator who has worked with hundreds of schools and organisations internationally. In 2016 Andrea co-founded Project Thrive®. With a focus on systems leadership and wellbeing science and through creating engaging and purposeful learning, Andrea challenges schools and organisations on traditional wellbeing approaches of reactive problem solving and moves them towards co-designing the future. Andrea has worked in Primary, Secondary, Tertiary and TAFE education systems in Australia, across all sectors, State, Private and Independent. Her experience, knowledge and research has given her insight into some of education's greatest strengths and importantly, opportunities for growth. She is passionate about making education the best and most desirable system in the world where wellbeing, authentic learning and personal growth for all students and staff is at the forefront.

About Rebecca Jarden

Dr. Rebecca Jarden is a registered nurse with a strong clinical nursing background in intensive care, leading and supporting quality nursing care and driving translational nurse wellbeing research. Rebecca is Senior Lecturer at The University of Melbourne, co-ordinating and teaching in the critical care specialty post-graduate programs, and Senior Nursing Research Fellow at Austin Health. Rebecca’s academic background focused on psychology and anthropology before nursing, and she investigated nurse wellbeing for her Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). Rebecca’s post-doctoral research continues a health workforce focus, exploring wellbeing during transition and beyond.