Library resources for SOAR

Conflict management is an overlooked area in leadership development. Mediation as an intervention method to use in conflict management can be productive for building leadership capacity and organizational development in higher education. Adults average five conflicts per day and people in titled leadership spend over two-thirds of their time engaged in managing conflict. This book offers conflict management strategies, models, and processes to support college and university personnel in recognizing and managing conflicts and how to build skill sets that can enhance effective communication and address issues strategically.

A Living Now Book Awards Gold Medalist, Social Activism/Charity A practical, shame-free guide for navigating conversations across our differences at a time of rapid social change. In the current period of social and political unrest, conversations about identity are becoming more frequent and more difficult. On subjects like critical race theory, gender equity in the workplace, and LGBTQ-inclusive classrooms, many of us are understandably fearful of saying the wrong thing. That fear can sometimes prevent us from speaking up at all, depriving people from marginalized groups of support and stalling progress toward a more just and inclusive society. Kenji Yoshino and David Glasgow, founders of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging at NYU School of Law, are here to show potential allies that these conversations don't have to be so overwhelming. Through stories drawn from contexts as varied as social media posts, dinner party conversations, and workplace disputes, they offer seven user-friendly principles that teach skills such as how to avoid common conversational pitfalls, engage in respectful disagreement, offer authentic apologies, and better support people in our lives who experience bias. Research-backed, accessible, and uplifting, Say the Right Thing charts a pathway out of cancel culture toward more meaningful and empathetic dialogue on issues of identity. It also gives us the practical tools to do good in our spheres of influence. Whether managing diverse teams at work, navigating issues of inclusion at college, or challenging biased comments at a family barbecue, Yoshino and Glasgow help us move from unconsciously hurting people to consciously helping them.

"What is impressive is not only how Winters builds a case for the urgency and need for bold, inclusive conversations but that she also gives specific strategies and competencies to turn her theory into practice. -Dr. Sheila Robinson, publisher and CEO, Diversity Woman Media Effective dialogue across different dimensions of diversity, such as race, gender, age, religion, or sexual orientation, fosters a sense of belonging and inclusion, which in turn leads to greater productivity, performance, and innovation. Whether in the workplace, faith communities, or educational settings, our differences can tear us apart rather than bring us together if we do not know how to communicate. Recognizing our collective responsibility to earnestly address our differences and increase understanding and empathy will not only enhance organizational goals but will also lead to a healthier, kinder, and more compassionate world. Award-winning diversity, equity, and inclusion consultant Mary-Frances Winters has been leading workshops on what she calls Bold, Inclusive Conversations for years. In this book she offers specific dialogue strategies to foster greater understanding on the following topics: Recognizing the importance of creating equity and sharing power Dealing with the "fragility" of dominant groups--their discomfort in engaging with historically subordinated groups Addressing the exhaustion historically marginalized groups feel from constantly explaining their different lived experience Exploring how to build trust and create psychologically safe spaces for dialogue This guide is comprehensive for anyone who wants to break down the barriers that separate us and facilitate discussions on potentially polarizing topics.

This book is designed to support individuals, particularly in higher education settings, gain knowledge and skills related to critical dialogues that support effective conflict management. Higher education institutions and its stakeholders such as faculty, staff, students, and administrators are often perceived for their proclivity to foster debate. This book is not about how to facilitate debate, but rather, dialogue, which if managed well, can lead to positive growth, learning outcomes, and increased productivity. Dialogue as a method for effective conflict management is an underutilized method of communication. Contents of the book include modules that address communication skills, conflict management styles, working in small groups or teams, how to facilitate change, and research-based resources and references for conflict management.

The title, “Is Online Technology the Hope in Uncertain Times for Higher Education?”, provides the purpose of this volume, which is to offer insights into the future of higher education in light of significant advances in online technology that affect all human endeavors. These advances have evolved as a result of the natural development of new technologies as provided by global corporations, the aftereffects of the COVID pandemic, and recent advances in artificial intelligence that portend to redefine how organizations will function in a new world order. Thirty-one experts offered their research as a basis for considering the question posed in this volume. From their work, it is clear that colleges and universities are rapidly migrating to online technology in order to support instruction, research, counseling, academic services, and administrative efficiency. As this migration evolves, consider what Drew Faust, the former president of Harvard University, has stated: “As the landscape continues to change, we must be careful to protect the ideals at the heart of higher education, ideals that serve us all well as we work together to improve the world.”

Discover the foundation, power, and necessity of visual communication with this essential guide Visual communication has changed. It's gone from being an optional medium for relaying information to an important method for building connections and increasing understanding. We now use visual storytelling to help us establish and strengthen relationships, engage distracted audiences, and bring clarity to complexity. Killer Visual Strategies examines how visual communication has transformed how brands connect with their customers and colleagues alike. It looks at the growing audience demand for quality visual content and how organizations must meet this demand or risk being left behind. Killer Visual Strategies traces the history of visual communication and explores why it now plays an integral role in our daily lives. As Amy Balliett tells the story of this evolving medium, she naturally incorporates visuals, such as timelines and data visualizations throughout. In addition to providing actionable rules to follow for creating high-impact visual content, Balliett also explores the latest trends, including visual search, augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR). Then, she looks forward to what lies ahead in this dynamic field.  The book's topics can benefit readers in a range of professions where visual content is now vital to sharing a message. Learn best practices for visual communication Gain inspiration from countless visual examples Stay on top of the latest trends in visual communication Understand visual communication for marketing, sales, design, HR, and more Killer Visual Strategies provides a clearer picture of the evolution of visual communication as a fundamental part of how a story is told.

The bestselling authors of the classic Difficult Conversations teach us how to turn evaluations, advice, criticisms, and coaching into productive listening and learning We swim in an ocean of feedback. Bosses, colleagues, customers—but also family, friends, and in-laws—they all have “suggestions” for our performance, parenting, or appearance. We know that feedback is essential for healthy relationships and professional development—but we dread it and often dismiss it. That’s because receiving feedback sits at the junction of two conflicting human desires. We do want to learn and grow. And we also want to be accepted just as we are right now. Thanks for the Feedback is the first book to address this tension head on. It explains why getting feedback is so crucial yet so challenging, and offers a powerful framework to help us take on life’s blizzard of off-hand comments, annual evaluations, and unsolicited advice with curiosity and grace. The business world spends billions of dollars and millions of hours each year teaching people how to give feedback more effectively. Stone and Heen argue that we’ve got it backwards and show us why the smart money is on educating receivers— in the workplace and in personal relationships as well. Coauthors of the international bestseller Difficult Conversations, Stone and Heen have spent the last ten years working with businesses, nonprofits, governments, and families to determine what helps us learn and what gets in our way. With humor and clarity, they blend the latest insights from neuroscience and psychology with practical, hard-headed advice. The book is destined to become a classic in the world of leadership, organizational behavior, and education.

The teamwork troubleshooter we all need! Turn your team into a cohesive unit. "This timely book provides readers with a new way of thinking about work and survival strategies for those who find themselves on bad teams. Readers who are looking for a playbook that can help them to understand and develop soft skills needed for teamwork will be eager to have a copy nearby."--Booklist Why do some team members not get along? What is the best way to get new teams and ad-hoc teams to maximize their performance in the least amount of time? How can meetings be designed to achieve useful outcomes? Teams are the source of problem-solving and innovation that today's organizations need to survive and thrive in an increasingly complex and challenging marketplace. Teamwork is hard because there is no magic formula or step-by-step procedure to ensure results. Think of a programmer asked to develop new features for a cell phone: they write new code, test the code, troubleshoot problems encountered, revise the code, and repeat the testing process until the new features work without problems. Similarly, a team leader asked to deliver specified outcomes develops a plan, runs team meetings, troubleshoots problems encountered, revises the plan, and repeats until the team outcomes are achieved. The difference is that a programmer has tools to help streamline troubleshooting, while team leaders do not--until now. Valerie Patrick applies a troubleshooting mindset that includes: Proven tactics for team members and leaders to address leadership problems Guidelines for recruiting and changing teams for optimum performance Techniques to identify and address aspects of team climate that are limiting the productivity of one or more team members Examples of effective ways to operate teams and of meeting designs that produce transformative outcomes

A fascinating guide for business leaders looking to ensure that their teams remain productive and engaged in the digital era. Businesses across all sectors now realize that, if they intend on staying competitive in the 21st century, then they must embrace new innovative technologies such as AI, automation and digital platforms. But many business leaders have become too focused upon digital transformation, leading them to neglect other vital elements of their organization. Built upon fascinating research and an international array of case studies, People Before Tech is an incisive examination of how organizations--through their digital transformations--become stranded with optimized teams and disenfranchised employees. As new technologies are introduced, teams and individual employees are often taken for granted - the uniquely human benefits that arise from a well-structured, collaborative team become neglected, and the employees themselves become unmotivated and overly dependent upon the technical, quantifiable benefits of technology. In People Before Tech, Duena Blomstrom shines new light upon the importance and potential of teams in modern organizations. The book analyzes the benefits of unique methods of working (such as "Agile") and explores how academic concepts such as "psychological safety" can boost employees' confidence and ability to work effectively and intuitively within teams. Duena highlights that it is vital not just to implement technology, but also to integrate it into the existing organizational culture and structure, before providing practical guidance and advice on how business leaders and HR professionals can heighten efficiency and effectiveness of workplace teams through collaborative and innovative initiatives.

Discover how psychological safety, constructive conflict, and actionable learning create a powerful triple helix to transform teams! In this ground-breaking resource, three experts in the field of education and teamwork each present one of three strands that, when woven together, support teamwork and forge collaborative interactions into a transformative way of working. You'll learn approaches, processes and tools to overcome common obstacles to team effectiveness such as feelings of futility, anxiety, and poor morale.  Drawing on research and practical experience the authors identify strategies and tools that show how to: Build psychological safety, where teams work towards resilient interpersonal relationships Use constructive conflict as a powerful catalyst for team learning and transformation Inquire into problems of practice to transform capabilities and produce actionable learning Acquire ways to develop mindful, thoughtful, and constructive teams where authentic communication drives group awareness and clear processes and goals.  Acquire ways to develop mindful, thoughtful, and constructive teams where authentic communication drives group awareness and clear processes and goals. 

This book offers university teachers informed and practical strategies for raising awareness of bias in teaching, learning and assessment practices.  Conscious and unconscious biases influence judgements, perceptions, decision making and actions, and societal awareness has now turned the spotlight on how higher education (HE) is addressing bias at institutional and individual levels.  The urgency to do so is evidenced through recent studies which reveal the extent of the effects of discrimination and exclusion experienced by individual students, groups of students and members of staff. It can be difficult to know where to start and how to sustain effective impact to achieve inclusion, equity and equality of opportunity. This book offers informed and practical strategies for raising awareness of bias in teaching, learning and assessment practices and provides approaches to eliminate, limit and mitigate the negative effects of bias on university students.

The newest edition to the National Resource Center's series on Special Student Populations focuses on supporting LGBTQ+ students on campus. Despite increasing visibility and acceptance in some spheres, many LGBTQ+ students continue to experience a negative climate on college campuses, presenting barriers to their academic and personal success. This volume explores the last decade of research on LGBTQ+ college students with an eye toward understanding their needs and the unique conditions related to their college success. The opening chapter offers useful definitions to help ground practitioners in the current conversation. Readers will also find examples of inclusive excellence and questions for guidingpractice to promote a more inclusive learning environment not only for LGBTQ+ students but for all students on the campus.

From the ninjas of corporate world comes a curated recipe book on how to be happy and content in our professional lives. Soft skills for Workplace helps us in dodging the derailers such as ego and stress that can negatively impact our behaviour, and replacing them instead with humour and emotional intelligence as tools to find joy at the workplace. SAGE Back to Basics is a distilled compilation of proven and timeless ideas and best practices for new-age and experienced leaders alike. The hand-picked collection of books-on management, leadership, entrepreneurship, branding and CSR-offer advice from management experts whose knowledge and research has impacted and shaped business and management education.

The world of work is being impacted by a fourth industrial revolution, transformed by artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies. With forecasts suggesting large shares of workers, displaced by automation, in need of upskilling/reskilling, the design of active skills policies is necessary.Conventional methods used to anticipate technological change and changing skill needs, such as skill surveys and forecasting, have limited scope to provide insights into emerging trends. With the increasing use of big data and AI methods, analysts have new real-time tools at their disposal. Skill foresight techniques are also increasingly used to gauge in-depth stakeholder information about future technologies and skill needs. A series of Cedefop guides aims to inform analysts and policy-makers about available skills anticipation methods used to navigate through the uncertainty of changing technologies and skill demands. This third practical guide focuses on technology and skill foresight methods.