The “Paths to Community Self-Direction in Elderly Care” project, which began in August, is now at its midpoint. What thoughts and reflections do the project mentors have as they embark on the second year of the initiative?
– “I’m at least happy that all the work communities have made a good start in developing community self-direction,” says Project Manager and Elderly Care Specialist Satu Pirskanen.
Workplace mentor Merja Partanen nods in agreement with Pirskanen and praises the pilot teams for their active efforts to develop their work towards community self-direction.
– “Working with the teams has been really interesting and varied, as each team follows its own path,” Partanen says.
Pirskanen highlights the example of home care in Varkaus, where employees have organized a collaborative meeting on task distribution.
– “They’ve reached a consensus on this matter, which provides a solid foundation for continuing in the fall. Additionally, some teams have started collaborative shift planning, and in those teams where it already existed, it has been further improved,” Pirskanen explains.
– “Yes, definitely. It’s clear that work communities have begun to discuss things like shift changes more, and communication has been enhanced overall. This is a key area of development in many teams,” Partanen shares her observations.
Finding New Solutions
Community self-direction is about developing collaboration and finding new solutions. Work with the pilot teams has been intensive, with monthly visits throughout the spring to the teams’ locations across Northern Savo, from Varkaus to Kiuruvesi and from Riistavesi to Keitele. These workshops involved active work aimed at building a shared understanding of what community self-direction is. The pilot teams have also identified areas for development, which will continue to be addressed in the fall.
– “We will continue our visits to the pilot teams, but with the teams taking more responsibility for their work between workshops. In the workshops, we will discuss with the work community, practice community self-directed practices, and engage in reflective discussions that will advance the next phase of interim work,” says workplace mentor Aija Hietanen.
The work guided by the mentors has been complemented throughout the spring by Savonia’s learning environment, Edunia. During the summer and fall, more materials related to community self-direction will be produced for the learning environment, diversifying its offerings, and enhancing the use of its content.
– “The upcoming videos on Edunia will include practical tasks that will help teams in their development work towards community self-direction,” Hietanen says.
Supervisory Work Requires a New Mindset
Community self-direction is a team collaboration-based approach, where the role of the supervisor shifts from leading to coaching. Because the traditional model of authoritative leadership has been ingrained in humanity for centuries, adopting a new mindset and way of thinking about leadership is emphasized in the development work.
– “In community self-direction, the supervisor takes a step back, giving the team more space to plan and make decisions. They are no longer an automatic answer machine for questions, but they challenge the team to solve issues independently. Additionally, the supervisor clarifies the team’s goals and boundaries. Knowledge and understanding guide the team to make more independent plans and decisions,” says workplace mentor Jaana Piippo, who specializes in leadership.
However, coaching leadership does not mean leaving the team without support or removing leadership entirely. Leadership takes on a new form, becoming more of a background support for the team.
– “In community self-direction, the supervisor is ready to guide the team and provide it with information and alternative perspectives based on their experience,” Piippo adds.
INFO BOX
The “Paths to Community Self-Direction in Elderly Care” project began on August 1, 2023. As a result of the project, 13 elderly care teams from Northern Savo are progressing towards community self-direction under the guidance of workplace coaches from Savonia University of Applied Sciences and Savon Vocational College. An open digital guide for the public will be written about the units’ transformation journey, to be published at the end of the project in 2025. The project is co-funded by the European Union.
Author: Maiju Korhonen, Communications Specialist, Savonia University of Applied Sciences, maiju.korhonen@savonia.fi
Image: Paths to Community Self-Direction in Elderly Care Project Team