title: Finding form: elite sports and the business of change

authors: Gilmore, Sarah

subjects: change management

abstract: Purpose – To explain how an organization has been able to use seismic changes in its wider external environment to transform its performance without the need for radical internal restructuring or coercive forms of leadership. 
Design/methodology/approach – This paper utilises a three year case study from elite sport, an under-represented sector in the management literature but one that offers a fascinating view of change. 
Findings – Whilst the change management literature typically emphasises dramatic and rapid coercive restructuring accompanying open-ended environment change, this study found that known routines and historical ways of working existed alongside innovation, risk-taking and learning; the paradoxical foundation upon which performance flourished. 
Research limitations/implications – Although the dangers of single cases are noted, difficulties regarding access and comparability with other similar organizations prevented a similar degree of focus on multiple cases. Future research either within elite sports teams or other organizations facing similar environmental change is needed to extend and enhance the asset maximization model presented here. 
Practical implications – This analysis and the development of an asset maximisation approach questions the traditional processual or design-based approaches towards managing change and argues for the capture and incorporation of business and strategic decision making within such accounts. 
Originality/value – The paper is a rare account of change within elite sports. The asset maximisation approach developed within this case study illustrates how holistic value creation in turbulent times is achieved. As such, its conclusions will have much to offer organizations as well as academics interested in the management of change.

text: Finding form: elite sports and the business of change Purpose – To explain how an organization has been able to use seismic changes in its wider external environment to transform its performance without the need for radical internal restructuring or coercive forms of leadership. 
Design/methodology/approach – This paper utilises a three year case study from elite sport, an under-represented sector in the management literature but one that offers a fascinating view of change. 
Findings – Whilst the change management literature typically emphasises dramatic and rapid coercive restructuring accompanying open-ended environment change, this study found that known routines and historical ways of working existed alongside innovation, risk-taking and learning; the paradoxical foundation upon which performance flourished. 
Research limitations/implications – Although the dangers of single cases are noted, difficulties regarding access and comparability with other similar organizations prevented a similar degree of focus on multiple cases. Future research either within elite sports teams or other organizations facing similar environmental change is needed to extend and enhance the asset maximization model presented here. 
Practical implications – This analysis and the development of an asset maximisation approach questions the traditional processual or design-based approaches towards managing change and argues for the capture and incorporation of business and strategic decision making within such accounts. 
Originality/value – The paper is a rare account of change within elite sports. The asset maximisation approach developed within this case study illustrates how holistic value creation in turbulent times is achieved. As such, its conclusions will have much to offer organizations as well as academics interested in the management of change.

year: 2007

title: Just breathe: Dynamic breathwork as interoceptive exposure for veterans and police

authors: Pointer, Ben

subjects: breathwork

abstract: Military veterans and police officers experience high rates of trauma-related symptoms alongside autonomic dysregulation, yet many do not engage with or complete conventional therapies. Breathing-based interventions may provide a low-cost, acceptable alternative. I used a single-subject, multiple-baseline-across-participants design with eight veterans and police officers to evaluate a 10-session online dynamic breathwork protocol. I hypothesised that this intervention would (H1) increase resting heart rate variability (HRV) and reduce resting heart rate, (H2) improve self-reported psychological symptoms commonly associated with PTSD, and (H3) be rated as acceptable and feasible for home-based use. Participants practised cyclic hyperventilation, extended breath-holds, and a Valsalva-type manoeuvre in 10 sessions across a 20-day period. Resting heart rate variability (RMSSD) and heart rate were recorded daily with Polar® H10 sensors. Self-reported psychological measures of depression, anxiety, affect, mindfulness, and psychological flexibility were completed at baseline, post-intervention, and follow-up. Physiological outcomes did not show meaningful change. However, large effect sizes were observed across all psychological measures, with reductions in self-reported scores of depression, anxiety, and negative affect, and increases in mindful awareness and psychological flexibility. Social validity ratings indicated that the protocol was highly acceptable and feasible for home use. In contrast to traditional exposure therapies that target external trauma cues, this intervention employed breath-based interoceptive exposure to engage conditioned internal responses, offering a novel pathway for inhibitory learning. My results suggest that while short-term autonomic adaptation was not evident, structured online breathwork may offer a promising and scalable means of reducing psychological distress for trauma-exposed operational personnel.

text: Just breathe: Dynamic breathwork as interoceptive exposure for veterans and police Military veterans and police officers experience high rates of trauma-related symptoms alongside autonomic dysregulation, yet many do not engage with or complete conventional therapies. Breathing-based interventions may provide a low-cost, acceptable alternative. I used a single-subject, multiple-baseline-across-participants design with eight veterans and police officers to evaluate a 10-session online dynamic breathwork protocol. I hypothesised that this intervention would (H1) increase resting heart rate variability (HRV) and reduce resting heart rate, (H2) improve self-reported psychological symptoms commonly associated with PTSD, and (H3) be rated as acceptable and feasible for home-based use. Participants practised cyclic hyperventilation, extended breath-holds, and a Valsalva-type manoeuvre in 10 sessions across a 20-day period. Resting heart rate variability (RMSSD) and heart rate were recorded daily with Polar® H10 sensors. Self-reported psychological measures of depression, anxiety, affect, mindfulness, and psychological flexibility were completed at baseline, post-intervention, and follow-up. Physiological outcomes did not show meaningful change. However, large effect sizes were observed across all psychological measures, with reductions in self-reported scores of depression, anxiety, and negative affect, and increases in mindful awareness and psychological flexibility. Social validity ratings indicated that the protocol was highly acceptable and feasible for home use. In contrast to traditional exposure therapies that target external trauma cues, this intervention employed breath-based interoceptive exposure to engage conditioned internal responses, offering a novel pathway for inhibitory learning. My results suggest that while short-term autonomic adaptation was not evident, structured online breathwork may offer a promising and scalable means of reducing psychological distress for trauma-exposed operational personnel.

year: 2025

title: Kia Maanu, Kia Ora: Stay Afloat, Stay Alive – Acknowledging the significance of tikanga Māori in formulating and communicating water safety policies and practices

authors: Haimona, Mark

subjects: New Zealand

abstract: The traditional beliefs and practices of Māori demonstrate great respect for water, for its dangers as well as its life-giving properties, and Māori have, along with other Polynesian peoples, been known for their skill in swimming, fishing and canoeing. However, Māori now outnumber others in New Zealand in terms of the proportion involved in drowning and water-related injury. In seeking to promote water safety among Māori, Water Safety New Zealand has enlisted the help of Māori communities. Its message - Kia Maanu, Kia Ora (Stay Afloat, Stay Alive) - is underpinned by an acknowledgment of the need to reinforce the traditional respect for water that permeates the Māori worldview.

text: Kia Maanu, Kia Ora: Stay Afloat, Stay Alive – Acknowledging the significance of tikanga Māori in formulating and communicating water safety policies and practices The traditional beliefs and practices of Māori demonstrate great respect for water, for its dangers as well as its life-giving properties, and Māori have, along with other Polynesian peoples, been known for their skill in swimming, fishing and canoeing. However, Māori now outnumber others in New Zealand in terms of the proportion involved in drowning and water-related injury. In seeking to promote water safety among Māori, Water Safety New Zealand has enlisted the help of Māori communities. Its message - Kia Maanu, Kia Ora (Stay Afloat, Stay Alive) - is underpinned by an acknowledgment of the need to reinforce the traditional respect for water that permeates the Māori worldview.

year: 2007