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Overview
A multidisciplinary platform for teachers/students in post-18 education and management training courses in the private sector.
The cases/tasks examine conflicts and problems observed in Finland dealing with social, political, economic, legal and business-related subjects (the links are at the top of the page). This platform is also available on mobile/tablet.
The cases/tasks can be used to compare and contrast with other national environments or the focus can be on Finland. It is important to expose the learner (and teacher) to different task types to push them out of their comfort zone and develop skills of self-reliance, adaptability and creativity. They can be used in faculty content courses in which the English language is used that look at societal conflicts and problems as well as English language/communication/management training courses.
Key objectives include raising awareness of the value of questions, refining basic analytical skills and providing a platform for either individual development or team work activities.
This platform has 'Readings' in each unit (except for Theme A), which form the information input to the learner. Supporting this information input are Task(s), Answer Key(s), Pointers (teaching advice) and the Academic/Media Sources referenced. These can be found on Theme Page H in the drop-down menu at the top of each page.
The platform can be used as a low-cost self-access learning platform, or can be integrated into teacher-led environments both online or in the classroom.
Graham Wood. Lecturer, University of Helsinki.,
M.A. ESFL. (Wales)., Exec. MBA. (Aalto)., PhD. (Helsinki)., FHEA. (UK).
Why
Conflict is the DNA of the social sciences, law and business. Other countries aspire to what Finland has achieved. But there are fundamental conflicts/problems in Finnish society.
If the purpose of education is to equip students with the professional skills to engage in the workplace and contribute to society, then developing competence in conflict/problem identification, analysis, and management should be incorporated into curriculum/course development.
The Finnish Chamber of Commerce (19.10.23) reported graduates do not have the skills for the workplace. No one is asking why.
But for those questions to be asked requires a mindset that is not being taught in the Universities. So are Universities institutions of indoctrination or education? Is ideology taking precedence over knowledge? Are students being exposed to different learning platforms and environments to enhance creativity skills? Do these skills extend to the workplace or are they confined to the University corridors?
This platform addresses these questions and at the very least aims to encourage people to at least start asking questions.
Image: ILO 169 Finnish Protester. Photo by Vesa Toppari.
Think About It:
"For good ideas and true innovation, you need human interaction, conflict, argument and debate" - Margaret Heffernan
"Conflict is the beginning of consciousness" - M.Esther Harding
"There are no answers, only questions" - P.L.Travers
"If you think you have the answer then you have not been asking the right questions" - Me
"When a politician starts talking about winning a war - they have already lost" - Me
Cases/Tasks Organisation (Access these through the drop-down links at the top of the page. In this link is an organisational matrix that reflects the themes/units. The themes/units are highlighted next to each photo below)
The cases/materials are accessible through the drop-down menus at the top of this page in Themes A-G. Each theme has 6 units and in each unit, there is a link to the reading (There is an exception in Theme A, where there are only links to the tasks).
Each Unit has a different focus and there is variety in the length of the reading, density of information, task demands and time required to complete each unit. The Units are sub-divided into three areas:
Reading: The information focus of the Unit that can be used in the flipped classroom or as the basis for text manipulation/analysis.
Task: The activity directed at raising awareness of the content area and development of the skill set. In Theme H in the drop-down lists at the top of each page.
Answer /Key/Pointers/Sources: A suggested solution to the task(s) set. Pointers are brief suggestions on how to utilise the Reading/Task in the classroom. Finally, the Sources present the resources used to compile the Reading/Task. In Theme H in the drop-down lists at the top of each page.
The Organisational Matrix is below. The themes can be followed horizontally or vertically or they can be chosen at random:
Theme A: Question Primer (Links at the top of the page)
Unit 1. What
Unit 2. Who
Unit 3. Where
Unit 4. When
Unit 5. How
Unit 6. Why
Theme B. Interactional Awareness
Unit 1. Personalities
Unit 2. Communication
Unit 3. Groupthink
Unit 4. Leadership (Autocracy)
Unit 5. Conflict Management (Sipilägate)
Unit 6. Negotiation (Finlandisation)
Theme C. Bloom's Question Framework
Unit 1. Remembering (Mental Health)
Unit 2. Understanding (Nokia)
Unit 3. Applying (Stora Enso)
Unit 4. Analysing (Sipoo)
Unit 5. Evaluating (Fazer)
Unit 6. Creating (Patria)
Theme D. Conflict Problem Awareness
Unit 1. Expectations (DIE=BIC=C)
Unit 2. Evolution (Cartels)
Unit 3. Identification (Sámi)
Unit 4. Classification (Finnish Violence)
Unit 5. Dissection (Neste + VAPO)
Unit 6. Conflict Resolution (Child Protection)
Theme E. Question Strategy
Unit 1. Drill Down (Don't Get Old)
Unit 2. Open (Eugenics)
Unit 3. Closed (Hennala POW Civil War)
Unit 4. Leading (Old Boys Corruption?)
Unit 5. Probing (Waffen SS)
Unit 6. Strategy (Finnish Spies)
Theme F. CSI Approach
Unit 1. What (Jokela)
Unit 2. Who (Smash ASEM)
Unit 3. Where (Bobrikov)
Unit 4. When (Talvivaara)
Unit 5. How (NATO)
Unit 6. Why (Immigration/Human Trafficking)
Theme G. Academic Framework
Unit 1. Process (Scandinavian Design Process)
Unit 2. Structure (Domestic Violence)
Unit 3. Introduction (Finnish Forestry)
Unit 4. Analysis I (Fray Bentos)
Unit 5. Analysis II (Divorce the Finnish Way)
Unit 6. Conclusion (Celebrity Politics)
Materials Updates/News:
Periodically materials will be updated or there may be news items worthy of attention. They will be notified here or on each unit home page. If you come across any news/resources e.g. journal/newspaper articles relevant to the content of this website and you want to engage with me, please let me know. I can be contacted via the email address below.
The impact of poor organisational decision-making with implicit connection to Groupthink (see Unit B3) was revealed in the Vasa Syndrome. In 1628 the pride of the Swedish navy sank within one mile of being first launched. Groupthink permeates the tragedy:
Kessler, E., Bierly, P., and Gopalakrishnen, S. (2004). Vasa Syndrome: insights from a 17th-century new-product disaster. The Academy of Management Executive 15(3): 80-91.
Interesting research: Freckelton, I. (2018). The 1628 Vasa Inquest in Sweden: Learning Contemporary Lessons for Effective Death Investigation. Journal of Law and Medicine (26): 285-299.
Conflict a boom industry: Peace Research Institute Oslo identifies conflict at a historic high in 2024. Keep in mind international conflicts often have domestic roots: https://www.prio.org/news/3616
Have you heard of Qatargate?
How to operationalise in the classroom:
Wood, G. (2020). Theoretical and Operational Reflections on the Interdisciplinary PBL Simulation for Conflict Negotiation and Communication at the University of Helsinki. Journal of Problem Based Learning in Higher Education 8(2). https://doi.org/10.5278/ojs.jpblhe.v8i2.3181
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