COVID-19 has been challenging for nearly everyone in different ways. Healthcare organizations have had to quickly change policy, modify operations, reorganize facilities, hire, and train staff to overcome COVID-19 related challenges to be able to still provide care for patients, all while being mindful of the protection of their staff. Some healthcare organizations have responded particularly well, perhaps due to preparedness, planning, or exceptional leadership in times of crisis. To explore this, we invited seven healthcare system leaders from three different organizations in Arizona to talk about how they overcame challenges at the beginning of this pandemic with effective strategies and any leadership tips they had for the future. After the interviews were conducted, the interviews were transcribed, coded qualitatively, and separated into themes and categories to analyze their answers to the questions asked. The results and conclusions included strategies such as having open and honest communication, teamwork, rapidly developing communicating policies, and widely adopting new work practices like Telemedicine, Zoom, and working at home as crucial. This report is designed to assist in aiding and inspiring future or other leaders to be better prepared for solving various challenges with other emergencies that arise in the future.

The ASU BioDesign Clinical Testing Laboratory (ABCTL) was created to offer an accurate, less invasive, less labor intensive, and less resource draining public COVID-19 testing location in Arizona. The goal of this thesis project was to document the intra-organizational communication channels related to changing testing practices as the ABCTL evolved. This was done through a review of internal and external media, pressers, and an interview with Joshua LaBaer. By documenting internal communication channels, specifically those related to changes in testing, similar communication channels and results could be replicable in the future if an outside organization wished to transform an academic research lab into a viral testing facility.

Workplace managers have adapted to many new trends and activities over the years. There has been the invention of the laptop, mobile phone devices, telecommuting, etc. These managers, people who lead and handle the different workstyles of the workplace, need to be individuals that are ready for new changes that will occur in the workplace. This includes new trends that comprise technological advances and new applications of current technology. However, Generation Z is continually impacted by current technology. Generation Z is defined as anyone born from the mid-1990s to the early 2010s (Strauss and Howe, 1991). These are the first true ‘smart’ technology natives to our world, as originally noted by Marc Prensky (2010). He describes Generation Z as “Digital natives are today’s young people who were born into the digital era and are growing up exposed to the continuous flow of digital information. Digital natives are a generation or population growing up in the environment surrounded by digital technologies and for whom computers and the Internet are natural components of their lives. They do not need to familiarize themselves with the technology by comparing it to something else” (Prensky 2010). The way they communicate amongst themselves, each other, and the entire world has become faster, more accessible, and has made the world a smaller place. This has impacted the manner of how they communicate and the standards of what they expect when they are communicating with each other. There is a concern in the workplace: How will this heightened use of communication tools in Generation Z affect their workplace habits? This is what I have explored and will be discussing in this paper. An in depth look at how technology has impacted Generation Z’s communication habits and skills, whether this will help or hurt them in the workplace, and what managers of the workplace can do to help themselves and their peers interact with this new generation.

To understand the role communication and effective management play in the project management field, virtual work was analyzed in two phases. Phase one consisted of gaining familiarity within the field of project management by interviewing three project managers who discussed their field of work, how it has changed due to Covid-19, approaches to communication and virtual team management, and strategies that allow for effective project management. Phase two comprised a simulation in which 8 ASU student volunteers were put into scenarios that required completing and executing a given project. Students gained project experience through the simulation and had an opportunity to reflect on their project experience.

This project concerns justification for why partner dance, particularly ballroom dance, should be a part of the Arizona public-school curriculum. It consists of a review of peer-reviewed scientific research on the subject, as well as interviews conducted with local experts on dance. Moreover, a sample curriculum is supplied that should provide guidance on how to implement a ballroom dance program in the K-12 system. The goal of this paper is to empower educators to create ballroom dance programs in their schools, with the ultimate plan to help develop students into better citizens.