Year: 2015
Type: article
Abstract: I was inspired to undertake this course of study after witnessing the sense of dissatisfaction many senior executives expressed as they went through INSEAD and Harvard executive education programs.In a visual exercise I was facilitating, participants were asked to draw a portrait from their cognitive, emotional and motivational perspectives.One gentleman's drawing had surprising results.He was a managing director of a successful global bank living in Dubai.He was an example of what we as a society define as successful.But his drawing was a depiction of himself behind bars with bags of money; all the things he felt were important to him were on the other side of the bars.This was the "Aha!" moment for me; it was when I realized that the gap between societal definition of success and personal definition of success may occur when people had not consider what they want in life, i.e., their own definition of success.By granting people the authority and tools to redesign their lives, our society will, hopefully, see people thrive and flourish in their own terms.This is what inspired me to get my PhD in Sustainable Systems Design.I wanted to help people design their lives to bring about fulfillment, purpose and meaning.Dick: You have been the standing pillar of support as I scaffold my research interest into a viable, scholarly pursuit.Whether our conversations are on campus, in Cedar Creek, in Chagrin Falls or aboard the Australis in Chile (courtesy of our good friend Gabriel Apor Berczely), you have given me the mentorship, guidance and support without which this body of work would not exist.You have allowed me to explore recklessly, but you have also reigned me back into focus.Forever, I thank you for your patience and your dedication to your craft of producing thinkers out of your students.ix Kalle: You have provided me the structure and organization to hone my competence as a quantitative scholar, and introduced me to various mixed-methods approaches to make research elegant and parsimonious.Thank you for your efficiency and endurance as many SEM models and iterations of papers are thrown at you, which you seem to be able to turn around within just a few hours' time.Ron: I truly appreciate the pragmatism you bring to the committee and the tenacity to calmly work through issues of methodology or language, without which this dissertation would be much longer and less succinct.David: Thank you for your encouragement to pursue using Appreciative Inquiry as a framework to build Kissaah.I appreciate the energy and positivity you brought to the committee and your contribution as a scholar-practitioner role model.Sue and Marilyn: You have made my journey from beginning to end a fantastic experience; your devotion to the program and students is superb.Thank you for all the big and little things you have helped me get through.To my classmates: Thank you for your ideas, your opinions and your contribution to my learning experience.I feel
Author: Victoria Woo
Institution: Case Western Reserve University
Language: English
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2614024535