THRIVING IN TRANSITIONS: COGNITIVE, SOCIAL & BEHAVIORAL RESOURCES FOR TIMES OF CHANGE
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There is a widely accepted sentiment that a large and growing segment of the developed world experiences life and work in a more dynamic and less predictable way than ever before. Many people, across a wide spectrum of age cohorts, will engage in frequent transitions throughout their lifetimes. Some will relocate multiple times and will traverse numerous peaks and valleys of change during those career and life transitions. Streams of research have been dedicated to the negative consequence of dealing with these disruptions as compared to a stable and settled existence. Large bodies of research and commentary have been produced on how to manage the difficult process and negative consequence of accelerating change. In contrast, my research offers empirical evidence that such transitions can result in positive consequences for one’s well-being. It is a study of how thriving can become a “normal” outcome of experiencing change and how we might revise the lexicon and expectations of engaging in transitions.
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THRIVING IN TRANSITIONS: COGNITIVE, SOCIAL & BEHAVIORAL RESOURCES FOR TIMES OF CHANGE
- 1. Thrive! In Transitions Transformation Quotient Explored Victoria Woo, Ph.D. Research Abstract June 2015 1 © 2015 Victoria Choi Yue Woo, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved
- 2. How do you feel about change? 2 © 2015 Victoria Choi Yue Woo, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved
- 3. …a deficit view of change Rosabeth Moss-Kanter, scholar and researcher of change said, “…Resistance to change manifests itself ranging from foot dragging to outright rebellions…” https://hbr.org/2012/09/ten-reasons-people-resist-chang.html 3 © 2015 Victoria Choi Yue Woo, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved
- 4. …an appreciative view of change… Changes can be opportunities for: • Growth and development • Engaging in self-reflection and discovery • Thinking, doing and behaving differently ---towards happiness--- 4 © 2015 Victoria Choi Yue Woo, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved
- 5. Set out to transform the lexicon and expectation of transitions (as the velocity of change is likely to be greater and greater) Surviving Transitions Difficult Disorienting Resistance to change Beneficial Fulfillment Eudaimonic well-being 5 © 2015 Victoria Choi Yue Woo, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved
- 6. Types of changes examined 1. Self-initiated 2. Other-initiated For example: International relocation Marital status change Job changes Career changes Industry changes 6 © 2015 Victoria Choi Yue Woo, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved
- 7. What we know about thriving • Is a temporary desirable state (Chaplin, 1988) • Involves – Self-regulation towards a sense of improvement (Porath & Bateman, 2006; Hall & Fukami, 1979) – Self adaptation (Ashford & Tsui, 1991) • Is goal directing (Kanfer, 1990) • Leads to subjective and eudaimonic well-being (Ryan & Deci, 2008; Spreitzer & Porath, 2013) • Promotes learning (Brown & Dugiuld, 1989; Gheradi et al., 1998; Wenger, 2000) – Leads to applied knowledge (Elliott & Dweck, 1988) and positive health (Ettner & Grzywacz, 2001) • Socially embedded at work, social contagion (Miller & Stiver, 1997; Spreitzer et al., 2005 ) – A situational mechanism (Hedstorm & Swedberg, 1998) with progressive momentum, where positive resources are renewable: • Positive knowledge (Feldman, 2004) • Positive meaning (Wrzesniewskii, Dutton, 2001) 7 © 2015 Victoria Choi Yue Woo, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved
- 8. Research Questions Qualitative I: • Can engaging in multiple transitions contribute to well-being? If so, what does thriving in transitional experiences look and feel like? • What factors enable thriving? Quantitative II: • What cognitive, social and behavioral factors contribute to thriving in transitions, given the magnitude of change? Quantitative III: • How does the degree of uncertainty in a transition and the individual’s ontological assumptions about change affect his/her responses to change? Embedded Mixed Methods IV: • How and to what extent do ontological experiences of change and narrative structure affect thriving transitional experiences? 8 © 2015 Victoria Choi Yue Woo, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved
- 9. Individual’s Transitional Experience Thriving in Transition Stability is the norm Episodic Change Tempo Social Cognitive Theory of Human Agency (Bandura, 1986, 1991, 2001 ) Narrative Identity Theory (Bauer, McAdams, Pals, 2008; Pals, McAdams, 2004) Growth, Development, Eudaimonic Well-being Study II Quantitative Moderated by Magnitude of Change in the Transition Study I Qualitative Study III & IV Embedded Mixed Methods Moderated by Magnitude of Change in the Transition + Individual’s Ontological Organizing Principles (Ford & Ford, 1995) Change is the norm Continuous Change Tempo Incremental/ 1st Order Life Cycle, Evolutionary Reversible Formative (Weick,Quinn,1999) Radical/ 2st Order Teleological, Dialectical Irreversible Transformative (VandeVen&Poole,1995) Cognitive Appraisal Theory of Stress (Lazarus et al., 1986) Theoretical Framework Posttraumatic Theories of Growth (Tedeschi, Calhoun 1996, 2014; Joseph, Linley, 2004, 2008) Response 9 © 2015 Victoria Choi Yue Woo, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved
- 10. Study I: Qualitative Methods Participant Profile Countries of birth 16 Current residence 5 Male 54% Female 46% Tertiary Education (Bachelors, 4 year degree) 37% Advanced or Professional Education (MD, Ph.D., MBA, Law, Master’s degree in various disciplines) 63% Grounded Theory Approach 35 Semi-structured interviews 10 Copyright © 2015 Victoria Choi Yue Woo Ph.D., All Rights Reserved
- 11. Study I Findings 6 Themes 3 Mechanisms ① Sense-making ② Dialectical Cycling ③ Narrative Identity Sense- making Reinvention- Reconstruction- Transformative Experiences Connected Supportive Reciprocal Relationships Incremental Knowledge Increased Self-Knowledge & Insights Receptive to New Opening self Embracing Uncertainty & Ambiguity Positive Appraisals Leading to Confidence Dialectical Cycling Agentic Behavior Self-efficacy, Task focus, goal oriented Positive Consequence to change Response 11 © 2015 Victoria Choi Yue Woo, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved
- 12. An observation – an attitude underlying narratives in Study I “Don’t ask me why I did it. It just felt right. There were no obvious reasons, and I felt great about it. So, often times when I reach a certain point of achievement, I get bored, and I have to deconstruct what I’ve done and try something completely different because I love the challenge, if that makes any sense.” 12 © 2015 Victoria Choi Yue Woo, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved
- 13. An attitude I labeled “I went to Tokyo the same [way], [to] discover a new city, sniffing around and exercise your little Japanese and try to make it a little bit better. …Discover how people live [and] think differently. … I don’t even think I’m ready or not, I just go. I just think later but now, how do we make it better? How do you use your new environment and swim in the new sea or new pond that you have been thrown in? It’s like okay, you know how to swim here. Go ahead.” 13 © 2015 Victoria Choi Yue Woo, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved
- 14. Defined The ability and willingness to: • Embrace change as an ongoing and continuous action • Fully engage in the metamorphic power of the experience of transitions • Be anticipatory; with proactive and reactive readiness to act 14 © 2015 Victoria Choi Yue Woo, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved
- 15. Study II – Quantitative Analysis Research Question: • What cognitive, social and behavioral factors contribute to thriving in transitions, given the magnitude of change? Structural Equation Modeling Moderated by Magnitude of Change Radical (Int’ Relocation) n=186 Incremental (within country) n=204 15 Participant Profile n=390 Countries of birth 43 Current residence 31 Male 53% Female 47% Primary School 0.5% Secondary School 5.4% Tertiary Education (Bachelors, 4 year degree) 37.7% Advanced or Professional Education (MD, Ph.D., MBA, Law, Master’s degree in various disciplines) 56.4% © 2015 Victoria Choi Yue Woo, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved
- 16. From Qualitative to Quantitative 16 Sense- making Reinvention- Reconstruction- Transformative Experiences Connected Supportive Reciprocal Relationships Incremental Knowledge Increased Self- Knowledge & Insights Receptive to New Opening self Embracing Uncertainty & Ambiguity Positive Appraisals Leading to Confidence Dialectica l Cycling Agentic Behavior Self-efficacy, Task focus, goal- oriented Positive Consequence to change Reinvention- Reconstruction- Transformative Experiences Sense- making Connecte d Supporti ve Reciproc al Relations hips Incremental Knowledge Increased Self- Knowledge & Insights Receptive to New Opening self Embracing Uncertainty & Ambiguity Positive Appraisal s Leading to Confiden ce Dialectical Cycling Agentic Behavior Self efficacy, Task focus, goal oriented Flourishing Response © 2015 Victoria Choi Yue Woo, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved
- 17. Improvisation Behavior Local .378*** .135** Local .375*** ***p≤.001; **p≤.01; *p≤.05 Local R2=.43 7 TQ=Transformation Quotient Receptive to change Flourishing Controls: Gender EduMediated by TQ Transformation Quotient 17 Study II QUAN Findings Positive Cognitive Appraisal Perceived Social Support Global .427*** Global R2=.506 Global .192*** Global .200*** Global .292*** Local .135** Local R2=.095 Global R2=.223 17© 2015 Victoria Choi Yue Woo, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved
- 18. Defined • Characterized by a fluid and continual engagement with new stimuli from personal or environmental changes. • Psychosocial “prosperity” – universal human psychological needs such as competence, autonomy, relatedness and self-acceptance as well as positive social relationships • Continual learning and development • Energized at a time of change © 2015 Victoria Choi Yue Woo, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved 18
- 19. From Quant II to Quant III 19 Sense- making Reinvention- Reconstruction- Transformative Experiences Connected Supportive Reciprocal Relationships Incremental Knowledge Increased Self- Knowledge & Insights Receptive to New Opening self Embracing Uncertainty & Ambiguity Positive Appraisals Leading to Confidence Dialectical Cycling Agentic Behavior Self efficacy, Task focus, goal- oriented Positive Consequence to change Reinvention- Reconstruction- Transformative Experiences Sense- making Connected Supportive Reciprocal Relationships Incremental Knowledge Increased Self Knowledge & Insights Receptive to New Opening self Embracing Uncertainty & Ambiguity Positive Appraisals Leading to Confidence Dialectical Cycling Agentic Behavior Self efficacy, Task focus, goal oriented Flourishi ngEmotional response to uncertainty © 2015 Victoria Choi Yue Woo, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved
- 20. Study III – Quantitative Analysis Research Question: • How does the degree of uncertainty in a transition and the individual’s ontological assumptions about change affect his/her responses to change? Structural Equation Modeling Partial Least Square Approach Survivor Incremental n=177 Survivor Radical n=54 Thriver Incremental n=98 Thriver Radical n=63 Participant Profile n=392 Countries of birth 43 Current residence 31 Male 45% Female 53% Primary School 0.5% Secondary School 5.4% Tertiary Education (Bachelors, 4 year degree) 39% Advanced or Professional Education (MD, Ph.D., MBA, Law, Master’s degree in various disciplines) 54% © 2015 Victoria Choi Yue Woo, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved 20
- 21. Four Quadrants in Study III • Samples are divided as a function of: – Degree of change, incremental (1st order) or radical (2nd order) – Ontological organizing principle relating to the phenomenon of change; stability is the norm or change is the norm • Theorized change tempo – Episodic changes - Stability is norm Unfreeze – Transition – Refreeze (Lewin, 1951) – Continuous changes - Change is norm Freeze – Rebalance – Unfreeze (Weick & Quinn, 1999) 21 © 2015 Victoria Choi Yue Woo, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved
- 22. is someone who believes change is an evolving phenomenon, and the changes he/she faces require questioning of existing worldviews is someone who believes change is an evolving phenomenon, and the changes he/she encounters fit nicely into existing worldviews is someone who value stability and the changes he/she encounters fit nicely into existing worldviews is someone who value stability, yet the changes he/she faces require questioning of existing worldviews 3 42 1 Tempo of Change CONTINUOUS Freeze – Rebalance – Unfreeze EPISODIC Unfreeze – Transition – Refreeze Incremental 1stOrder Radical 2ndOrder Degree of Change HIGH LOW Survivor Global Survivor Local Thriver Local Thriver Global 22 ©2015VictoriaChoiYueWoo,Ph.D. AllRightsReserved
- 23. 31 42 Incremental 1stOrder Radical 2ndOrder Degree of Change HIGH LOW Survivor Local Thriver GlobalSurvivor Global Thriver Local CONTINUOUS Freeze – Rebalance – Unfreeze EPISODIC Unfreeze – Transition – Refreeze Tempo of Change Study III QUAN Findings n=392 ©2015VictoriaChoiYueWoo,Ph.D. AllRightsReserved 23
- 24. Study IV – Embedded Mixed Methods Research Question: • How and to what extent do ontological experiences of change and narrative structure affect thriving in transitional experiences? Participant Profile n=20 Countries of birth 11 Current residence 4 Male 60% Female 40% Primary School 0% Secondary School 0% Tertiary Education (Bachelors, 4 year degree) 20% Advanced or Professional Education (MD, Ph.D., MBA, Law, Master’s degree in various disciplines) 80% 20 Semi-structured Interviews Probes include: 1) What are the major turning points in your life? 2) How do you feel about hearing your timeline/ life changes in 5 min? 3) How do you feel overall about your life? © 2015 Victoria Choi Yue Woo, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved 24
- 25. Study IV Theoretical Framing 25 © 2015 Victoria Choi Yue Woo, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved
- 26. Further interpretation using narrative analysis Right and left halves differ by the intervention sequence and potentially how new input is processed on the assimilating – accommodating continuum. 26 CONTINUOUS Freeze – Rebalance – Unfreeze EPISODIC Unfreeze – Transition – Refreeze Incremental 1stOrder Radical 2ndOrder Degree of Change HIGH LOW Tempoof Change Life Cycle or Evolutionary 1st Order – Incremental Episodic Dialectical or Teleological 2nd Order-Radical Episodic 2 1 Survivor Global Survivor Local Assimilating Dialectical or Teleological 2nd Order-Radical Continuous Life Cycle or Evolutionary 1st Order – Incremental Continuous 3 4 Thriver Local Thriver Global Accommodating © 2015 Victoria Choi Yue Woo, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved
- 27. Further interpretation using narrative analysis Top and bottom halves differ by the radicalness of their change, mobilization of resources coupled with receptivity to change. Mobilizing course of action on the canonical – improvisation continuum. 27 CONTINUOUS Freeze – Rebalance – Unfreeze EPISODIC Unfreeze – Transition – Refreeze Incremental 1stOrder Radical 2ndOrder Degree of Change HIGH LOW Tempoof Change Life Cycle or Evolutionary 1st Order – Incremental Episodic 1 Survivor Local Assimilating Life Cycle or Evolutionary 1st Order – Incremental Continuous 3 Thriver Local Accommodating Canonical Improvisation Dialectical or Teleological 2nd Order-Radical Episodic 2 Survivor Global Dialectical or Teleological 2nd Order-Radical Continuous 4 Thriver Global 27 © 2015 Victoria Choi Yue Woo, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved
- 28. Sense- making Cognitive Appraisal - Primary - Secondary Self-Digest - Evaluation Self-Knowledge Mobilization of Resources Integrated Findings 28 Dialectical Cycling © 2015 Victoria Choi Yue Woo, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved
- 29. Sense- making Willingness to embrace change, readiness for change Cognitive Appraisal - Primary - Secondary Self-Digest - Evaluation Self-Knowledge Mobilization of Resources Improvisation-- Canonical Integrated Findings Agency Forethought Intentionality Self-reactiveness Self-reflectiveness 29 Dialectical Cycling © 2015 Victoria Choi Yue Woo, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved
- 30. Sense- making Willingness to embrace change, readiness for change Cognitive Appraisal - Primary - Secondary Self-Digest - Evaluation Self-Knowledge Mobilization of Resources Assimilation-- Accommodation Improvisation-- Canonical Narrative Identity Growth, Psychological Well being Robust Self- Knowledge Learning Agility Affective Outcome: Transcendence Integrated Findings Agency Forethought Intentionality Self-reactiveness Self- reflectiveness 30 Dialectical Cycling © 2015 Victoria Choi Yue Woo, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved
- 31. Sense- making Willingness to embrace change, readiness for change Cognitive Appraisal - Primary - Secondary Self-Digest - Evaluation Self-Knowledge Mobilization of Resources Assimilation-- Accommodatio n Improvisation-- Canonical Narrative Identity Growth, Psychological Well being Robust Self- Knowledge Learning Agility Affective Outcome: Transcendence Integrated Findings Agency Forethought Intentionality Self-reactiveness Self- reflectiveness 31 Thriving Transitional Experiences Dialectical Cycling © 2015 Victoria Choi Yue Woo, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved
- 32. In Conclusion, mechanisms at work: 1. Sense-making – how we appraise our circumstances can be more effective, given what we know about ourselves. Self-knowledge that is dynamic plays a role in how we appraise past transitions. Our appraisal of the past (in particular about previous transitions) helps us build Transformation Quotient (the receptivity to change and leverage lessons from change). 2. Dialectical Cycling - tension or dynamism felt at a time of change can fuel mobilization of increase self-knowledge, which can be improved given an individual’s proclivity towards agency (forethought, intentionality, self- reactiveness and self-reflectiveness). Agency promotes decisions and action, as an individual experience the phenomenon of change, that mobilize behavioral strategies roughly divided into improvisational or canonical. Agency also promotes a component of improvisation behavior, implied intuition, which guides action towards a pre-determine outcome yet take into account varieties of paths towards that outcome 3. Narrative Identity - by situating meaning and affect into a coherent and rewarding narrative promotes thriving in transition individuals can assimilate new stimuli into existing paradigms or create new ones (accommodation). 32 © 2015 Victoria Choi Yue Woo, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved
- 33. Thriving Experiences Explained (at least partially and situated in the context of change) Happiness is “enacted”: Transformation Quotient™ is an essential competence in today’s world People who will succeed are able to develop a self-referential system with a significant thread that connects self with the ever-changing environment. Using the metaphor of a prism, this body of work has the potential to help individuals harness the deep structure within the “self” to motivate choice and action at a time of transition. Depending on the refraction index of the transmission medium, pointing white light through a prism can result in the dispersion of light into a rainbow of colors, or it can also be used as an internal reflection. Like a prism, a transition can illuminate parts of ourselves that is hidden until which point the appropriate conjecture of perspectives make available parts of ourselves that remain unrevealed. Self-identity is re-discovered, self-construct is reconstructed and the “self” is renewed through the enactment and sense making upon a specific set of circumstances prompted by the disruption 33 © 2015 Victoria Choi Yue Woo, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved
- 34. Happiness is “enacted” 34 Challenges (dialectical cycling) inherent in change trigger us to mobilize resources only when we recognize (sense-making) that the new environment beckons us to re-examine our assumptions. By scripting our story (narrative identity), we can harness the power in our own narrative to strive towards fulfillment; reaching our potential and continue to grow, develop and be happy (happier). Building up our Transformation Quotient™ (TQ™), we are better prepared to thrive in a world of constant flux. Happiness is at the crossroads of desire and action; mobilization of resources to help bring clarity through understanding our own narrative and our identity (place and role in the world) to co- create a future (individual & collective). © 2015 Victoria Choi Yue Woo, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved
- 35. Appendix 35 © 2015 Victoria Choi Yue Woo, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved
- 36. Limitations • Subjective Well-being – Positive & Negative Affect – Positive Emotions • Eudaimonic Well-being – Psychosocial ‘prosperity’ – Cognitive Development • Goals • Social Support • Gender • Education • Age • Expectations • Orientation • Positive illusions • Activity levels • Life events 36 Included Excluded © 2015 Victoria Choi Yue Woo, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved
- 37. 37 Construct Variable Type Study References Flourishing DV II (Reflective) Adapted from Flourishing Scale (Diener et al., 2010) Positive Cognitive Appraisal IV II Adapted from Scale of Positive and Negative experiences (Diener et al., 2010) Perceived Social Support IV II Adapted from Perceived Social Support Scale (Kessler et al., 1992) Thriving Transitions (TT) DV III (Formative) Adapted from combining items from Thriving at Work measure (Porath et al., 2010), and Flourishing scale (Deiner et al., 2010) Transformation Quotient (TQ) Med IV II (Reflective) III (Formative) Newly developed (Woo, Boland, & Lyytinen, 2013) Improvisation IV II, III Adapted from scale of improvisation behavior in entrepreneurship (Hmieleski & Corbett, 2008) Self-knowledge IV III Adapted from Integrative Self-Knowledge Scale (Ghorbani, Watson & Hargis 2008) Emotional Response to Uncertainty IV III Adapted from Uncertainty Response Scale (Greco & Roger, 2001) © 2015 Victoria Choi Yue Woo, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved 37
- 38. Transformation Quotient™ (TQ) Cronbach’s Alpha: .776 • I expect that there will be more transitions ahead • Being 'on the move' is a normal mode of life for me • I look for new challenges by changing my environment • A transition is a platform for me to 'reinvent' myself 38 © 2015 Victoria Choi Yue Woo, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved
- 39. Thrive In Transition (TT) Cronbach’s Alpha: .894 1. Overall, I lead a purposeful and meaningful life. 2. Overall, I am engaged and interested in my daily activities. 3. Overall, I actively contribute to the well-being and happiness of others. 4. Overall, I am a good person and live a good life. 5. Overall, I am optimistic about my future. 6. I continue to learn more as time goes by. 7. I feel alive and vital. 8. I am alert. 39 © 2015 Victoria Choi Yue Woo, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved
Editor's Notes
- My research surfaced that as long as we can tell our story. Building blocks to a narrative that offers a thread that connects our past, present and future in order to create a rewarding and coherent self providing meaning and purpose, we have a much better chance of eudaimonic-well being (or happiness) I am here to present how one might use this methodology to engage in change positively and thrive in transitions.
- There are loads of research talking about changes can be difficult and tons of research has gone into understanding how to best manage change. To resist change, is human nature.. And resistance to change can be detrimental to individuals and organizations.
- Rather than a deficit view of change, my research focused on the appreciative view of change.. We looked into how to change the lexicon and expectation of change. Changes are opportunities for growth & development. Especially there is framework that help reduce ambiguity and uncertainty. By engaging in self-reflection and discovery, we are positioning our cognitive resources towards designing life at the cross roads of desire and action, And by thinking, doing and behaving differently at a time of change, may help us get closer to work-life balance, finding meaning and purpose and towards happiness.
- I’m here to present a methodology to go from the person from the left to the person on the right.
- Quick review of what we know about thriving – It is a temporary desirable state, thriving involves self regulation and self-adaptation, directed by goals that leads to subjective and eudaimonic well being. Thriving also promotes learning, producing applied knowledge and positive health. Thriving has been shown to be socially embedded at work, and a situational mechanism with progressive momentum where renewable positive knowledge and meaning can be produced. Temporary desirable state - Chaplin, W. F., John, O. P., & Goldberg, L. R. (1988). Conceptions of states and traits: Dimensional attributes with ideals as prototypes. Journal of personality and social psychology, 54(4), 541. Self Adaptation - Ashford, S. J., & Tsui, A. S. (1991). Self-regulation for managerial effectiveness: The role of active feedback seeking. Academy of Management Journal, 251-280. Goal directed activities over time and across changing circumstances - Kanfer, R. (1990). Motivation and individual differences in learning: An integration of developmental, differential and cognitive perspectives. Learning and Individual Differences, 2(2), 221-239. A gauge, self-regulating mechanism where we attempt to gain a sense of improvement -Porath, C. L., & Bateman, T. S. (2006). Self-regulation: from goal orientation to job performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 91(1), 185. , Hall, D. T., & Fukami, C. V. (1979). Organizational design and adult learning. Research in Organizational Behavior, eds. Staw BM and Cummings LL, 1. Hedonic & Eudaimonic psychological functioning - Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2008). Self-determination theory: A macrotheory of human motivation, development, and health. Canadian Psychology/Psychologie Canadienne, 49(3), 182. Spreitzer, G., & Porath, C. (2013). Self-determination as nutriment for thriving: Building an integrative model of human growth at work. Oxford University Press, New York, NY. Social setting on how people learn Gherardi, S., Nicolini, D., & Odella, F. (1998). Toward a Social Understanding of How People Learn in Organizations The Notion of Situated Curriculum. Management Learning, 29(3), 273-297. Situated cognition - Brown, J. S., Collins, A., & Duguid, P. (1989). Situated cognition and the culture of learning. Educational researcher, 18(1), 32-42. Spreitzer, G., Sutcliffe, K., Dutton, J., Sonenshein, S., & Grant, A. M. (2005). A socially embedded model of thriving at work. Organization Science, 16(5), 537-549. Social learning systems - Wenger, E. (2000). Communities of practice and social learning systems. Organization, 7(2), 225-246. which leads to applied knowledge - Elliott, E. S., & Dweck, C. S. (1988). Goals: an approach to motivation and achievement. Journal of personality and social psychology, 54(1), 5. Positive health - Ettner, S. L., & Grzywacz, J. G. (2001). Workers' perceptions of how jobs affect health: A social ecological perspective. Journal of occupational health psychology, 6(2), 101. Embedded in social system, social contagion - Miller, J. B., & Stiver, I. P. (1997). The healing connection: How women form relationships in therapy and in life: Beacon Press. Situational mechanism - Hedstrom, P., & Swedberg, R. (1998). Social mechanisms: An introductory essay. Social mechanisms: An analytical approach to social theory, 1-31. Positive knowledge - Feldman, M. S. (2004). Resources in emerging structures and processes of change. Organization Science, 15(3), 295-309. Positive meaning - Wrzesniewski, A., & Dutton, J. E. (2001). Crafting a job: Revisioning employees as active crafters of their work. Academy of Management Review, 179-201.
- There were four theories that drove my investigation into the ontological experience of change, seeking factors and mechanisms that explain people’s response to change and transition outcomes.– and they are Cognitive Appraisal theory of stress Posttraumatic theory of growth Social cognitive theory Narrative identity In Study II, van de ven & Poole– incremental 1st order & radical 2nd order In Study III, to build the 4 quadrants – I used both Ford & Ford ontological experience of change and tempo of change by Weick and Quinn
- Today, there are more and more professionals who will be transitioning into new lives and new realities. Some studies indicate that engaging in multiple transitions is disorienting and has negative affect. However, there is evidence from this qualitative study that individuals report experiencing vitality and progression as well as truly enjoying each opportunity and challenge offered by engaging in multiple transitions. In this study, we sought to better understand what elements contribute to transforming disorienting transitions into springboards to engineer thriving existence. Three mechanisms emerged: 1) Sense making of comprehending the change event as one interacts in the new environment 2) Dialectical cycling passive-active, familiar-unfamiliar, expected-unexpected, alienation-belonging 3) Reconstruction of self through a transformative experience – a sense of renewal and positioning for next transitions 1. Agentic Behavior, tenacity, and high self-efficacy 2. Incremental Self-knowledge, mirror to oneself 4. Positivity, elevation, exhilaration 5. Connectedness, mobilizing social capital 6. Confidence in life 3. Receptive to new, embracing uncertainty, serendipity Study I is the foundation for building variance models in Studies II and III
- This quote epitomizes an underlying observation we found, which was labeled receptive to new – embracing uncertainty and ambiguity
- it is high energy, the propensity towards being in new circumstances is exciting –leveraging the new environment as a new learning opportunity It is an attitude I labeled Transformation Quotient –
- The experience of transition offers individuals to break from the past and build a bridge towards creating a future. Embrace change as an ongoing and continuous action Fully engage in the metamorphic power of the experience of transitions Be anticipatory; with proactive and reactive readiness to act
- In Study II, I moderated the samples by magnitude of change, incremental or 1st order which I labeled locals compared to radical or 2nd order, I named globals We ran a test of difference of means, one-way ANOVA test with our interested constructs and I have statistical evident that we can reject the null hypothesis that these groups are the same. F-statistic significance is below.05 For all constructs (Improv Behavior, Perceived Social Support, Transformation Quotient and Flourishing), We also did an measurement invariance test – to determine that a given measure is interpreted in a similar manner by respondents since my sample representing a diverse cultural backgrounds. Detected no common methods bias All constructs demonstrated convergent and discriminant validity more details is found staring on p. 164 SEM models demonstrated both overall and relative model fit. In the CFA, all metrics of overall and relative model fit were met. Convergent validity is demonstrated by AVE over .5, TQ is approach convergent validity at .483 and all factor loadings are greater than .5, no cross loadings over .2, , cronbach alphas over .7. Discriminate validity meet the standard of below .8 correlations between constructs and all critical ratios were between .7 & .9
- In study II, I ran a mediated moderation model with IV improvisation behavior, positive cognitive appraisal, perceived social support in relationship with Flourishing. Flourishing is an adaption from Diener et al. – measuring psychosocial prosperity. locals the model explained 43.7% of total variance, and for globals slightly higher at 50.6% I found Improvisation to have positive and significant effects for both groups, improvisation is greater for greater magnitude of change locals .375*** and global .427** Also for positive cognitive appraisal, positive and significant relationships found in relations to flourishing for both groups- appraisal is almost twice as important with for globals than locals. Pos cog + for both, locals.166**, .global 293** - Perceived social support also had positive and significant support for for both groups, more important for locals than globals. local .378***, global .192*** social support was more important for locals Transformation Quotient turned out not be a good mediator, it does however has a weak positive significant relationship with Flourishing for locals. TQ - + for locals, but ns for globals.Improv + TQ both groups at around the same The results of this study motivated two questions – 1) is flourishing a sufficient dependent variable to articulate thriving in transition, is it s reflective or formative construct, ? and 2) what else can we find about the relationship between improvisation and transformation quotient.
- The theorized formative construct of thriving in transition is derived from literature on thriving in medicine and in management. The two key missing elements from flourishing was continual learning and development, and energized for change. When people talked about their transitions, they broadening their horizons, integrating various dimensions of life, expansion of their boundaries, a sense of vitality and learning is involved Characterized by a fluid and continual engagement with new stimuli from personal or environmental changes. Psychosocial “prosperity” universal human psychological needs such as competence, autonomy, relatedness and self-acceptance as well as positive social relationships Continual learning and development Energized at a time of change So it was very much rapid work, so my social environment was quite interlinked with my work environment. ..I mean I enjoyed my time. I really, really enjoyed my time. But that’s also because I could grow virtually, I could do things which was which I you don’t have the time or the space or the space or the opportunity to do that in [location]. You can’t just spend a whole afternoon hanging around at the [museum]. And then in the afternoon going home and having lunch with friends and then spending the afternoon at the pool and time out, real time out. I mean amazing. Work hard…Very fond. … I have to say I had a pang of jealousy; just a quick one
- In study III, we moderated the samples into four groups, each represented by the magnitude of change and the individual’s ontological assumptions about change. All reflective measurement items loaded with significant t-values (α 0.05) level for this model, and all outer model loadings were also significant at the 0.05 level. These results indicate strong convergent validity. Our model has shown reliability, convergent and discriminate validity, AVE > 0.50, Cronbach's Alpha > 0.70, and Composite Reliability > 0.70. Starting on p.244 Due to the final sample size in the four quadrants and the use of formative construct we conducted an exploratory study using Partial Least Squares Structural equation modeling instead of co-variance based SEM for our analysis
- each represented by the magnitude of change and the individual’s ontological assumptions about change. Samples are divided as a function of: Degree of change, incremental(1st order) or radical(2nd order) Ontological organizing principle relating to the phenomenon of change, stability is the norm or change is the norm Episodic changes are theoriezed to motivate the intervention sequence Unfreeze-Transition-Refreeze (Lewin, 51) Such episodic change is often as a motivated by disequilibrium Continuous changes are theorized to motive sequence Freeze - Rebalance – Unfreeze where change is already underway, cyclical, evolving and emergent (Weick & Quinn 99)
- Here is a diagram that shows the 4 quadrants – I have named them survivor local and global, thriver local and global.The right and left halves were delineated by their response on survey questions top and bottom by the magnitude of change Group 1 Survivor Locals, individuals in this quadrant are likely to have sufficient resources to cope with the degree of uncertainty faced, they rely on traditional or conventional influences to shape their world. Their ontological organizing principle is one that stability is the norm. Appraisal of their transition is likely benign or non-threatening. Group 2 Survivor Globals: individuals in this quadrant faces the high degree of uncertainty. However, they lack the necessary resources to cope, they still rely on traditional influences to deploy canonical strategies attempt at coping. They may develop control mechanisms to help mediate the negative affect. Appraisal of their transition is likely harmful, threatening or loss. Group 3 Thriver Locals – individuals in this quadrant face low degrees of change and are likely to have sufficient resources to cope they see change is the norm. While appraisal of their transition is positive, they also enjoy a challenge, and they anticipate benefiting from being exposed to challenging situations Group 4 individuals in this quadrant face a high degree of uncertainty although they lack the necessary resources to cope, by fully engaged in the challenge of change, they are able mobilize resources to overcome difficulties. Appraisal of stress related, but this stress arousal enhances their ability to benefit and grow.
- up and down magnitude of change, right left the ontological phenomenon of change – stability is norm or change is norm – thereby they experience different tempos of change (Weick Quinn), classic Lewinian unfreeze-transition-refreeze OR Freeze- rebalance-unfreeze Emotional response to uncertainty has negative significant relationships with TT for left side of survivors of various degrees of change and TQ is positive and significant for the right side Thrivers of various degrees of change Self-k is + for all quadrants except upper right thriver globals A peculiar combination of effects for survivor global. I had hypothesized that TQ and improv would have positive and significant relationship with TT, but it is not the case. Also I hypothesis that self-k is relevant to all groups is not supported. These peculiar findings prompted our qualitative data collection and analysis. We conducted 20 semi-structured interviews and participant and researcher co-created a timeline to capture major turning points in their lives. The researcher then read back to the participant in a rapid manner, including cursory details of each transition, in 2–3 minutes’ time. Participants were asked to look for major themes and patterns in their own transitional narratives and how they felt about during the read back, and to articulate what may characterize their narrative.
- Right and left halves differ by the intervention sequence and potentially how new input is processed on the assimilating –accommodating continuum. Daniel in group 1 – he has been working and living in the same town for over 25 years, he is a high school music teacher. He has lead a stable and successful life that many envy – steady job, settled in a town where his social group has been consistent for over 20 years and he is approaching early retirement at 48. He is a good example of someone who has not had a lot of changes in his life. When I asked him during his read back of transitions, he commented that he had really never thought about his transitions – there had been so few. He is likely to only assimilate new input into existing schemas. CLICK – then you have Nadia on the other hand. She has moved around quite a bit, starting at age 7. As an adult, she has moved 10 times since 2000. When I asked her about how she viewed her life after reading back her timeline, she replied, that at age 7, she moved to the US to discover the western side of her, but when she moved back to Korea at 14, she re connected with her asian side, etc etc. She has assigned meaning to the chapters of her life. Piaget’s cognitive development theory applies here as individuals construct reality by disturbances in the physical environment, experience of objects and by social transmission, In individuals who assimilate new information into existing worldviews, meaning is assigned as comprehensibility (e.g. understanding the event and why it happened). While others accommodate such information where meaning is of significance (e.g. understanding the implication to philosophical, spiritual or world view of the event) Studies have shown that meaning making is needed for comprehension but over time meaning as significance is needed for growth Functional-descriptive model: Appraisal process, seismic challenges to ‘pre-trauma’ schemas Ruminative activity 1) Automatic, less likely to promote growth, 2) effortful, linked to positive outcomes Organismic Value Theory: People innately know what is important and what is needed to lead a fulfilling life Creation of dynamic self-knowledge (expectations, preferences, goals, motives) Formulate strategies for regulating behavior Resulting in meaning making 1) comprehensible, 2) of significance Framing difficult life experiences into transformation experiences, gaining new insights about self, as self relates to others and society Reconstructing and renewing core assumptions, providing meaning, narrative development to situation event in overall self-concept
- On the bottom half, individuals are likely to appraise their transition as one of benign, non threatening, there are enough resources to cope with out having to mobilize improvisation. Canonical strategies are sufficient to solve issues at hand. For example, in group 3Sam, she has enjoyed both professional and personal success, she is happy with her circumstances. When I read back her timeline, she said, “Well, I feel very – I feel good about my life, and I feel like I’d like things to stay exciting, and so I think that when opportunities come up, I tend to ask why not more so than why? So I feel like it’s kind of – life is sort of an adventure. That’s kind of – I guess maybe some people would have more of an adventure, but this is kinda my level of excitement that I like to have and level of adventure and to explore and see what things are about.” She is likely to deploy canonical strategies as there has been lower levels of change in her life Compare this with Dario - He was evacuated from Indonesia with six children under the age of 11, and just started a new job. This job took him from Switzerland to Indonesia just merely 2 months ago. His relied his experience during the first several months in Singapore. There were many instances that improvisation was needed as the amount of uncertainty mounted, “I don’t over analyze. I get enough information, plus experience, and that’s intuition. I believe that for any problem put in front of me or put in front of anybody in this world, there is a solution if you just look around, and if you’re determined not to go backwards. The solution might not be ideal, but it’ll take you forward. You can always polish it off a little bit afterwards, but I’m not gonna hang around I don’t hang around waiting for the perfect solution because I’ve never worked with perfection However, with more radical changes, one may need to tap into intuition, creativity and bricolage to accomplish tasks in the new situation, where circumstances are marked by urgency and high degree of uncertainty, the tasks at hand are actionable, important and unplanned. The current studies only elucidate an abstract system that contains four representative ontologies of change. At any given point in one’s life, a transition can be interpreted in terms of the magnitude of change (how big or how little the change) and the individual’s ontological experience of change (whether it disrupts an equilibrium or continue to be part and parcel of an evolving, cyclical and emergent way of life). Contingent upon these two dimensions, one can use this framework to ignite self-discovery and mobilize resources to design a response and hypothesize a desired outcome. The four quadrants represent different ways to live. An individual may find themselves at various junctions of these quadrants over a lifespan. These four quadrants provide “requisite variety” to navigate an individual’s ontology as they move into and out of fluid spaces we often call instability during a time of transition.
- They are in BLUE – please note that black arrows are unidirectional, blue ones are bi-directional. I will start by explaining the first mechanism – SENSE MAKING Upon entering a transition, the difference in response is based on the magnitude of change, as well as how the ontological experience of change impacts the person. Whether the person ontologically embrace stability is the norm or change is the norm. First they go through an evaluative stage – self digest as Higgins suggests in his Self-Discrepancy theory, distinct self guides detecting congruence or discrepancy between self and new self – resulting in emotional and behavioral consequences. Based on Cognitive Appraisal theory posits that there are two stages of appraisal- primary appraisal determines the situation as benign, non threatening or harmful, threatening or leading to loss. Given the situation is stress-related, a secondary appraisal activates the process of deciding whether and what resources are available to cope. The difference in response and potential out come depending on their ability to recognize it as a benefit or as a threat. Stress arousal can be barriers or enhancers of well being, In Study II – we found that the positive cognitive appraisal has a stronger positive effect for those who experiences higher degree of change than lower. Self-knowledge as “self-digest” is activated to evaluate the input, preserving, maintaining, deconstructing or reconstructing self-knowledge to facilitate confirmation or disconfirmation of self-identity (Higgins, 1996).
- In these studies, we examined the mobilization of social, behavioral and emotional resources, in Study II perceived social support is positive and significant for both groups, greater for those with a smaller magnitude of change or locals Across studies, improvisation behavior turned out to be an extremely powerful concept in thriving in transition, Related concepts are innovation, breaking out from the old and routine or making something out of limited information or resources. Improvisation is a concept of action that manifests as both a cognitive and a behavioral construct. as a cognitive construct, new interpretations of new stimuli is created as a resource , as a behavioral construct, taking action as the situation unfolds, drawing on available material, cognitive, affective and social resources in problem solving “Practicing improvisation” results in gaining cognitive agility, learning and positive affective outcomes, thus contributing to thriving transition experiences Improvisation is Intuition, creativity and bricolage – intuition is spontaneous action that is historically contextual, rapid, affectively charged judgment that is arrived to manage situations that demand speed and urgency, filling in empty spaces left blank by deliberate and careful planning dialectical cycling between TQ (willingness to embrace change) and 1)forethought construct goals from observed conditions, 2) Intentionality – commit to goals 3) Self-reactiveness - Set Course of action 4)Self reflectiveness – connect thought to action self-knowledge is activated as a behavioral resource in form of improvisation, applied intuition, judgment that is affectively charged, arrived at without intrusion of rational thought is conceived not only from past and present evaluation as well into future proejctions Behavior resource is found to have strong positive affect on both groups, higher for individuals experience higher levels of change locals .375*** and global .427*** improvisation is greater for greater magnitude of change, in Study III, the only quadrant where improvisation behavior is relevant is the upper right, Thriver Global group.Behavioral resources can ranges from canonical to improvisation – when urgency calls for it – improvisation – utilization of intuition, creativity and bricolage is deployed Neg: leap of abstraction without base Senge, Opportunity trap – too manay ideas emerge, not enough time to act; addition to improvisation – taking time to come up with deliberate plans
- Assimilating schemas or accommodating schemas. Those who are are high in TQ are likely to accommodate their input into new schemas, highly differentiated schemas makes organizing them at at time of change easier. Narrative identity and eudaimonic well-being are intricately linked. The internal dynamic of life story that one constructs to make sense of his or her life is a psychosocial integration of events, in terms of inclusion, exclusion, sequence, contingency, causality, kernels and satellites that provide affective meaning It is similar to the process proposed by posttraumatic growth scholars that the event is transformative, reconstruction of meaning, renewal of self is produced to yield” Psychological growth, Enhanced self-efficacy, Increase personal strength, appreciation for life, enhances sense of community and gained positive attitudes.
- There are three underlying mechanisms I found in my three studies: Sense –making – comprehension of the situation, and cognitively appraising the situation is the first mechanism Dialectical cycling - Thriving is embedded in dialectics – challenges to status quo, bracketing experiences to feel different Narrative Identity – by situating meaning and affect into a coherent and rewarding narrative promotes thriving in transition Happiness is “enacted”; people who will succeed are able to develop a self-referential system with a significant thread that connects self with the ever-changing environment. Using the metaphor of a prism, this body of work has the potential to help individuals harness the deep structure within the “self” to motivate choice and action at a time of transition. Depending on the refraction index of the transmission medium, pointing white light through a prism can result in the dispersion of light into a rainbow of colors, or it can also be used as an internal reflection. Like a prism, a transition can illuminate parts of ourselves that is hidden until which point the appropriate conjecture of perspectives make available parts of ourselves that remain unrevealed. Self-identity is re-discovered, self-construct is reconstructed and the “self” is renewed through the enactment and sense making upon a specific set of circumstances prompted by the disruption
- Based on this theoretical framework, my research seeks to understand the antecedents and outcomes of engaging in multiple transitions – leveraging the power of story tell – narrative identity, social cognitive theories – self efficacy, human agency combined with change dynamics in articulating a thesis in order to predict thriving in transition through the lens of mobilization of personal resources and conditions of a transition.