Date of Award

2025

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy in Education

Department

Education

First Advisor

Renee Hobbs

Abstract

Creating substantive organizational change (SOC) in higher education can face numerous challenges including navigating complex sets of rules and relationships, negotiating potentially conflicting perspectives, and balancing the motivations and goals of peers (Engeström, 2018b; Kezar, 2018). Each SOC change agent brings a unique perspective, identity and motivation (Eteläpelto et al., 2013; Gess-Newsome et al., 2003) to their conception of and relationship to the planned change (Hay et al., 2021; Weick, 1995). This dynamic nature makes SOC difficult to conceptualize as a whole - either as a researcher or a change agent - and therefore difficult to understand how change processes are influenced by and influence the change agents engaged with it.

This research focused on the experiences of a community of change agents working together to enact organizational change at one US-based, medium sized STEM institution to understand why they choose to engage in enacting change, how they choose to engage, and the interactions between them and with the rules, resources, and relationships within which they work. It used a nested case study approach consisting of interpretative phenomenological analysis of eight change agents and an explanatory case focused on the substantive organizational change and its institutional context using a cultural-historical activity theory framing. The change agents participated in “draw-talk-draw” interviews that generated concept maps and in follow-up interviews two months later. Additional interviews with related individuals and an examination of institutional documents added to the case analysis.

Analysis showed that each change agent brought deeply held convictions balanced by a mindful awareness of their ability to influence change within their own contexts and that by engaging in this change process outside their typical responsibilities and domains of expertise, they also experienced changes in their understanding, confidence, and view of the institution. The analysis also highlighted, through the differences between the cases, the existence of tensions within the group, between the group and institutional structures, and within the context that impacts their work that through their resolution might enable the change process to deeper understanding and re-envisioning of the work. This research demonstrates for other scholars the value of seeing the process of enacting change from within as a way to explore the influential dynamics that can shape the direction of a change. It also proposes an approach to studying change that incorporates the deep analysis of IPA and the systemic view of CHAT such that can each inform the other. Finally, it explored the value of incorporating creating visualizations of one’s perspective for its scholarly value, for its value for individual reflection, and potentially for change activities moving forward.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

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