Masters Theses

Date of Award

5-2003

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major

Educational Psychology

Major Professor

John Peters, Ed. D.

Committee Members

Mary Ziegler, Ed. D., Kathy Greenberg, Ph.D.

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis was to describe my experiences as part of a team that assisted the Careville Health System plan and implement an organizational culture change effort. This was not considered an empirical research study; it was, rather, a recording of my personal experiences, reflections, and served as a documentation of such. This change effort was designed to assist the staff in creating an improved culture of customer service delivery to patients, their primary customers.

This thesis reviewed two theoretical frameworks used to assist the organization’s change efforts: Schein’s (1992) model of organizational change and Peters and Armstrong’s (1998) typology of teaching and learning. I described the training and development plan based on these two frameworks in order to assist the reader in understanding the findings and conclusions of the thesis.

I found, through this experience, that Type II teaching and learning and Type III teaching and learning were the most helpful techniques to assist a staff in changing a culture. I also learned that time was a critical factor in creating both Type II and Type III teaching and learning experiences. I found that the elements of creating dialogue within teams and co-constructing new knowledge are catalysts for the movement of culture. I also learned how my own habits of thought and action contributed to the traditional separation of leadership and staff in culture change initiatives. I concluded with the understanding that staff needed more involvement in articulating the change through dialogue and that their voice was an important part of designing an improved culture of customer service delivery.

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