The History of the Doctoral Program in Organizational Leadership at Brandman University from an Innovation Theory Perspective: Alpha Cohort 2012
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Brandman University Brandman Digital Repository Dissertations Spring 5-4-2020 The History of the Doctoral Program in Organizational Leadership at Brandman University From an Innovation Theory Perspective: Alpha Cohort 2012 Jennifer Dinielli Brandman University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.brandman.edu/edd_dissertations Part of the Educational Leadership Commons, Higher Education Commons, and the Online and Distance Education Commons Recommended Citation Dinielli, Jennifer, "The History of the Doctoral Program in Organizational Leadership at Brandman University From an Innovation Theory Perspective: Alpha Cohort 2012" (2020). Dissertations. 334. https://digitalcommons.brandman.edu/edd_dissertations/334 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by Brandman Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Brandman Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The History of the Doctoral Program in Organizational Leadership at Brandman University From an Innovation Theory Perspective: Alpha Cohort 2012 A Dissertation by Jennifer D. Dinielli Brandman University Irvine, California School of Education Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership March 2020 Committee in charge: Keith Larick, Ed.D., Dissertation Chair Cindy Petersen, Ed.D. Walter Buster, Ed.D. The History of the Doctoral Program in Organizational Leadership at Brandman University From an Innovation Theory Perspective: Alpha Cohort 2012 Copyright © 2020 by Jennifer D. Dinielli iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS A purposes of a person’s heart are deep waters, but one who has insight draws them out. —Proverbs 20:5 The doctoral journey has been a journey back to myself. In ways unimagined when I committed to pursuing a long-held personal dream of engaging in doctoral study, I have been transformed. As an introspective individual and a person on a lifelong quest of growth, I have examined my thoughts, my heart, my gut, my innate traits, and those that have developed as a result of my experiences. I have been guided by an unshakable internal quest of seeking to understand myself with an acuity that would position me to better serve my purpose in this world. As I come to the end of this doctoral journey with the completion of this dissertation, I am overwhelmed with a sense of peace and clarity about my purpose in this world. I have come to realize that the answers I sought were within me all along. However, I had allowed these truths to be overshadowed by the expectations of the world—often pursuing paths others placed before me. Those paths were rich and plentiful. They provided me with the substance of life, ranging from joy and triumphs to pain and failures. While I am grateful for every pursuit and experience life has provided me, I hold deep appreciation for the experience of writing this dissertation. Through this doctoral journey, I have learned to listen to my own voice. This doctoral journey has been a journey back to myself. Steadfast gratitude has filled my heart for the people who created the conditions along the path of my life that allowed this doctoral journey to be possible. My first and iv biggest fans, my parents, who gave me life and raised me in a family that savored small moments like climbing trees, listening to the wind, and laughing from the belly. My biggest supporters through this process—Mummy and Fbster, Rick and Jason, and my good friend KK, all who allowed me to disappear for a few years while I was immersed in working as a school administrator while being a doctoral student. And my sweet little family—my husband Steve, and my writing wingman and foot warmer Mishenka. They have endured a few years of entertaining themselves so I could study and write. Steve has done grocery shopping, cooking, making lunches, post office runs, and everything else to keep the practical details of life moving forward while I stepped away from all of it. Watching his love in action has been a large part of helping me to see what I value most in this life—the people who I love and who are willing to love me in ways I do not deserve but accept with pure amazement. I am also profoundly grateful to those along the path of my life who were vital in my journey—too many to name—those who opened doors for me, closed doors on me, cheered me on, or rooted against me. Each of the experiences along the journey of my life brought me to a place where I had the confidence and courage to start a doctoral program to begin with. Brandman’s program in transformational leadership delivers on its promise without a doubt. I am eternally indebted to the leaders in Brandman’s program who supported me through this journey with an unparalleled wisdom and humility. My cohort mentor and dissertation committee member, Dr. Walt Buster, has been a model of transformational leadership. My dissertation chair, Dr. Keith Larick, whose commitment to leadership, visceral intelligence, and gentle guidance have been a blessing. My committee member Dr. Cindy Petersen, who has been a constant cheerleader and has read v my work with the type of critical eye that shows true investment. Christina Froehlich who somehow managed to do her regular job while supplying me with endless artifacts and relics and managed to plan immersion while also reserving countless rooms for me to conduct interviews. All of my professors at Brandman— your guidance and human way of teaching was nontraditional and inspirational. All of the leaders at Brandman who participated in this study: field-test supporters Dr. Patrick Ainsworth, Dr. Barbara Bartels, and Dr. Robin Pierson; interview participants Dr. Christine Zeppos, Dr. Pat Clark White, Dr. Marilou Ryder, Dr. Tamerin Capellino, Dr. Kimberly Greene, Dr. Patrick Ainsworth, Dr. Phil Pendley, and Dr. Keith Larick—the greatest lessons on leadership of my life unfolded as I interviewed each of you, heard your story, and the story of Brandman’s program through your eyes. I felt like I won the lottery as I sat with each of you and posed a series of interview questions that you used to share your life’s work with me. The wisdom, grace, and heart of service you each bring to the field is overwhelming. And, a debt of immense gratitude to my cohort, the Online Zetas, and to Dr. Buster’s Epsilons. These people—Rebecca Farley, Andrea Munro, Shuante Bingham, Joshua Rosenthal, Zed Ayeni, Nick Damico, Khaled Khaled, and Karl Glasman. They were my lifeline to surviving the doctoral program and the dissertation journey. The way they wove friendship and community into our doctoral work was perhaps the most meaningful part of the Brandman experience. Just as the results of this study uncovered the vital nature of relationships and the human resource frame, my experience in the program was rooted in a depth and quality of relationships that made all the other parts harmonize. A special thanks to Rebecca, my thematic dissertation partner. When I look back on this journey from the earliest parts of the research, learning about the historical vi method, to our travels to Northern CA for field tests and Southern CA for interviews, to endless revisions and weekly Zoom meetings, to delighting in the findings of our studies, I wouldn’t have wanted to do it without you. Finally, thank you to my editor, Wendy Wood. Your eye for detail and APA defies logic or reason. Without your help I would certainly be publishing a dissertation full of undetected errors that would forever haunt me once noticed! This doctoral journey has been a journey back to myself. I set out to become a transformational leader and I became a transformed human being. The power of the Brandman program lives in my personal experience and also in the words printed on the pages of this study. Gratitude abounds for the undeserved opportunity to conduct this research. May it inform leaders in higher education of the critical need to put relationships first, and the understanding that to transform organizations we must first be willing to transform ourselves. Brandman Strong. Let go of who you think you’re supposed to be; embrace who you are. —Brene Brown vii ABSTRACT The History of the Doctoral Program in Organizational Leadership at Brandman University From an Innovation Theory Perspective: Alpha Cohort 2012 by Jennifer D. Dinielli Purpose: The purpose of this historical research study was to document the development of the Doctoral Program in Organizational Leadership at Brandman University from concept and design to implementation with the Alpha cohort of 2012. In addition, it was the purpose of this study to chronicle the decisions that guided program development and the factors that influenced key leaders and decisions from an innovation perspective of Bolman and Deal’s four-frame model of structural, human resource, political, and symbolic frames. Methodology: In this historical study, artifact and relic review and interviews were utilized to secure data from key leaders involved in the concept, design, and implementation of the Brandman Doctoral Program in Organizational Leadership. While the artifacts and relics enabled the researcher to understand the concept, design, and implementation of the program, the interviews were used to hear the story of this time period through the eyes and in the words of the key leaders. Findings: The findings for this research study emphasized the vital nature of multiframe thinking and the human resource frame for swift organizational innovation. The findings also illustrated the importance of decision-making aligned to fervently held core values within a culture of “do whatever it takes,” which includes access to resources and removal of barriers.