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5Rhythms® in the Workplace: Exploring Movement As a Corporate Training Approach

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5Rhythms® in the Workplace: Exploring Movement As a Corporate Training Approach 1 5RHYTHMS® IN THE WORKPLACE: EXPLORING MOVEMENT AS A CORPORATE TRAINING APPROACH By ANNE MARIE HOGYA BSc., University of British Columbia, 1994 A thesis submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS IN LEADERSHIP AND TRAINING ROYAL ROADS UNIVERSITY March, 2004© Anne Marie Hogya, 2004 5Rhythms™ in the Workplace: Exploring Movement as a Corporate Training Approach Masters of Arts in Leadership and Training, Royal Roads University, British Columbia, Canada [email protected] ©2015 Anne Marie Hogya. All rights reserved. 2 ABSTRACT Art based training in corporate sector organizations is an emerging area of study. The 5Rhythms™ practice is an experiential, improvised movement and learning approach. This study examined what is required to design successful 5Rhythms™ training programs for corporate sector organizations. Using on-line questionnaires and telephone interviews, the researcher collected data from 45 trained 5Rhythms™ teachers on two continents. The results of this study revealed that 5Rhythms™ teachers are interested in taking 5Rhythms™ into organizations, however, due to unfamiliarity with organizational culture, they would benefit from education and support to bridge the cultural gap. Research into the needs of the corporate sector is necessary for the development of this training approach. Current 5Rhythms™ marketing, targeted to the general public, requires modification. Similarly, establishing peer support networks and forming collaborative relationships with artists and trainers from other disciplines may prove valuable strategies for 5Rhythms™ teachers interested in moving into workplace settings. 5Rhythms™ in the Workplace: Exploring Movement as a Corporate Training Approach Masters of Arts in Leadership and Training, Royal Roads University, British Columbia, Canada [email protected] ©2015 Anne Marie Hogya. All rights reserved. 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS To Gabrielle Roth and all the 5Rhythms™ teachers who gave their generous support to make this project “come alive”. 5Rhythms™ in the Workplace: Exploring Movement as a Corporate Training Approach Masters of Arts in Leadership and Training, Royal Roads University, British Columbia, Canada [email protected] ©2015 Anne Marie Hogya. All rights reserved. 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ............................................................................................................................... 2 Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................. 3 Table of Contents ................................................................................................................ 4 CHAPTER ONE - STUDY BACKGROUND ................................................................... 5 The Research Opportunity .............................................................................................. 5 The Organization ............................................................................................................ 7 CHAPTER TWO – LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................. 15 Review of Organizational Documents .......................................................................... 15 Review of the Supporting Literature ............................................................................ 18 CHAPTER THREE – CONDUCT OF STUDY RESEARCH ......................................... 46 Research Methods ......................................................................................................... 46 Data Gathering Tools .................................................................................................... 48 Study Conduct ............................................................................................................... 49 CHAPTER FOUR - RESEARCH STUDY RESULTS .................................................... 59 Study Findings .............................................................................................................. 60 Study Conclusions ...................................................................................................... 105 Study Recommendations ............................................................................................ 117 CHAPTER FIVE – RESEARCH IMPLICATIONS ...................................................... 121 Organizational Implementation .................................................................................. 121 Future Research .......................................................................................................... 132 CHAPTER SIX – LESSONS LEARNED ...................................................................... 134 Research Project Lessons Learned ............................................................................. 134 References ................................................................................................................... 139 Appendix A ..................................................................................................................... 148 On-Line Questionnaire ............................................................................................... 148 Appendix B ..................................................................................................................... 150 Telephone Interview Questions .................................................................................. 150 Appendix C ..................................................................................................................... 151 Research Information and Consent Letter .................................................................. 151 Appendix D ..................................................................................................................... 154 Location and Context Codes ....................................................................................... 154 Appendix E ..................................................................................................................... 156 Questionnaire and Interview Themes and Sub Themes .............................................. 156 5Rhythms™ in the Workplace: Exploring Movement as a Corporate Training Approach Masters of Arts in Leadership and Training, Royal Roads University, British Columbia, Canada [email protected] ©2015 Anne Marie Hogya. All rights reserved. 5 CHAPTER ONE - STUDY BACKGROUND The Research Opportunity Increasingly, organizations need to deal with rapidly changing and unpredictable environments. Employees in these workplaces are being asked to successfully navigate and manage change in chaotic systems. As our global experience becomes faster and more turbulent, workplaces may benefit from finding a new way of knowing, seeing and interacting with the world. Leaders in the leadership and organizational change fields are highlighting organizations’ need for innovative ways to learn, make decisions, access information, and manage change (Wheatley, 1999; Whyte, 1994). Jaworski and Scharmer note “to successfully operate in the emerging new environments, organizations will have to develop core practices that revolve around sensing and actualizing emerging business opportunities… (which include) accessing one’s inner sources of creativity and will” (as cited in Arthur et al., 2000, p. 16). Traditional training programs in the corporate sector generally concentrate on verbal and visual teaching techniques, appealing to the audience intellectually rather than addressing those ‘inner resources of creativity and will’. However, studies in adult education demonstrate that the more levels (emotional, physical, cognitive, social, spiritual) that a learning experience engages, the more powerful the learning (MacKeracher, 1996). The 5Rhythms™ movement practice accesses a variety of levels of the learning experience. Gabrielle Roth, an internationally distinguished theatre director, recording artist and author, created the 5Rhythms™ over a lifetime of study, observation, and investigation into the way energy is translated into movement. Roth (1997) states that “doing the rhythms is about 5Rhythms™ in the Workplace: Exploring Movement as a Corporate Training Approach Masters of Arts in Leadership and Training, Royal Roads University, British Columbia, Canada [email protected] ©2015 Anne Marie Hogya. All rights reserved. 6 waking up your most essential nature, stretching your intuition and imagination as surely as your body; it awakens intuitive intelligence and artistic sensibilities” (p.12). The 5Rhythms™ practice is used by many people worldwide as a powerful tool for accessing creativity and effecting personal transformational change; if transferred successfully to the workplace, it could prove to be an effective tool to assist organizations navigate change and encourage creativity. The 5Rhythms™ practice has realized an increasing popularity and population growth over the last decade with more people being introduced to, becoming aware of, and committing to the work. “Whereas those of us who held and/or taught the work 10 years ago could be counted on one hand, the 5Rhythms™ practice has literally caught fire across the world in the last decade; with over 100 teachers out there now, the growth of the international tribe expands exponentially every day” (K. Altman & L. Saltzman, personal communication (email), December 22, 2003). Public, private, non-profit, and corporate sector
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