I just had a check-in meeting with Dr. Dorianne Cotter-Lockhard regarding my dissertation and upcoming essays. In my program’s dissertation path, we first form a doctoral candidacy committee which oversees my completion of two literature reviews and a critique (aka “Essays”) as well as a practicum/pilot. Once these are completed, I pass an oral defense then move on to forming my official dissertation committee and start in on the actual research.
Because my creativity studies specialization program has been in transition, I have been feeling nervous about my committees and prospective dissertation chair. Who will still be around to help me with this? Will new people join the team that I HAVE to work with because they’re so awesome and I just have not yet met them? In this possibility space, I have been pinning down and clarifying commitments as I have been able. Today, Dorianne officially put me on her lit review calendar for Fall 2022, focusing on the Creative Magic lit review. Success!!!
What is the Creative Magic lit review, you ask?
Well, my topic of interest is the lived experience of Edgewalking Unicorns who serve as internal change agents at companies that do not necessarily embody or embrace Edgewalking Unicorn qualities. Overtly or covertly, an organization’s culture puts pressure on Edgewalking Unicorns to conform to the dominant culture. Yet an Edgewalking Unicorn’s magic – the spiritual/creative/transpersonal juice that makes them unique as Edgewalking Unicorn internal change agents – must be preserved, protected, amplified for an EU to do what needs to be done. How do we keep our magic juicy in the face of a (potentially) hostile environment?
The Creative Magic literature review will explore this topic through the lenses of creativity, self-actualization, spirituality, mysticism, and Edgewalker elements. What are the things that elevate Edgewalking Unicorns over “typical” internal change agents? What are the differentiators? That should be a fascinating deep dive.
While I work on that essay, I will also be working on a second literature review: focusing on the evolution and role of the internal change agent in the United States. I am grateful to have much of this literature review mapped out already, thanks in large part to Jennifer Tann’s recent article about internal change agents and innovation.
