Enhancing Leadership Capacity Through Systems Thinking: A Personal Journey of Transformation Through an Appreciative Inquiry Lens

This first-person, action-oriented inquiry investigated how activating and expanding my systems thinking capacities fostered transformative leadership praxis. Grounded in an appreciative inquiry framework and informed by arts-based methods, including iterative sketching and the design and construction of a stained glass panel, the study examined how my self-understanding shifted through processes of systems awareness, emotional engagement, and intentional action. Findings indicated transformation unfolded through interconnected developmental movements: systems awareness established the conditions for change, self-as-system reflection deepened interpretive capacity, growth required sustained engagement with uncertainty, theoretical constructs gained meaning through practical tools and embodied experimentation, emotions informed discernment and action, and relationships functioned as ongoing practice sites for systemic leadership. Over time, these iterative cycles of reflection and creation enabled a more embodied orientation to complexity. This study demonstrated how first-person, arts-informed systems thinking inquiry can deepen leadership practice by integrating cognitive, emotional, and creative ways of knowing.

Author dc:creator

• Morgan, Marion

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Young, Wendy

• School of leadership studies

Language dc:language.iso

en_US

Identifier URI

https://doi.org/10.25316/IR-20935

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:null:10613/29405