Running

head: AN OUTSIDERS VIEW OF PARADIGM TRANSCENDENCE

An Outsiders View of Paradigm Transcendence Nicole Ponticorvo Rutgers University Peer Reviewed by: Abby Stern, Rachel Jimenez, Kara Gensamer and Michael McCormick

AN OUTSIDERS VIEW OF PARADIGM TRANSCENDENCE Everything we detect and understand about the world is filtered through the lens of our worldview. Our perceptions and assumptions constitute our reality, which is not waiting to be discovered but [rather] waiting to be invented (Birnbaum, 1988, p. 65). A paradigm is a lens that provides a framework through which we can make sense of our reality. According to Love and Estanek (2004), [i]t is from within a paradigm that human beings understand what is real,

what is false, what is possible, and to what they should pay attention (p. 1-2). Our paradigmatic perspectives dictate how we function within an organization, respond to various situations, and process our everyday work and [b]ecause ones thinking is so embedded in a paradigm, it is difficult to step outside of it and grasp its outlines (Love & Estanek, 2004, p. 2). I interviewed two upper level student affairs professionals at Rutgers University: Ruth Anne Koenick, Director of the Office for Violence Prevention and Victim Assistance, and Elizabeth OConnell-Ganges, Executive Director of Student Life, in order to gain an outsiders perspective of their paradigmatic assumptions and how they perceive their work and organization. In my interviews with Koenick and OConnell-Ganges, I analyze their perspectives from the dominant and emergent paradigms; further, I explore the concept of paradigm transcendence in relation to these professionals. The Dominant Paradigm and Student Affairs Professionals Newtonian science emerged in the seventeenth century, compelling a shift in paradigms from the old paradigm to a new dominant paradigm. The Newtonian paradigm is dominant because the underlying beliefs and assumptions about how the world works and humanitys role in it dramatically changed and pervaded virtually all thought, belief and culture in the Western world (Love & Estanek, 2004, p. 4). From a dominant Newtonian paradigm perspective, the universe is viewed as a complex machine that is stable, controllable and predictable. Within the

AN OUTSIDERS VIEW OF PARADIGM TRANSCENDENCE context of the dominant paradigm, organizations like institutions of higher education thrive on certainty and predictability. . . . are hierarchical; power emanates from the top, and control is

vital at every level (Love & Estanek, 2004, p. 8). Furthermore, [t]hey are heavily bureaucratic and rule bound, and hence inflexible (Love & Estanek, 2004, p. 8). Considering these qualities, an individual that views a particular situation from a dominant paradigm perspective would operate with a dualistic, either-or mentality. Interview Analysis: Dominant Paradigm Assumptions During my interview with Koenick, she seemed to express multiple dominant paradigm assumptions in how she views and interprets her work. Much of our conversation focused on the reorganization of Rutgers during the Transformation of Undergraduate Education (TUE). As a result of the TUE, Koenick conveyed that her work has become much more simple. She seemed to express a dominant paradigm assumption when stating that the Rutgers reorganization simplified how we function in work to help our students. Although Koenick emphasized having spent much of her early years at Rutgers building strong relationships, her appreciation for the new simple nature of her work appears to echo a dominant paradigm perspective in that relationship building is no longer a priority. Rather, the simplification of the institution allows her to make only one phone call to the right person in order to help a student. Instead of building new networks, Koenick now solely focuses on cultivating existing relationships. Beyond the simplification of institutional processes, Koenick also spoke about having learned when to fight battles with colleagues. When she said, sometimes its necessary to give in on certain things that I thought [were] wrong,, it seems that she follows dominant paradigm assumptions in that she implies she has the right answer, which reflects a more dualistic thought process. According to Love and Estanek (2004), Like all frameworks, dualisms help construct a

AN OUTSIDERS VIEW OF PARADIGM TRANSCENDENCE meaningful world but also limit how one views and constructs the world (p. 11) in that they

function under the assumption that one element of the dualism is preferred. The dualism of right and wrong illustrates two separate elements that clearly oppose each other. Further, Koenick noted that it is important to learn when to keep your mouth shut as opposed to jumping in at the moment. When asked the question, Is this a battle that I care about, Koenick employs language that follows a dominant paradigm perspective in that the word battle implies competition, rather than cooperation, which is follows emergent paradigm assumptions. In her discussion of the barriers to her success as well as the frustrations of her work, Koenick seemed to be following dominant paradigm assumptions. Expressing that the largeness of the university makes it difficult to consistently disseminate messages, Koenick suggests that the institution is somewhat fragmented and, consequently, she assumes a dominant paradigm perspective. Additionally, Koenick emphasized that her unit does not have enough staffing or funding, which in turn create barriers to her success. These expressed barriers compelled me to believe that she operates from a dominant paradigm perspective in that she alludes to feeling stuck within the boundaries of traditional resources, which indicates that she may not see the other resources that may be available to her. As a supervisor of two professional staff members, Koenick described that she evaluates her direct reports on how well they reach the goals that they set for the year. By evaluating in this fashion, Koenick appears to follow a dominant paradigm perspective. The question as to whether or not one accomplishes his or her goals is deterministic in that it limits the extent to which accomplishments and success can be measured. As a result, any accomplishments that were not established from the beginning of the year may be overlooked. This view of accomplishment

AN OUTSIDERS VIEW OF PARADIGM TRANSCENDENCE ascribes to the dominant paradigmatic notion of the organization as machine, where individuals set goals and take specific steps to achieve the goals. Given that no departmental manual currently exists, Koenick noted that one of her main

goals before retirement is to put unit procedures in writing so new people know what to do when she leaves. The practice of creating a unit manual for practices and procedures that her followers can continue to implement clearly reveals a dominant paradigm perspective in that such a manual would reflect a single Truth for how the unit should operate in order to be successful in the future. In a similar vein, putting practices and procedures in writing suggests predictability, certainty and objectivity, which constitute some core elements of the dominant paradigm. Furthermore, this situation also suggests the concept of growth through order given that a comprehensive manual provides an orderly framework through which a unit must operate in order to grow within the context of the dominant paradigm. In terms of organizational improvement, Koenick expressed a desire to change particular Residence Life policies that require incidents of sexual assault to immediately be escalated to the police, as opposed to allowing time for referral to support units such as the Office of Violence Prevention and Victim Assistance. By insinuating that this policy is wrong, Koenick approaches the situation from a dominant paradigm perspective in that she implies there is an objective right approach that is not currently followed. Since this policy comes from a unit distinct from her own, she emphasizes the separation between institutional units and how this policy directly causes a lack of timely referrals to her unit, reflecting the concept of linear causality. Just as Koenick demonstrated some significant dominant paradigm assumptions, OConnell-Ganges also expressed similar assumptions during our interview. When OConnellGanges described the reorganization process of the Department of Student Life, she spoke of it in

AN OUTSIDERS VIEW OF PARADIGM TRANSCENDENCE terms of each years small changes, which seems to follow a dominant paradigm assumption in that change is approached incrementally. OConnell-Ganges noted the changes that occurred after the reorganization, specifically how each year focused on implementing change through

unique and isolated projects. By describing change in this fashion, OConnell-Ganges appears to view reorganization from a dominant paradigm perspective. Two years after the reorganization, OConnell-Ganges said they had decided to run the orientation program using the original Rutgers College model, since it was the largest institution prior to reorganization. By choosing to utilize a program that had been working in the past, OConnell-Ganges appears to have viewed this from a dominant paradigm perspective by employing the concept of predictability in the sense that what worked for Rutgers College would likely work for the reorganized university. Further, OConnell-Ganges expressed that the main issue with the new student orientation program was that the students experiences werent unified given that the 500 orientation leaders were not trained together. When OConnellGanges emphasized this lack of a unified experience, she seems to portray some significant dominant paradigm assumptions in her desire to convey one Truth to the new students. During our discussion of barriers to change, OConnell-Ganges emphasized, whats hard is people didnt choose to buy into this department; instead, individuals were placed there after the reorganization, bringing their own values, ideas and beliefs. In this example, the individuals in the new department are portrayed as possessing many different truths that may not align with the new departments Truth. By considering many truths a barrier to departmental change, OConnell-Ganges seems to view the department from a dominant paradigm perspective. According to OConnell-Ganges, yet another roadblock when it comes to departmental change involves people who dont want to rock the boat. This notion suggests that disturbances in an

AN OUTSIDERS VIEW OF PARADIGM TRANSCENDENCE organization are negative and problematic, which in turn reflects dominant paradigm assumptions. The Emergent Paradigm and Student Affairs Professionals Moving into the twentieth century, [s]cience itself began to discover that the universe

was not stable, predictable, and controllable in the ways it had thought (Love & Estanek, 2004, p. 4). According to Love and Estanek (2004), [a]s phenomena were encountered that could not be explained sufficiently from a Newtonian perspective, new ways of thinking were required (p. 4). These new ways of thinking formed the emergent paradigm, which interprets the universe as open, evolving, connected, and participative (Love & Estanek, 2004, p. 5). During my interviews with Koenick and OConnell-Ganges, many significant emergent paradigm assumptions arose, and the following paragraphs extrapolate the assumptions and perspectives that contribute to their view of their world and work. Interview Analysis: Emergent Paradigm Assumptions Networks, relationships and collaboration were major themes from my interview with

Koenick. For most of her career, Koenick dedicated much of her time to building connections with other units. By recognizing the necessity of networks, Koenick appears to view the world from an emergent paradigm perspective. According to Love and Estanek, The new [emergent] paradigm encourages a view of life as rife with connections, which can be seen in such concepts as cooperation, relationship, interdependence, network, web, heterarchy, interaction, multifunctionality, holism, critical connections, and organization as organism (p. 19). For Koenick, her strong networks allow her to easily ask people for something because of the welldeveloped relationships she has forged with them. Additionally, Koenick describes herself as a very good collaborator and problem solver. When Koenick said she strives to understand the

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other perspective in order to build consensus, it seems that she views interpersonal relationships from an emergent paradigm perspective. Conflict is another arena in which Koenick demonstrates some significant paradigm assumptions. Viewing conflict as the natural order of things, Koenick emphasized, I like conflict in that it can bring about different ways of looking at things; therefore, she appears to follow emergent paradigm assumptions. As a supervisor, Koenick expressed that she challeng[es her direct reports] to look at things differently, which encourages multiple perspectives and truths from an emergent paradigm perspective. In this sense, conflict can be interpreted as bringing about growth through disorder. For OConnell-Ganges, the goal of the reorganization was to demonstrate to students that it was a positive thing, which in turn reflects an emergent paradigm assumption that disorder and change can yield positive growth. Often times, [r]eorganizing, or restructuring, is a powerful but high risk approach to improvement (Bolman & Deal, 2008, p. 73). When OConnell-Ganges said, I have always been about change; I cant think about life in any other way, she seems to view the world from an emergent paradigm perspective. From her emergent paradigm perspective, [t]here are a lot of different ways to do something; theres not just one way. Reorganization breeds significant change, which can be scary and difficult, but it [also] can be life changing. When OConnell-Ganges admitted, Im not a maintenance person; if change was over, Im leaving, she explicitly follows emergent paradigm assumptions that value the organization as an organism evolving and changing over time. In her role, OConnell-Ganges places a strong emphasis on collaboration between all units in Student Life, which indicates her view from an emergent paradigm perspective. This aligns with Love and Estaneks (2004) argument that [a]ll life is in relationship and

AN OUTSIDERS VIEW OF PARADIGM TRANSCENDENCE communication. . . .[t]hese are connections that can be nurtured, shaped, and enhanced in order

to influence positive change and effectiveness (p. 19). Yet, she also emphasizes that conflict is a great opportunity to challenge your assumptions, and if you have no conflict, no body challenges the way youre thinking. Because OConnell-Ganges considers conflict a positive force, she follows an emergent paradigm perspective in which conflict [is seen] as a source of creativity or new growth (Love & Estanek, 2004, p. 22). When she noted, I dont ever rest on complacency that everything is fine; I challenge assumptions, she also appears to follow emergent paradigm assumptions. Transcending the Tension between Paradigms Through my interviews with Koenick and OConnell-Ganges, I extrapolated the specific thoughts and beliefs that seem to follow dominant or emergent paradigm assumptions. As a result, this entire analysis performs paradigm transcendence by embracing paradox and accepting that two items on one level are contradictory but on another level exist together in relationship (Love & Estanek, 2004, p. 23). Both Koenick and OConnell-Ganges follow both paradigm assumptions; therefore, organizations can be both emergent and dominant. Depending on the situation or issue, Koenick and OConnell-Ganges gravitated toward seemingly contradictory paradigmatic perspectives. Each of these interviews demonstrates that dominant and emergent paradigm perspective can coexist within an individual. Love and Estanek (2004) argue, [w]hen applied to paradigms, transcendence implies that there is the old and the new way. . . . both exist and both have legitimacy depending on the context (p. 15). As illustrated in this interview analysis, Koenick and OConnell-Ganges function from a both-and, not either-or perspective. Given that [t]here is no need to decide between two things, pretending they are separate (Love & Estanek, 2004, p. 14), paradigms can be transcended. The key to achieving paradigm

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transcendence is conscious awareness of ones paradigmatic assumptions. In order to transcend paradigms, we must analyze our views paradigmatically, assume the both-and perspective and embrace the paradoxes surrounding our world. While I have identified multiple paradigmatic assumptions present in Koenick and OConnell-Ganges thoughts and beliefs, it is plausible that they are unaware of their own paradigm perspectives. Only as an outsider am I able to identify their multi-paradigmatic perspectives and, consequently, transcend the boundaries of paradigm silos.

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AN OUTSIDERS VIEW OF PARADIGM TRANSCENDENCE References Birnbaum, R. (1988). How colleges work: The cybernetics of academic organization and leadership. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

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Bolman, L. G & Deal, T. E. (2008). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership. (4th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers. Love, P. G. & Estanek, S. M. (2004). Rethinking student affairs practice. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers.