Introduction

I could have never predicted the amount of personal growth and learning that was ahead of me when I entered the Integrated Social Science program at the University of Washington. I knew that I would be introduced to interesting topics and research, but I wasn’t prepared for the profound unlearning and relearning that would take place during my time in the program.

            Early in the program, I was drawn to research surrounding the systemic social injustices present in so many of our respected institutions. My academic focus centered on how institutional racism affects BIPOC communities in this country with an emphasis on inequalities and biases in our education and prison systems. I was also drawn to gender discrimination and the role that culture plays in how we relate to and move through the world. My interest in these topics attracted me to courses like American Race & Ethnic Relations, Culture in Communication, Comparative Colonialism, Anthropology & International Health, and more. These courses as well as others expanded my knowledge and helped me to connect the dots and look through a broader lens to see the depth and breadth of these issues historically as well as how they affect our world today.  

            My focus shifted a bit in 2018 after I took two communications courses – The Creative Advantage and Communication, Cities, and Sustainability. These courses opened my eyes to the creative opportunities that are waiting to be constructed to overcome systemic issues and injustices. This realization shifted my academic focus from being problem-focused to being more solutions-driven.  I decided I wanted to lean into the discomfort of the heartbreaking issues plaguing our country to find creative solutions to help build equitable and thriving communities and improve our systems so everyone within them can experience better outcomes. This shift ultimately led me to focus on the areas of family, community, connection, diversity, and creativity. I believe these five keywords are the foundation of our society. We need to build up families and give them the resources they need to improve the lives of those living within them. Through improved and increased effective communication we can improve families, communities, and organizations. But to enhance these systems, we will need to get creative and not just accept diversity as something to consider but actively seek out and expand diversity in all areas of our lives. Our lives are better with greater access to diverse inputs, people, and environments. The research I’ve chosen for this bibliography speaks to my interests and highlights the interdependent nature of families, communities, connection, diversity, and creativity.

Annotated Bibliography

Brown, B., (2018). Dare to Lead. Vermilion.

            Dr. Brené Brown is a renowned social scientist and has spent the last couple of decades, studying shame and vulnerability. Her Ted Talk on the power of vulnerability has over 61 million views. In her book, Dare to Lead, Brown shares insights from her research and her work with many high-level organizations to improve leadership by focusing on increasing and nurturing environments where vulnerability and courage are encouraged rather than penalized. Brown asserts that if we want to increase innovation, then we must create safe spaces where people can share freely without external shaming.

            In a time when social inequities are being brought into full visibility and disconnection threatens to tear apart the largest systems in our country, Dr. Brown’s research feels more important than ever. Her work on the importance of courageous and vulnerable leadership feels like the antidote to the antiquated systems that have led us to this pivotal crisis point in our nation’s history. Brown’s extensive and ongoing research highlights the need for leadership that is willing to put themselves in a position of vulnerability and courage for the sake of building stronger, more resilient systems and organizations.

            Given my current interest and focus on the importance of increasing diversity in all areas of life and on building healthier families, communities, and organizations, Dr. Brown’s book, Dare to Lead, is a guiding light for building the skills we/I need to achieve these important goals. I am greatly influenced by her work both personally and professionally and feel that her research is just the kind of information we need to find our way through these trying and uncertain times.

Chrobot-Mason, D., & Aramovich, N. P. (2013). The Psychological Benefits of Creating an Affirming Climate for Workplace Diversity. Group & Organization Management, 38(6), 659–689. https://doi-org.offcampus.lib.washington.edu/10.1177/1059601113509835

In this research article, the authors, Chrobot-Mason and Aramovich, discuss how diversity has the power to impact workplace innovation, turnover rates, and overall organizational capital both positively and negatively depending on how the organization supports a diverse workforce. They argue that when a diverse workforce environment is supported and valued, workers feel safe and supported and are better able to work at their full capacity leading to an increase in innovation and creativity.  This increase in output is attributed to a boost in a group’s cognitive resources through a workplace demographic’s diversity whereby a workforce can engage in more complex problem-solving and thinking due to a broader range of life experiences. The authors also highlight how a lack of focus on, or care given to creating a positive environment can lead to higher rates of turnover due to a diverse workforce feeling alienated or undervalued for the perspectives and experiences they bring to the table.

As someone interested in creating healthy and productive workplace environments, this article is very helpful in identifying the importance of creating and nurturing the organizational environment to support and encourage a diverse workforce. By doing so, we can increase worker satisfaction, reduce turnover rates, and increase innovation and creativity among the workforce. This research article is also helpful in that it highlights important social science theories like Cognitive Resource Perspective and Resource-based Knowledge View that build on my understanding of how and why diversity is important in organizations.

This article allows me to expand on my definition of diversity and apply it to specific places and times to build and strengthen organizational environments. My focus on improving diversity and creating institutions and policies at a human and environmental level is strengthened by this article and I plan to use it for future research and in my keyword definition.

Geraee, N., Eslami, A. A., & Soltani, R. (2019). The relationship between family social capital, social media use, and life satisfaction in adolescents. Advanced Pharmaceutical Bulletin., 9(4), 307–313. https://doi.org/10.15171%2Fhpp.2019.42

Authors Geraee, Eslami, and Soltani, assert that life satisfaction in adolescents is influenced by family social capital and social media use. They posit that positive family social capital has a positive influence on adolescents, but that influence is muted by social media use. Their research also highlights how social media use is linked to a reduction in life satisfaction ratings among teens.

Throughout the ISS program, I have been interested in studying how family systems affect life outcomes and the satisfaction of the individuals within these family structures. The research highlighted in this article is just one piece of the puzzle in understanding the influence of positive family systems in creating positive environments for adolescents and increasing reported life satisfaction. As a mother to one teen and one tween, understanding these relationships is incredibly important to me.

Given the increased use of social media, especially by teens, it’s important to be mindful about how much they are consuming and what they are consuming, and to understand the risks to mental well-being because of social media usage. According to this article, family social capital weighs more heavily on life satisfaction than social media, but social media is still a negative factor overall.

Lorenz, D.F. (2013) The diversity of resilience: contributions from a social science perspective. Nat Hazards 67:7–24. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-010-9654-y

The author asserts that social systems are dynamic and should be differentiated from ecological systems due to their ability to look at both the past and the future and navigate change through shared social meaning. Lorenz also posits that we have many social systems within our society that affect and are affected by outer influences. He also highlights the tenuous relationship between expectations and their effect on social systems when a change affects resource availability. He highlights the three capacities of social systems: adaptive, coping, and participative.

I find this research to be useful when considering how to build resilient communities at any level of society. Being clear on our expectations and our understanding of one another and our systems and staying flexible helps us to navigate uncertainty and stay resilient in the face of unknowns. I think this is important at a family level and can also be considered when navigating complex social dynamics and expectations in organizations.

I would use this research to support the need to stay flexible in the face of uncertainty and look at the big picture rather than only the here and now when trying to identify ways to build stronger, more resilient systems and organizations.

Meng, L., & Wang, X. (2023). Awe in the workplace promotes prosocial behavior. Psych Journal, 12( 1), 44– 53. https://doi-org.offcampus.lib.washington.edu/10.1002/pchj.593

Study authors, Meng and Wang, assert that by increasing awe in the workplace we can positively increase prosocial behaviors. By examining previous research on awe and prosocial behavior, the authors applied previous research and their research to an organizational setting to see if it’s possible to increase prosocial behavior within organizations through the induction of awe. While studies within an organizational setting are limited, the outcome of their research did show a positive relationship between awe and prosocial behaviors in a workplace setting. An increase in prosocial behavior in the workplace can lead to better collaboration between employees and reduces individualistic behaviors like competition.

Like many of the other resources I’ve highlighted in this annotated bibliography, this research is another creative way of looking at small changes that can be made within an organization to boost creativity, morale, and cohesion. By inducing awe within an organization, employees are more likely to help their peers, donate to important causes, and experience an increase in overall satisfaction through an increase in prosocial behaviors.

This research would be relevant to my focus on creativity as a keyword. Using awe to increase workplace cohesion is a creative way of improving an organization’s environment and building stronger, more innovative, and collaborative teams.

Milton, B., Attree, P., French, B., Povall, S., Whitehead, M., Popay, J. (2012). The impact of community engagement on health and social outcomes: a systematic review. Community Development Journal, 47(3)316–334, https://doi-org.offcampus.lib.washington.edu/10.1093/cdj/bsr043

Milton, et al., used the results of previous studies to research the impact of community engagement programs on social outcomes. By identifying community-focused programs, they were able to weigh outcomes to identify if being community-minded benefitted individuals in a community to a greater extent than individual-focused programs.

This abstract article is beneficial in weighing how to improve health outcomes by being community-minded in our approach to important social programs. It highlights how bringing community members together to manage social programs and interventions helps to increase social cohesion and can improve many social determinants of health within a community.

While this is not a peer-reviewed study, it would be beneficial to use it as a supplemental resource. Much of my interest lies in building strong communities so the emphasis this abstract has on where to focus attention to improve outcomes is of great value to many areas of life both personal and organizational.

Montag, A. (2018, February 5). Why the most innovative people don’t use brainstorming meetings. CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/05/whartons-adam-grant-explains-how-to-be-more-creative.html

Adam Grant is a well-known organizational psychologist and professor at Wharton College. In this article written by Ali Montag, Adam discusses brainstorming methods that limit creativity and stifle innovation. He asserts that in to reap the most rewards from brainstorming, you should avoid brainstorming sessions and have people contemplate and write down their ideas before attending a meeting. This reduces convergent thinking and boosts visibility for introverts whose ideas might otherwise be overlooked.

While this is not a peer-reviewed source, it lends itself to my focus on increasing creativity and innovation in organizations. I follow Mr. Grant’s work through his books and podcasts and find his research and collaborations with other thought leaders to be incredibly insightful and interesting. This article is just another example of small processes you can use that can lead to greater innovation within and outside of organizations.

This is a source that I might use as a supplement to other peer-reviewed works to make my research or keywords more interesting or as a jumping-off point to find other relevant research materials.

Price, C. (2021). The Power of Fun. The Dial Press.

In her book, The Power of Fun, Catherine Price discusses how to increase our aliveness through a focus on fun. Price asserts that the increased use of cell phones and other devices is dampening our creativity by limiting the breaks our brain needs to sit and contemplate life and ideas without constant input. She discusses how the boost in dopamine through novel and diverse experiences increases our dopamine release and boosts creativity.

Price’s book is an amazing resource to think about how pursuing new and varied activities and hobbies can lead to an increase in life satisfaction and creativity. I think that her assertions can help us find creative solutions to a lack of innovation and boost connections and satisfaction in all areas of life, but especially in areas like organizations. We need to get creative and change up our routines to boost creativity and build stronger connections in places of work, in classrooms, and our communities at large.

This source is a unique way of looking at the problems we face in society, especially as we continue to make our way through wildly uncertain times resulting from a global pandemic, social and racial reckoning, and financial crises.

Schawbel, D. (2017, September 12). Brené Brown: Why human connection will bring us closer together. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/danschawbel/2017/09/12/brene-brown-why-human-connection-will-bring-us-closer-together/?sh=5aacc2bf2f06

In his interview with well-known and respected social scientist, Brené Brown, Schawbel discusses what has led our society to a point of increased disconnection that has created an environment of polarization and ongoing social crises. Using her robust research on vulnerability, Dr. Brown highlights how fear in many forms has led to our society turning away from one another and separating ourselves into like-minded factions. Dr. Brown also discusses the tools we can use to overcome our loneliness and othering. She suggests we cultivate true belonging through meaningful connections with people in our communities. She also speaks about how organizational leaders can improve team intimacy and connection.

Dr. Brené Brown is a social scientist whom I follow closely, and her work has influenced me to approach my relationships and the world in new and improved ways. Her vulnerability research has improved my relationships with friends and family and has influenced the advice I give when I coach my husband with interpersonal conflict within the business we own. This research benefits my focus on connection as a keyword.

Her assertions on creating rich cultural environments and building and increasing innovation within organizations are fundamental to my interest in pursuing a graduate degree in organizational psychology where I hope to use this knowledge and influence to build stronger organizational cohesion and healthy workplace environments as a human resource professional post-graduate school.

Shroff, R., Cortés, C.R. (2020). The Biodiversity Paradigm: Building Resilience for Human and Environmental Health. Development 63:172–180. https://doi-org.offcampus.lib.washington.edu/10.1057/s41301-020-00260-2

Shroff and Cortés examine the importance of biodiversity in building healthy and resilient environments. They assert that embracing biodiversity in agricultural practices is essential to building healthy human populations and beyond. They also highlight the impacts that the COVID-19 pandemic had on agricultural practices and the farmers and farm workers responsible for them, noting that farms with higher biodiversity fared better during and after the pandemic and the global food crisis that resulted.

While this article highlights the importance of biodiversity on human and ecological health, I feel that the overarching theories can be applied to other systems as well. As a human living on this planet at a time when our environmental impact is at the forefront of our national conversations, I want to be well-versed on the foundations of health care, and in many cases, diversity in our systems is one of the main identifiable features to creating a healthy life, like the example of eating a well-balanced, diverse diet for the greatest availability of nutrients and minerals.

This article is a great example of how increasing diversity in our lives benefits us and helps to create healthier more resilient systems. The parallels of biodiversity in the environment and within systems like our organizations are many and this article helps to drive that point home.        

Conclusion

            Each of the above research sources was carefully selected because it is relevant to at least one or more of the areas I am currently pursuing in my work to be a more conscientious citizen and in my passion for organizational psychology. I wanted my research to answer specific questions like, “How can we boost creativity?” – the answer according to the above research is moments of awe, some fun and novel experiences, and maybe a little procrastination. I also wanted to highlight the relationship between connection and the health and resilience of individuals, families, and communities. By focusing on building connections through wholehearted and vulnerable conversations we can improve our connection with friends, family, and the communities we are a part of. Lastly, I wanted to research how diversity improves all aspects of our lives, from our health through a diverse diet to boosting a group’s cognitive resources through the creation of an affirming environment for diverse populations within a workplace.

            The combined focus on family, community, connection, diversity, and creativity lead to improved social cohesion and increased social capital. These social science theories are important aspects of our lives and help us to feel as though we belong to a community and have access to shared resources that can help us improve our livelihood and well-being. Because of their overlapping nature and importance, I feel that the research sources listed above will help me in achieving my goal of highlighting the symbiotic nature and the role that creativity can play to build a healthier, happier, and more prosperous world.