Abstract
Higher education currently finds itself in a new era, confronted with an array of challenges and constant change. Inspired by the PhD through portfolio route to complete my doctoral studies, this portfolio offered a means of critical reflection on the importance of managing change in the context of three large scale projects in mental health development. In pursuit to develop a change management framework, frequently cited change management and reflective models were critically reviewed to outline how they were applied in practice. Combining Barnett’s reflective framework (1997) to Kotter’s eight-step change model (1995) helped to present a robust theoretical framework that contributed to understanding the project management processes and further, how they were determined by the characteristics of change management in each project.A critical reflection of the research methodology and methods provided a retrospective understanding of my lived experience as a project manager. Data collection included self-reflective interviews; informal meetings and consultation with cross-disciplinary and cross-institution collaborators; local and national document analysis, together with understanding the impact of relevant mental health social policy during the time of project management. Defining the change management process included theme identification to compare the change approach and seek meaning to each project context. Linking reflective practice and change theory has proved valuable and strengthened the potential benefits to project management. The original contribution that each project has made to practice was summarised and project outputs presented to demonstrate depth of scholarship and impact on practice.
The portfolio concluded on the important role that cultural engagement plays in managing change. This led to an original contribution towards the development of a new perspective of the processes involved in supporting individuals who manage projects with a view to becoming more reflective project managers. Future research opportunities were identified.
| Date of Award | Jun 2020 |
|---|---|
| Original language | English |
| Supervisor | Gina Dolan (Supervisor) & Anne Fothergill (Supervisor) |