In the spring of 2003, I discovered Positive Psychology (PP) which is a movement that has decided to study what is “right” about humanity instead of using the traditional pathology paradigm. This movement was adopted by the American Psychological Association in 1998 and it provided me with a theoretical basis to stand on when it came to happiness. PP uses the term subjective well-being (SWB) and defines as happiness. In the same year, I met the researchers behind the movement who were the first to theorize and apply PP principles in organizational settings. This movement is called Positive Organizational Scholarship (POS).
In December of 2003 I received an email from a man who was the host and producer of ‘The Happiness Show’ in
To begin my education in television, I created segments called “The Happy Zone” which aired on the Happiness Show in three cities in
It took me a few years to become familiar with the ins and outs of the entertainment industry. I had to learn about the structure of how the entertainment industry works, in other words, how networks, distributions companies, production companies and talent agencies work together. I also had to learn how to craft my happy message into an award winning reality television show and put it in the format of an industry standard treatment (a treatment is a business plan for a television show). Networking is also a key to success in the industry so I attended two major television conferences, one in
My strategy was to find a production company who would be willing to produce my show. I know that since I have not had any formal training in how to produce an award winning Prime Time Network television show, I needed to find experienced partners with a record of success. I was very lucky for a “Jane Doe” learning about how to get a television show on the air, I was able to access many reputable production companies and networks. I pitched my show over and over and everyone thought it was a great idea but no one said yes and a few said no.
Meanwhile, the BBC produced two documentary shows on happiness between November 2005 and June 2006 and
I knew we were on a tipping point for happiness on television yet, I felt stuck because I could not produce my own show and no one was biting and offering to help me. Until, I met Carl[1] who contacted me regarding ‘The Happy Zone’. Carl has a Master’s degree in Film and worked as a writer, director, and producer for a number of major films. When I met with him, he asked me why I have not produced a pilot. My answer was, because I don’t know what I am doing since I have never created a television show from scratch before. He offered to help me and in June 2006 we decided to start working on the pilot. As I began to produce the pilot I realized my knowledge of organizational psychology, leadership and positive psychology gave me a unique edge in the pre-preproduction phase.
Concurrently, I learned of a newly developed research methodology called Protagonist Action Research (PrAR) (Williamson, 2004) where the researcher studies herself doing something. This methodology is inline with my ontological and epistemological views. I believe reality to be subjective and interpretive to each individual. This methodology allows me to subjectively analyze my experience of learning by doing. In addition to this methodology supporting my values and belief systems of reality it also supports my learning style whereas I learn best from doing. Finally, I am a firm believer in the unification of theory and practice and this study exemplifies this conjunction.
As I started the pre-production phase of the pilot, I realized I could not possibly create a show about happiness unless the people who worked on creating the show were happy! If the end product was to teach people how to live happier lives, the people involved with the production had to be able to put their happiness into the creation. I was always taught while growing up that what you put into something is what you get out of it. In this case, there would be no way of producing a show about happiness if everyone who participated on the production was miserable. Therefore, I decided to make it explicit that I needed everyone to be happy while working on the project. The production I am leading is what I am referring to as a “Positive Production.”
Traditionally in the entertainment industry it is quite renowned for having a culture of chaos, stress, and aggression when it comes to production. To reiterate, the topic of my show is happiness; I found it only natural to have all of the people working on the project be happy. This dissertation articulates my experience of being a female authentic leader applying positive psychology principles during the pre-production phase of my pilot television show with the aim of helping my volunteers be happy.
It is my hope that the conclusions from my research will be useful for others in the entertainment industry who are interested in creating a positive production. I plan to have my research contribute to the growing body of literature in the field of positive organizational scholarship and authentic leadership. Throughout this dissertation it will be noticeable I am writing from a feminine perspective. This perspective is innate within my paradigm because I am a woman experiencing the world as a woman. Given the dissertation focuses on my subjective experience, it will be evident that I bring a female voice to the research. My research question is “What can be learned from a female authentic leader in development as she uses techniques from positive psychology to help her Pre-production volunteers be happy while working?”
