Transforming Intent into Impact: A Four-Frame Analysis to Increase Inclusion in the Department of Psychology

This thesis addresses the opportunity for Psych for All to transform its intentions into impact throughout the Psychology Department, and later onto the greater Arizona State University campus and beyond. Psych for All is made up of both a faculty and student committee, with the student committee called Psych for All and the faculty committee being known as Excellence, Access, and Inclusion: Psych for All. The main focus will be on how the committee members’ ideas can transform into tangible initiatives, and how a more structured committee will produce greater results. This transformation will be analyzed using Bolman and Deal’s four frames as presented in their book, Reframing Organizations. The four frames consist of human resource, structural, political, and symbolic. The utilization of each frame will aid in the impact and organizational functioning of Psych for All. The solutions presented in this paper include improving the culture within the committee, shifting the management of funds, assigning clear tasks, and strengthening the relationship between the faculty and student committees. Each of these solutions reflects a different Bolman and Deal Frame, and they all aim to improve the Psych for All committees. Through the implementation of these solutions, Psych for All will be able to effectively operate as an organization and create powerful initiatives impacting the lives of students. This process has been extremely enriching, and I am excited to have been given the opportunity to help enrich an organization I care deeply for. It is my goal that this analysis will aid Psych for All in their future initiatives and impact.