Preliminary research
In 2013, I completed thesis research about the well-being of museum professionals: Are Museum Professionals Happy? Exploring Well-being Across Domains and in the Workplace.*
I chose this topic because the well-being of museum professionals is under-studied but has potentially significant implications. As organizational psychology holds, the effectiveness of an institution is influenced by the well-being of its workers. Put quite simply, "happy" workers are good business.
My goal in conducting this research was to start conversations within the field. This website is part of that. And my research is just the tip of the iceberg. The questions I set out to answer within my sample were:
To find out how I did it and what I learned, see the slides below. *To put a person to this site's first-person pronouns, see the About page. |
“regardless of your job within a museum, we all serve people. If we're not in a good state to perform our jobs, we aren't giving back to the communities we serve as best as we can.” |
Overview of methods, findings & recommendations
Areas for further research
This research provides an exploratory starting point, but there's still plenty to learn.
Some suggestions for future research:
Of course, there's also lots of room—and need—for informal discussion and reflection at the organizational, institutional, departmental and individual levels. If you take on research around this topic or are already involved in any—whether formal or informal--I'd love to hear about it. |
Abstract
You can view or download the abstract for this research below and access the full thesis here through the University of Washington. If you use or reference my thesis, I'd love to hear about it. Contact me directly through this site.
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Acknowledgements
I am continually grateful for the help I've received around this work. In particular, Kris Morrissey, PhD, director of the Museology Graduate Program at the University of Washington (UW) and chair of my thesis committee, has continued to be a sounding board and advocate. I also received valuable advice and support from the two other members of my thesis committee: John de Graaf, co-founder of the Happiness Alliance, and David Levy, PhD, a UW Information School professor whose work addresses how to more mindfully use technology and the challenges of a "more-faster-better" world. Finally, Laura Musikanski, the other co-founder of the Happiness Alliance and its executive director, has encouraged me to keep going on this project and answered innumerable questions and requests along the way. Thank you, all!