Barbarah Nicoll, in fulfilling the requirements for an EdD in Educational and Professional Practice, has written and published a dissertation titled, Motivated by Love: Can Deep Listening Support the Health and Wellbeing of Anthroposophical Inspired Organizations.
Nicoll’s research asks a compelling and timely question: Can deep listening support the organizational health and wellbeing of anthroposophical inspired initiatives? Drawing on anthroposophical insights and a Goethean worldview, this study examines how listening practices serve as vital tools in nurturing balance, connection, and vitality within organizational life. These foundations align closely with indigenous ways of knowing, emphasizing the integration of body, soul, and spirit.
Nicoll conducted a series of listening workshops with 18 participants, including Waldorf teachers, school leaders, parents, and board members. Participants explored listening methods attuned to organizational life. She facilitated four Goethean conversations with eight organizational leaders. Her data collection methods included a quantitative survey and poetic expression as a qualitative method within the Goethean conversations.
The outcomes of this study suggest that deep, intentional listening practices serve as powerful counterbalances to the growing polarization observed in Waldorf schools. These findings offer a framework for enhancing well-being across anthroposophical organizations. This research offers a profound contribution to the study of organizational health grounded in the anthroposophical tradition.
Since 2013, Nicoll has initiated and supported the development of schools, businesses, cooperatives, nonprofit organizations, TEDx Talks, international youth exchanges, and graduate programs, while mentoring adult learners.
Read and download Nicoll’s dissertation, Motivated by Love: Can Deep Listening Support the Health and Wellbeing of Anthroposophical Inspired Organizations, here.
