This research project utilized a true experimental design to examine the efficacy of using guided imagery to enhance the strategic planning process. A secondary purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of people's roles, judgments, and decision styles on the strategic planning process. / The dissertation defined and measured seven types of variables: (1) scenario building productivity; (2) goal-setting productivity; (3) cognitive information processing styles; (4) latent identities and roles; (5) locus of control; (6) vividness of imagery; and, (7) guided imagery treatment. / Data was collected from 96 senior management students enrolled in a business policy course at The Florida State University during the Fall 1984 semester. This course is designed to be a capstone course integrating the business functional fields. / At the beginning of the semester a pretest generation of scenarios and goals was conducted. During the semester half of the students received general business orientated guided imagery treatments with the remaining students engaging in placebo activities. At the end of the semester a posttest generation of scenarios and goals was conducted. In addition, the following instruments were administered during the term: (1) Myers-Briggs type indicator; (2) Rotter's locus of control scale; (3) Ziller's personality instrument; and, (4) Bett's vividness of imagery scale. / Utilizing parametric statistical techniques the results of the hypothesis testing yielded mixed results with some results contrary to the hypothesized results. Major conclusions were: (1) guided imagery is effective in improving the scenario building facet of the strategic planning process in general and the goal-setting facet in cases where the individuals have a vivid capacity for imagery; (2) an internal locus of control and a local latent identity and role appear to positively affect the goal-setting process; (3) cognitive processing styles appear to have no effect on either the scenario building or goal-setting facets of the strategic planning process; and, (4) vividness of imagery appears to be of suspect value in general, but does have a very positive effect on the goal-setting aspect when combined with the administration of guided imagery. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 46-06, Section: A, page: 1490. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1985.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_75587 |
| Contributors | WHEATLEY, WALTER JACOB, JR., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 188 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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