Research Symposium Program - Individual Details

5th annual Undergraduate Research Symposium, April 17, 2025

Dixie Collins She/Her/Hers

BIO

Dixie Collins is a graduate student and emerging researcher in the M.A. in Corporate & Public Communication program at Florida State University. Her academic interests are motivated by a passion for creative inquiry, interdisciplinary thinking, and exploring leadership through unconventional and engaging frameworks. Attracted to both popular culture and complex public discourse, she embraces approaches that connect theory to lived experience and enhance the accessibility of scholarly concepts to broader audiences.
Her current research examines The Walt Disney Company’s leadership response to Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill, employing characters from Wicked as an interpretive lens to illustrate and analyze contrasting leadership styles. This approach reflects her commitment to thinking beyond traditional academic boundaries while upholding analytical rigor.
Dixie’s professional background includes corporate and customer-facing roles, with experience collaborating closely with executive leadership. These perspectives inform my research and strengthen my interest in how leadership decisions influence organizational culture and individual experience. She plans to pursue a Ph.D. and aspire to a career as a professor and researcher.

Messages, Magic, and Misalignment: Interpreting Disney’s Leadership Communication Through the Leadership Archetypes of Wicked

Authors: Dixie Collins, Dr. Brian Parker
Student Major: Corporate & Public Communications (M.S.)
Mentor: Dr. Brian Parker
Mentor's Department: Professional Communication
Mentor's College: Florida State University
Co-Presenters:

Abstract

Corporate leadership communication is most visible during politically charged public debates. In 2022, The Walt Disney Company faced widespread criticism for its initially cautious response to Florida’s Parental Rights in Education law, commonly known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. As a brand historically associated with inclusion and storytelling, Disney’s measured communication prompted questions regarding leadership authenticity, values alignment, and stakeholder trust.
This research examines audience interpretations of Disney’s leadership communication during the controversy using a narrative leadership framework inspired by Wicked. The study maps three leadership archetypes to the Disney case: transformational leadership (Elphaba), symbolic leadership (Glinda), and authoritarian leadership (the Wizard). These archetypes offer a clear interpretive lens for analyzing perceptions of leadership communication strategies during the crisis.
Using a mixed exploratory design, the study combines qualitative coding of public social media discourse across platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, with narrative analysis of key scenes from the Wicked films. These data sources enable examination of stakeholder interpretations of Disney’s communication and alignment with various leadership communication styles. Additionally, a pilot survey was developed to explore stakeholder perceptions of leadership authenticity, communication timing, and values alignment. Despite limited early responses, the survey provides an exploratory foundation for future research.
By integrating leadership theory with cultural narrative analysis, this research demonstrates how storytelling frameworks can illuminate complex organizational communication challenges and provides insights for leaders navigating politically sensitive issues while maintaining credibility and stakeholder trust.

Keywords: Leadership Communication, Organizational Vales & Trust, Crisis Communication, Popular Culture in Research, Corporate Political Engagement