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Leading from Within Exercising Leadership in an Age of Uncertainty from Duke University

Duke University

Alma Blount
Visiting Lecturer, Public Policy Studies
Duke University
1241 Sanford Institute Building
Box 90245
Durham, NC 27708
(919) 613-7323
(919) 681-8288 (fax)
blount@pps.duke.edu
almablount@ aol.com

Leading from Within: Exercising
Leadership in an Age of Uncertainty

Educational Level: Undergraduate
Department: Public Policy Studies
Format: For-credit
Stand Alone

INTRODUCTION

Groups facing the challenges of today's world need the resources of many diverse perspectives to find solutions to their problems. Group work is often difficult and complex, yet much significant change comes about through groups. This seminar explores the interrelated processes of thinking systemically, developing reflective judgment, discerning purpose, and exercising leadership by mobilizing group resources for adaptive change. We will examine leadership as a reflective practice, a means of expanding our collective capacity for change by getting groups, organizations, and social Systems to learn to take action on difficult, systemic problems.

Learning to reflect well is an essential tool for self-development and for work with groups. A sense of purpose, whether in an individual, a group, or a larger social system, can serve as the orienting principle for finding direction in the midst of chaos and uncertainty. Purpose can be discerned through skillful and continual processes of reflection. Effective groups are usually those that develop processes of reflection at a group level so that they can understand how their actions shape their reality and, thus, locate their power to create organizational and social change.

This course is designed as a reflective practicum. Through-out the semester, we will weave together theoretical and experiential threads, use material from our own lives and insights gained from each other in class as resources for our learning. Students can learn from readings, case studies, group dynamics, small-group sessions, and reflection exercises.

TEXTS

Heifetz, RA. (1994). Leadership without easy answers.
   Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press.
Parks-Daloz, L. A., Daloz-Parks, S., Keen, C. H., & Keen,
   J. P. (1 996). Common fire: Lives of commitment in a
   complex world. Boston: Beacon Press.
Wheatley, M., & Kellner-Rogers, M. (1992). A simpler way.
   San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler.
The other readings required for this seminar-articles and excerpts from books-are included in the course notebook.

FORMAT

The seminar will be divided into three small groups that will meet for one hour each week for ten weeks, beginning the third week of class. The purpose of these sessions is to provide students an opportunity:
· To apply what they are learning in the seminar to their own life experiences.
· To complete weekly group assignments.
· To discover and reflect upon group dynamics.

REQUIREMENTS

· Punctually attend each seminar class.
· Finish the reading assignments prior to each week’s class and prepare notes.
· Find creative ways to participate in seminar discussions.
· Attend each small-group session-total of ten-and participate fully in the group assignments.
· Complete an informal weekly reflection exercise, and send it by e-mail to the instructor (total of ten brief reflection papers).
· Write a paper that integrates your learning from each part of our seminar. (Total of three papers. The second paper is required, but not graded. Papers 1 and 3 count 15% each.)
· Prepare a brief and informal annotated bibliography during Part Two of the course.
· Attend a mid-semester evaluation meeting with the instructor.
· Contribute to a group project, to be presented during the final

EVALUATION

Class Participation-30 %
Papers-30 %
Weekly Reflection Exercise~2O %
Group Project-20%

OUTLINE
Session Topic
1 Introduction: Learning, Reflection in Action, and Leadership
PART ONE: THE PRACTICE OF THINKING
SYSTIMICALLY
2 Context
Readings:
Drucker, P. F. The age of social transformation.
The Atlantic Monthly, Nov.1994, pp. 53-80.
Schall, E. (1995). Learning to love the swamp.
Journal of Policy Analysis and Management,
14(2), 202-220.
Schon, D. (1983). Reflection in action. The
rtflecrive. practitioner New York Basic Books,
pp. 49-69.
Vaill, P. B. (1996). An ordinary day on the river:
Living in a world of permanent white water.
Learning as a way of being. San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass.
Leadership expert Ronald Heifetz, Inc. Magazine,
ct.1988, pp. 37-41.
3 Chaos
Reading:
Flowers, J. The power of chaos: A conversation
with Margaret 'Wheatley. Healthcare Forum
1nnrnn{ Sept-Oct 1993 Un 48-55.
flock, D. (1995) The chaordic organization: Out
of control and into order. World Business
Academy Perspectives, 9(1), 5-18. Wheatley, M.
(1992). Change, stability, and renewal:
Th~ep~ar4d~qxe~5 ~ systems, pp. 75-99. The
creative energy of the universe-information,
pp.101-119. Leadership and the new science.'
Learning about organization from an orderly
universe. San Francisco:
Berrett-Koehler.
Handouts: "The Change Codes," "Quotations
from Chairman Kelly"
Small-group meetings before next class session
4 Learning to See Systems
Reflection exercises due
Readings:
Wheatley,M.J., &
A simpler way. San Francisco: Reiren-KoeMer.
Readings from the World Wide Web to be
announced. Key web sites include:
The MIT Organizational Learning Network:
http:/ learning.mit.edu/

· Stanford Learning Organization Web:
httP:/www.leland.stanford.edu:80/groups/
SLOW/internet.html
· Innovation Associates:
bttp:/~world.std.com/~ia
· Whole Systems:
http://www.newciv org/worldtrans/wholehtml
· The Change Project:
http://www.well.com/userlbbearl Small-group
meetings before next class session

5 A simpler way

Paper 1 due
Reflection exercises due
Small-group meetings before next class session

PART TWO: THE PROCESS OF LOCATING PURPOSE

6 Vision and Calling
Reflection exercises due
Readings:
Bateson, M. C. (1989). Emergent visions. Composing a life. New York: Penguin Books, pp.1-18.
Bellah, R. N., et al. (1985). Finding oneself.
Habits of the heart: Individualism and commit-ment in American lift. Berkeley, Los Angeles:
University of California Press, pp.55-84. Kabat-Zinn, 1(1994). 'What is my job on the planet with' a capital I? Wherever you go, there you are. New York: Hyperion, pp.206-210. Komfield, 1. (1993). Did I love well? A path with heart. New York: Bantam Books, pp.11-21. Schumacker, F. F., & Wl'itmeyer, C., Eds. (1994). Good work. Mindfijlness and meaningfiel work: Exploration in right livelihood. Los Angeles: Parallax Press, pp.131-135. Sullivan, W. (1995). Rein venting professionalism. Work and integrity. New York:
Rarpercollins, pp.127-157.
Small-group meetings before next class session

7 Connection to the Commons
Reflection exercises due
Readings:
Parks-Daloz, L. A., Daloz-Parks, S., Keen, C. H., & Keen,!. P. (1996). Common fire: Lives of commitment in a complex world. Boston: Beacon Press.
Small-group meetings before next class session

8 Common fire: Lives of commitment in a complex
world
Reflection exercises due
Small-group meetings before next class Session
9 Mentors and Models
Reflection exercises due
Paper 2 due
Brief annotated bibliography, chosen by the
student
Small-group meetings before next class session

PART THREE: THE ART OF EXERCISING LEADERSHIP

10 Mobilizing Group Resources for Adaptive
Change
Reflection exercises due
Readings:
Heifetz, R. A. (1994). Leadership without easy
answers. Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press.
Small-group meetings before next class session

11 Leadership without easy answers
Reflection exercises due
Small-group meetings before next class session

12 Leadership Without easy ansivers
Reflection exercises due
Handout: Palmer, P., Leading t'rorn within.
Small-group meetings before next class session

13 Peer Reflections
Reflection exercises due
Paper #3 due

14 Group Project

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