(mld-201b) exercising leadership: the politics of … · revised syllabus john f. kennedy school of...
TRANSCRIPT
REVISED SYLLABUS
John F. Kennedy School of Government, HARVARD UNIVERSITY
(MLD-201B) EXERCISING LEADERSHIP: THE POLITICS OF CHANGE
SPRING 2011
Professor Dean Williams
SCHEDULE:
Main Class Sessions: Mon. and Wed. 10.10 am to 11.30 am
Small Group Sessions: 1½ hours per week. Times and rooms to be arranged
Class Room: Littauer 140
GENERAL COURSE INFORMATION
This course presents a framework for the practice of leadership within societies and organizations as they face the demanding and confusing adaptive challenges of a changing world. It clarifies the relationship among key concepts of leadership, management, authority, power, influence, followership, citizenship, responsibility, accountability and progress.
The course will focus on:
a) diagnostic tools for analyzing the dynamics of social systems, b) strategies of intervention for getting attention, mobilizing group resources, generating
innovation, orchestrating multi-party conflict, regulating disequilibrium, and gaining, applying, and negotiating with authority, and
c) the personal work of leadership that must be done by any individual in order to use power wisely and responsibly, with and without authority.
Through these frameworks and tools, students will discover options for practicing leadership from any position in an organization, community or society. They will engage in a serious exploration of what it means to make a difference through the activity of leadership.
The course draws from several disciplines: Philosophy and biology provide the concepts of paradigm change and adaptation. Political science, anthropology and business management provide perspectives on the functions of power and authority. History and literature provide a rich caseload from which to explore the rise and fall of institutions, communities and civilizations. Social psychology provides insight into the dynamics of social systems and group behavior. And mythology provides a window into the functions of symbolism, public narrative and meaning making for individuals and communities.
In addition to lectures, discussion, and small group work, the course draws on films and documentaries, student cases from their personal experience, experiential exercises, and case-in-point teaching which uses the classroom process to understand the dynamics of adaptive work, the functions of authority, and the practice of leadership.
The course is demanding in terms of time, effort, and written analysis. There are weekly assignments and a final paper is required.
MLD 201B EXERCISING LEADERSHIP Dean Williams
HHaarrvvaarrdd UUnniivveerrssiittyy,, KKeennnneeddyy SScchhooooll ooff GGoovveerrnnmmeenntt PPaaggee 22
TEACHING TEAM
INSTRUCTOR:
Dr. Dean Williams (617) 496-8506
Office: Center for Public Leadership, Taubman, Room 136
Office hours: By appointment or feel free to drop by anytime
Email: [email protected]
FACULTY ASSISTANT:
Marsha Frazier (617) 496-9669
Office: Littauer 107B
Email: [email protected]
TEACHING STAFF:
Larriera, Carolina, [email protected], Head Teaching Fellow 617-840-9607
Haider, Syed <[email protected]>, 857-234-7415
Farsakh, Nizar <[email protected]>, 617- 866-3315
Abid, Sadaffe <[email protected]>, 857-318-2717
Wójcik, Cezary <[email protected]>, 617-909-1870.
Sullivan, Mark <[email protected]>, 253-495-2099
O'Leary, Rachel <[email protected]>,718-350-0316
MLD 201B EXERCISING LEADERSHIP Dean Williams
HHaarrvvaarrdd UUnniivveerrssiittyy,, KKeennnneeddyy SScchhooooll ooff GGoovveerrnnmmeenntt PPaaggee 33
PEDAGOGICAL DESIGN:
The course is designed to enable students to learn by a variety of means: lectures, case analyses, readings, films, structured exercises, and experience. To learn from the richness of people’s experiences, each student presents a personal case study of leadership to his or her small consultation group that meets throughout the term. In addition, students analyze the dynamics common to social systems facing adaptive challenges by analyzing the dynamics of the class itself as a case-in-point.
FILM NIGHTS:
In addition to the regular classes the course has several evening sessions that use films and documentaries, and poetry exercises to illustrate key leadership concepts. The dates for these sessions are listed in the syllabus.
SMALL GROUP CONSULTATION SESSIONS:
The full class is divided randomly into small groups of 7-10 students. The small groups meet for 1½ hours a week at a time to be arranged (there are several options from which to choose). The purpose of these sessions is to give students a laboratory to:
1. Apply what they learn in class and in the readings to their professional experiences;
2. Investigate ways to exercise leadership with and without authority;
3. Discover and analyze the dynamics of how groups accomplish and avoid adaptive work.
The organization of these groups will be described in detail in class. Briefly, on a rotating basis, each student prepares a case study from his or her professional experience and presents it to the group for consultation. A guide to preparing the case study will be distributed in class. In addition, each student serves as the chairperson for the group on a rotating basis.
During the debriefing sessions on Wednesday, the whole class participates in analyzing a student case in depth.
READINGS:
All readings are on reserve in the Kennedy School library. Reading packets can be purchased at the Kennedy School Course Materials Office, Belfer G-6. Readings that are not included in the packets can be found in the KSG Library. These readings are identified by an asterisk (*) on the syllabus.
MLD 201B EXERCISING LEADERSHIP Dean Williams
HHaarrvvaarrdd UUnniivveerrssiittyy,, KKeennnneeddyy SScchhooooll ooff GGoovveerrnnmmeenntt PPaaggee 44
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
1. Attendance at all classes is required.
2. A weekly written analysis of the small group consultation sessions (2-3 pages).
3. Presentation of a case study to the small group.
4. Several short written assignments (1-3 pages).
5. A final paper analyzing an aspect of leadership (12-15 pages).
6. No exams.
GRADING:
1. Classroom work 1/3rd of grade
This grade is based on participation and contribution to the learning of the class. It recognizes both an individual’s effort and the quality of their classroom interventions, and not necessarily the quantity or volume of comments.
2. Weekly papers 1/3rd of grade
3. Final paper (15 pages) 1/3rd of grade
PLEASE NOTE: Points will be deducted for every class missed and every assignment not submitted or submitted late, leading to a lower grade.
MLD 201B EXERCISING LEADERSHIP Dean Williams
HHaarrvvaarrdd UUnniivveerrssiittyy,, KKeennnneeddyy SScchhooooll ooff GGoovveerrnnmmeenntt PPaaggee 55
Week 1
Mon. Jan. 24 INTRODUCTION TO THE CLASS
Wed. Jan. 26 WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO EXERCISE LEADERSHIP?
Williams, Real Leadership, Introduction and ch. 1
Heifetz, Leadership Without Easy Answers, ch. 1, 2.
Heifetz, R & Sinder, R; “Political Leadership: Managing the Public’s Problem Solving” in Reich, R (Ed) The Power of Public Ideas; pp 179-203
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Week 2
Mon. Jan. 31 ADAPTIVE WORK AND SOCIAL LEARNING
"Teaching Smart People How to Learn", HBS Case No 91301
Coles, Lives of Moral Leadership, ch. 1.
Gillette, "Toward A Practice of Learning," from Gillette and McCollom, eds., Groups in Context, pp. 16-33.
Heifetz, Leadership Without Easy Answers, ch. 2. *
Miroff, “John F. Kennedy: The Claim of Excellence,” from Leadership in America, pp. 163-175.
Tue. Feb. 1 Documentary Film: BLACK HARVEST, 6:30–8:30pm, Land Lecture Hall
Wed. Feb. 2 DIAGNOSTIC WORK: WHAT CHALLENGE DO THE PEOPLE FACE?
Williams, Real Leadership, ch. 2
Plato, The Republic, pp. 221-235.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Week 3
Mon. Feb. 7 THE POWER OF THE GROUP
Bilton and Sim, “My Lai: A Half-Told Story,” pp. 8-29.
Freud, Group Psychology & Analysis of the Ego, pp. 1-36, 49-60. *
Heifetz, Leadership Without Easy Answers, ch. 3. *
Rice, A. K., Learning for Leadership, (Oxford: Tavistock Publications, Limited © 1965), pp. 23-27, 43-51, 58-87
Smith & Berg, Paradoxes of Group Life, chs. 5 and 6, pp. 89-108, 109-130. *
Tue. Feb. 8 Film: KING RAT, 6:30–8:30pm, Land Lecture Hall
MLD 201B EXERCISING LEADERSHIP Dean Williams
HHaarrvvaarrdd UUnniivveerrssiittyy,, KKeennnneeddyy SScchhooooll ooff GGoovveerrnnmmeenntt PPaaggee 66
Wed. Feb. 9 CASE DEBRIEFING SESSION
Week 4
Mon. Feb. 14 LEADERSHIP AND AUTHORITY
Williams, Real Leadership, ch. 4.
Heifetz, Leadership Without Easy Answers, ch 4. *
Smith & Berg, Paradoxes of Group Life, ch. 7, pp. 131-151. *
Weber, "The Sociology of Charismatic Authority," from Gerth and Mills, eds., From Max Weber: Essays in Sociology, pp. 245-250, 253-255.
Ludwig, “Why Rulers Rule”, from King of the Mountain, pp.1-21
Frazer, “Magicians as Kings,” from The Golden Bough, pp.83-91.
Anderson, Cameron; Kilduff, Gavin J. “Why do dominant personalities attain influence in face-to-face groups?” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Vol 96(2), Feb 2009, 491-503. http://ezp-
prod1.hul.harvard.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?dir
ect=true &db=pdh&AN=psp-96-2-491&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Tue. Feb. 15 Film: THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING, 7.00 to 9.00 pm, Land Lecture Hall
Wed. Feb. 16 CASE ANALYSIS
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Week 5
Mon. Feb. 21 HOLIDAY – NO CLASS
Tue. Feb. 22 Documentary: RIVERS AND TIDES, 6.30-8.00pm, Land Lecture Hall
Wed. Feb. 23 CREATIVITY, LEADERSHIP AND THE GROUP
Williams, Real Leadership, ch. 7
May, The Courage to Create, (Read entire book) *
Grudin, The Grace of Great Things, pp. 86-95.
Heifetz, Leadership Without Easy Answers, chs. 4 and 5.*
Kuhn, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, pp. 77-97, 111-173.*
Coles, The Lives of Moral Leadership, ch. 3.
MLD 201B EXERCISING LEADERSHIP Dean Williams
HHaarrvvaarrdd UUnniivveerrssiittyy,, KKeennnneeddyy SScchhooooll ooff GGoovveerrnnmmeenntt PPaaggee 77
Week 6
Mon. Feb. 28 ASSASSINATION
Arney, Experts in the Age of Systems, pp. 151-175.
Heifetz, Leadership Without Easy Answers, chs. 8, 9, 10. *
James, "Expiation and Atonement," from Sacrifice and Sacrament, pp. 104-128.
Frazer, “The Killing of the Divine King,” from The Golden Bough, pp. 264-283.
The Martyrdom of Thomas Becket by King Henry II from English Historical Documents for the years 1042-1189
Wed. March 2 CASE ANALYSIS
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Week 7
Mon. March 7 PURPOSE, TASK AND WORK AVOIDANCE
Williams, Real Leadership, ch. 5.
Bellah, et al., "Democracy Means Paying Attention," in The Good Society, pp. 254-286. *
Eliot, T.S., “The Hollow Men”, in Collected Poems 1909-1962, pp. 89-92.
Kegan and Lahey, "Adult Leadership and Adult Development," in Kellerman ed., Leadership: Multidisciplinary Perspectives, pp. 199-230. *
Steele, The Content of Our Character, pp. ix-xii and 57-75.
Coles, The Lives of Moral Leadership, ch. 4.
Tue. March 8 Film: THE UGLY AMERICAN 6:30pm to 8:30pm, Land Lecture Hall
Wed. March 9 CASE ANALYSIS
………….……..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Week 8 Spring Break
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Week 9
Mon. March 21 INTERVENTION: GETTING ATTENTION and GETTING WORK DONE
Williams, Real Leadership, ch. 3
Pruitt and Rubin, Social Conflict: Escalation, Stalemate and Settlement, pp. 1-9, 10-24, 62-86.
Suzuki, “Zen and Swordsmanship”, pp. 137, 139-168.
Coles, The Lives of Moral Leadership, ch. 6, 7.
Sinder, Riley and Williams, Dean, “Leadership Styles” in Managerial Leadership pp.195-210
MLD 201B EXERCISING LEADERSHIP Dean Williams
HHaarrvvaarrdd UUnniivveerrssiittyy,, KKeennnneeddyy SScchhooooll ooff GGoovveerrnnmmeenntt PPaaggee 88
Wed. March 23 CASE ANALYSIS
Week 10
Mon. March 28 LISTENING (Sensing the Environment)
"Barriers and Gateways to Communication", HBS Case No
Smith & Berg, Paradoxes of Group Life, ch. 8, pp. 152-181. *
Whitman, "Proud Music of the Storm http://www.bartleby.com/142/186.html
Tue. March 29 FILM: The Chosen, 6:30–8:30pm, Land Lecture Hall
Wed. March 30 CASE ANALYSIS
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Week 11
Mon. April 4 INSPIRATION
Williams, Real Leadership, pp. 68-71.
Snorri Sturluson, The Prose Edda, pp.92-96 (Access via internet at address below. Begin reading in second paragraph “The Aegir said….”)
http://books.google.com/books?id=Ls2F5i6_LeYC&printsec=frontcover&dq=prose+edda#v=onepage&q=&f=false
Emerson, "Self-Reliance” http://www.emersoncentral.com/selfreliance.htm
Erikson, Gandhi's Truth, pp. 229-254.
Wills, “Rhetorical Leader,” from Certain Trumpets, pp. 211-226.
Smith, “Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: The Politics of Sounds and Feelings,” from Leadership in America, pp. 97-109.
Tue. April 5 THE POETRY OF LEADERSHIP, Evening Class, 6:00-9:00pm, Land Lecture Hall
Wed. April 6 CASE ANALYSIS
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Week 12
Mon. April 11 PARTNERSHIP
Williams, Real Leadership, pp 84-86.
Bly, An interview in Moyers, A World of Ideas II, pp. 266-284.
Coles, Lives of Moral Leadership, ch. 6
Wed. April 13 CASE DEBRIEFING SESSION
MLD 201B EXERCISING LEADERSHIP Dean Williams
HHaarrvvaarrdd UUnniivveerrssiittyy,, KKeennnneeddyy SScchhooooll ooff GGoovveerrnnmmeenntt PPaaggee 99
Week 13
Mon. April 18 STAYING ALIVE
Williams, Real Leadership, ch.9
Heifetz, Leadership Without Easy Answers, ch.11. *
Miyamoto, A Book of Five Rings, pp. 34-35, 37-50.
Coles, Lives of Moral Leadership, ch. 11 and Afterword.
Tue. April 19 DOCUMENTARY: Gate of Heavenly Peace, 6:30–9:30pm, Land Lecture Hall
Wed. April 20 GATE OF HEAVENLY PEACE DEBRIEFING SESSION
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Week 14
Mon. April 25 REVIEW
Review the readings and your notes, and come prepared to discuss any of the ideas and concepts you would like clarification on. Consider –What is it that is unresolved in terms of your learning experience? What is missing in your understanding of any concept?
Williams, Dean, Leading in Complex Political Environments, Center for Public Leadership, Working Papers, pp. 35-53
Kegan, Robert, In Over our Heads: The Mental Demands of Modern Life, pp 205 –216
Dostoevsky, The Grand Inquisitor, Read the entire booklet and the introduction by Charles Guignon*
Tues. April 26 FILM: The Whale Rider, 6:30–8:30pm, Land Lecture Hall
Wed. April 27 FAREWELL: SAYING GOODBYE AND LAYING THE PAST TO REST
Williams, Real Leadership, ch. 10.
George Washington’s Farewell Address.
Vicki LaFarge, "Termination in Groups," from McCollom and Gillette, Groups in Context.
MLD 201B EXERCISING LEADERSHIP Dean Williams
HHaarrvvaarrdd UUnniivveerrssiittyy,, KKeennnneeddyy SScchhooooll ooff GGoovveerrnnmmeenntt PPaaggee 1100
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Anderson, Cameron; Kilduff, Gavin J. “Why do dominant personalities attain influence in face-to-face groups?” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Vol 96(2), Feb 2009, 491-503.
Argyris, Chris, "Teaching Smart People How To Learn," Harvard Business Review, May-June, 1991.
Arney, William Ray, Experts in the Age of Systems, Albuquerque, NM: University of New Mexico Press, 1991.
Bathory, Peter Dennis., Leadership in America: Consensus, Corruption, and Charisma, New York: Longman Inc., 1978.
Bellah, Robert N. et al., The Good Society, New York: Knopf, 1991.
Burns, James MacGregor, Leadership, New York: Harper and Row, 1978.
Colman, Arthur D. and Bexton, W. Harold, eds., Group Relations Reader, Sausalito, CA: GREX, 1975.
Coles, Robert, Lives of Moral Leadership, New York: Random House, 2000
Dostoevsky, Fyodor (Edited by Charles Guignon), The Grand Inquisitor, Indianapolis, Hacket Publishing Company, 1993
Emerson, Ralph Waldo, The Portable Emerson, New York: Penguin, 1981.
Erikson, Erik H., Gandhi's Truth, New York: Norton, 1969.
Frazer, J.G., The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion, London: Papermac, 1987.
Freud, Sigmund, Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego, New York:. Norton, 1959.
Gillette, Jonathan and McCollom, Marion, eds., Groups in Context, Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1990.
Grudin, Robert, The Grace of Great Things: Creativity and Innovation, New York: Ticknor & Fields, 1990.
Heifetz, Ronald, Leadership Without Easy Answers, Cambridge: Belknap/Harvard University Press, 1994.
James, E.O., Sacrifice and Sacrament, New York: Thames & Hudson, 1962.
Kellerman, Barbara, ed., Leadership: Multidisciplinary Perspectives, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1984.
King, Martin Luther, Letter from a Birmingham City Jail, in Aspen Institute Readings, Aspen Institute, 1977
Kuhn, Thomas A., The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1962.
Ludwig, Arnold, King of the Mountain: The Nature of Political Leadership, University of Kentucky, 2002
May, Rollo, The Courage to Create, New York: Bantam, 1975.
Miyamoto, Musashi A Book of Five Rings, New York: The Overlook Press, 1982.
MLD 201B EXERCISING LEADERSHIP Dean Williams
HHaarrvvaarrdd UUnniivveerrssiittyy,, KKeennnneeddyy SScchhooooll ooff GGoovveerrnnmmeenntt PPaaggee 1111
Neruda, Pablo, Fully Empowered, New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1977.
Plato, The Republic of Plato, London: Oxford University Press, 1945.
Pruitt, Dean G. and Rubin, Jeffrey Z., Social Conflict: Escalation, Stalemate, and Settlement, New York: Random House, 1986.
Reich, R (Ed) The Power of Public Ideas; Ballinger, Cambridge 1988
Rogers, Carl R. and Roethlisberger, F.J. in, Harvard Business Review: On Human Relations, New York: Harper & Row, 1979.
Smith, Kenwyn and Berg, David, Paradoxes of Group Life, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1987.
Steele, Shelby, The Content of Our Character: A New Vision of Race in America, New York: St. Martin’s, 1990.
Sturluson, Snori, The Prose Edda, Translation by Arthur Ghilchrist Broader, New York, 1916. http://books.google.com/books?id=Ls2F5i6_LeYC&printsec=frontcover&dq=prose+edda#v=onepage&q=&f=false
Weber, Max, From Max Weber: Essays in Sociology, Gerth and Mills, eds., New York: Oxford University Press, 1946.
Whitman, Walt, The Portable Walt Whitman, New York: Penguin, 1977.
Wills, Garry, Certain Trumpets, New York: Simon & Schuster, 1994.
Williams, Dean, Real Leadership; Helping People and Organizations Face Their Toughest Challenges, San Francisco, Berrett-Koehler, 2005
***********
MLD 201B EXERCISING LEADERSHIP Dean Williams
HHaarrvvaarrdd UUnniivveerrssiittyy,, KKeennnneeddyy SScchhooooll ooff GGoovveerrnnmmeenntt PPaaggee 1122
BOOKS ON ORDER AT THE HARVARD COOP
1. Coles, Robert, Lives of Moral Leadership, New York: Random House, 2000.
2. Costello, Robert B., ex. ed., The American Heritage College Dictionary, 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1993.
3. Dostoevsky, Fyodor (Edited by Charles Guignon), The Grand Inquisitor, Indianapolis, Hacket Publishing Company, 1993
4. Freud, Sigmund, Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego (1921), Strachey translation, New York: Norton, 1959.
5. Heifetz, Ronald, Leadership Without Easy Answers, Cambridge: Belknap/Harvard University Press, 1994.
6. Kuhn, Thomas, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, 2nd ed., Chicago: University of Chicago, 1970.
7. May, Rollo, The Courage to Create, New York: Bantam, 1975.\
8. Smith, K., and Berg, D., Paradoxes of Group Life: Understanding Conflict, Paralysis, and Movement in Group Dynamics, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1987.
9. Williams, Dean, Real Leadership; Helping People and Organizations Face Their Toughest Challenges, San Francisco, Berrett-Koehler, 2005