Roger S. Baskin, Sr.Reggie L. Brown

Tharon P. Washington

Connections to Previous ReadingsReading Major Theme Wheatley’s Stance

The Prince Resist change by controlling others. Change is chaos.

There is order in chaos. “The destruction created by chaos is necessary for the creation of anything new.”

The Art of Power Cultivating mindfulness will improve the quality of our understanding of the world around us.

Seeing the whole is essential to understanding change.

Leading in a Culture of Change

Leaders efficiently manage change through communicating a moral purpose and sharing knowledge.

Leaders help their organizations see order in chaos by relying on the purpose and direction of the organization.

Major Themes•Understand organizational change by observing nature.•Perceptions and observations are key to understanding change.•There is order in chaos.

Activity 1•Think about a change that your organization is experiencing or is about to experience.•Identify a metaphor that compares something in nature to the change your organization is experiencing or will experience. This metaphor should help your organization navigate the change.•Share this metaphor with the class.

Activity 2A•Read the following article excerpt.•In groups of three, respond to the following questions:

1.What is being observed?2.What perceptions are held?3.What are the limits of their perceptions and observations?4.How can these limits impact the navigation of change?

(From WUSA)Most of the 15 people charged with being involved in the heroin ring are younger than 21 years old. "You'd go, there's no way that these kids are involved. Most of the kids come from a decent background," Lannes says.And he says most of the kids using are like his daughter. "This can happen to anybody," Lannes says, adding "It's not just kids in the back alley, in the inner city and stuff like that. This is real.”

Activity 2B•Read the following article excerpt.•In groups of three, respond to the following questions:

1.What is being observed?2.What perceptions are held?3.What are the limits of their perceptions and observations?4.How can these limits impact the navigation of change?

(From The Washington Times)"If you send a kid to [public] school in D.C., chances are that they will end up in a gang rather than graduating," Sen. Jim DeMint, South Carolina Republican, said during a news conference at which he joined three other lawmakers seeking to keep the voucher program alive.

Activity 3•In groups of three, create a timeline that demonstrates the events leading to the ascension of Barack Obama to the presidency. •Come together with members of the other groups to highlight similar points.•Using the shared points, create a visual that demonstrates the changes that led to his win.