(MLD-201B) EXERCISING LEADERSHIP: THE POLITICS OF … · REVISED SYLLABUS John F. Kennedy School of Government, HARVARD UNIVERSITY (MLD-201B) EXERCISING LEADERSHIP: THE POLITICS OF

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

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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

mailto:[email protected]









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.



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.



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



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


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.

http://ezp-prod1.hul.harvard.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=pdh&AN=psp-96-2-491&site=ehost-live&scope=site





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


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


………….……..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Week 8 Spring Break

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Week 9

Mon. March 21 INTERVENTION: GETTING ATTENTION and GETTING WORK DONE


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




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


……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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

http://www.bartleby.com/142/186.html

http://books.google.com/books?id=Ls2F5i6_LeYC&printsec=frontcover&dq=prose+edda%23v=onepage&q=&f=false

http://books.google.com/books?id=Ls2F5i6_LeYC&printsec=frontcover&dq=prose+edda%23v=onepage&q=&f=false

http://www.emersoncentral.com/selfreliance.htm



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


George Washington’s Farewell Address.

Vicki LaFarge, "Termination in Groups," from McCollom and Gillette, Groups in Context.



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.



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

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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