HARVARD UNIVERSITY
Harvard Kennedy School
(MLD-201C) Exercising Leadership: The Politics of Change
Spring 2017
General Course Information
This course provides a diagnostic and strategic foundation for leadership practice. Designed for
professionals from diverse backgrounds and cultures, the course builds upon the extraordinary
experience of many of our students. The purpose of the course is to increase one’s capacity to lead
with and without authority, across boundaries, and from any political or organizational position.
In a world in which most organizations, communities, and societies face enormous adaptive
pressures, the practice of leadership is critical – the practice of mobilizing systems of people to
thrive in changing and challenging times. In this course, we apply theory to practice, clarifying
the relationship among key concepts – leadership, management, authority, power, influence,
followership, citizenship – to provide a practical and coherent theoretical framework. We
develop both diagnostic tools for analyzing the complexity of change in social systems, and
strategies of action. These strategies include: using authority and power wisely, mobilizing
engagement across boundaries, generating innovation, orchestrating multi-party conflict,
regulating disequilibrium, refashioning narratives to both build and depart from history, and
building a culture of adaptability for the long-term. In addition, we begin to explore the
challenge of managing personally the inevitable stresses and dangers of leadership.
The course draws from several disciplines: Philosophy and biology provide the concepts of
paradigmatic change and adaptation. Political science and business management provide
perspectives on the functions of authority. History and literature provide a rich caseload from which
to explore the nature of adaptive success and failure. Social psychology and System Dynamics
provides insight into the dynamics of social systems and an approach to diagnosing their
productivity and dysfunctions. Music provides a language for working with the practices of
inspiration, creativity, listening, partnership, and harmony (consonance, dissonance, and resolution).
Several courses at the Kennedy School build from the foundation of MLD-201, including courses on
conflict resolution and negotiation, public narrative and organizing, persuasion and communication,
ethics and group dynamics, and applications of leadership in specific policy and institutional
contexts. In addition, students are strongly encouraged to take the sister course for MLD-201 in
January, MLD-364J: Leadership on the Line, which utilizes the systemic framework of MLD-201 to
cultivate at the personal level the effective deployment of oneself in practice.
Instructor:
Hugh O’Doherty
[email protected]
781-492-3251
L-116, Littauer, 1st Floor
Faculty Assistant:
Veronica Chapman
617-495-8833
[email protected]
L-349B, Littauer, 3rd Floor
Teaching Assistants:
Ashveena Gajeelee……………………
[email protected]
Schedule:
Lecture and Discussion Sessions
Tuesdays
10:15 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., Room L-140
Consultation Group Sessions
1½ hours per week
Times and rooms to be arranged
Debriefing Sessions
Thursdays
10:45 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., Room L-140
In addition to the weekly lecture/discussion, consultation group, and debriefing session, the course
has several evening sessions that use films and musical exercises to illustrate key skills and concepts.
The two music exercise evenings, in particular, are required -- please review carefully the dates for
these sessions listed on the syllabus.
Design:
The course uses a variety of means to learn theory and the arts of practice. In addition to the
traditional methods of lectures, readings, and films, the course uses three more innovative teaching
methods: student cases, “case-in-point” learning, and structured exercises. First, the course devotes
a majority of its time to analyzing the past professional experiences that students bring from around
the world and across sectors -- each student works on a personal case study of leadership throughout
the term. Second, students analyze the social and political dynamics of problem-solving and
learning common to many organizations and societies facing critical challenges by analyzing the
evolving dynamics of the class itself as a case-in-point in collective problem-solving and learning.
Third, through structured exercises of both reflection and action, some of which involve poetry and
music, students learn a variety of authoritative, creative, and communication skills integral to the
practice of leadership.
Consultation Group Sessions:
2
The full class is divided randomly into small groups of 7-9 students. The 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 by which groups accomplish and avoid critical and
creative problem-solving work.
The organization of these groups is 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 is distributed in class. In addition, each student
serves as the chairperson for the group on a rotating basis.
During the large class debriefing sessions on Thursdays, students develop a framework for
leadership analysis by analyzing one of the student cases with the help of the instructor.
Requirements:
1.
Complete and on-time attendance. Only medical and family emergencies are permitted. Job
interviews are not excused absences.
2.
Presentation of a case study to the small group.
3.
A weekly written analysis of the consultation group sessions (2-3 pages) in addition to
several short written assignments (1-3 pages).
4.
A final paper analyzing aspects of leadership (10-13 pages). This can be based on the
personal case study.
Grading:
Classroom work -- 30%
Weekly papers -- 40%
Final paper -- 30%
The classroom work grade is based upon one’s effort and the quality of one’s contribution in the
class, and not the quantity or volume of comments. Our key evaluative questions are: How deeply
did each student draw upon and analyze his or her experience? How well did one mobilize the
learning of fellow students in the class?
Readings:
All course readings will be available on the course page. All other course books will be available on
reserve in the Kennedy School Library. The readings listed each week should be read in preparation
for that week’s discussion.
Academic Integrity:
You are expected to follow University policies on academic honesty and integrity as outlined in
3
the Student Handbook. Violations of policy are not tolerated. Sanctions including expulsion
from the school may result. The use of study groups is encouraged, however their purpose is not
for the completion of assignments, but for the enhancement of your understanding and learning
experience. Each student is responsible for generating and submitting their own work.
Students are also expected to meet HKS and Harvard University rules for citation. Sentences
and paragraphs lifted or copied from one source to your own work must be cited correctly. The
academic tradition honors the work of predecessors. Modifying someone else’s words as your
own is inexcusable. The ideas of others should be properly cited in all your work.
4
SYLLABUS
TEXTS
Arbinger Institute, Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting Out of the Box, Berrett-Koehler,
2010.
Barrett, Frank, Yes To The Mess: Surprising Leadership Lessons from Jazz, Boston: Harvard
Business Review Press, 2012.
Heifetz, Ronald, Leadership Without Easy Answers, Cambridge: Belknap/Harvard University
Press, 1994.
Smith, Kenwyn K, and Berg, David N., Paradoxes of Group Life: Understanding Conflict,
Paralysis, and Movement in Group Dynamics, Jossey-Bass, 1997.
Week One
Jan 24 – Tues
Learning to Think about Leadership
Introduction: What Does it Mean to Practice Leadership?
Bolden, R., Gosling, J., Marturano, A. & Dennison, P., A Review of
Leadership Theory and Competency Frameworks, Center for Leadership
Studies, University of Exeter, June 2003.
Chin, Jean Lau, The Dynamics of Gender, Race, and Leadership, chap 3 in
Leadership in a Changing World.
Nye, Joseph, Leadership, Chap 1 in The Powers to Lead, Oxford University
Press, 2008.
Plato, The Republic, pp. 227-235.
Jan 26 – Thurs
Week Two
Jan 31 – Tues
Consultation Groups Introduction
Purpose and Adaptive Work
Quinn, Robert E., Creating a Sense of Purpose, Chap 3 in The Positive
Organization, Schribner, New York, 2016.
Heifetz, Leadership Without Easy Answers, chapter 2.
Pascale, Millermann and Gioja, Equilibrium is Death and Herding
Butterflies, chaps 2 & 10 in Surfing the Edge of Chaos.
Pink, Daniel, Purpose, chap 6 in Drive: The Surprising Truth About What
Motivates Us.
5
Robinson, Ken, The Element, chap 1 in The Element: How Finding Your
Passion Changes Everything.
Semler, Ricardo, How to Run a Company with (almost) No Rules, Filmed
at TEDGlobal October, 2014.
Feb 2 – Thurs
Week Three
Feb 7 – Tues
Case Debriefing
Leadership and Authority
Gelles, David, At Zappos, Pushing Shoes and a Vision, The New York Times,
July 17, 2015. http://nyti.ms/1fQ5CJH
Heifetz, Leadership Without Easy Answers, chapter 3.
Milgram, Obedience to Authority: An Experimental View, "The Dilemma
of Obedience," pp.1-12.
Orwell, George, Shooting an Elephant
http://www.online-literature.com/orwell/887/
Smith and Berg, Paradoxes of Speaking: Authority, Dependency,
Creativity, and Courage, chap 7 in Paradoxes of Group Life.
Feb 8 - Wed
Film Night I 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Feb 9 - Thurs
Case Debriefing
Week Four
Feb 14 - Tues
Group and Systems Dynamics
Heifetz, R., Notes on Group Dynamics, from Fisher, B. Aubrey, Small Group
Decision Making, pp. 1-11.
Green, Zachary, and Molenkamp, René, The BART System of Group and
Organizational Analysis: Boundary, Authority, Role and Task, 2005.
Rice A.K., Learning for Leadership, pp. 23-27, 43-51, 58-87.
Feb 16 – Thurs
Week Five
Case Debriefing
Creativity and Reality
6
Feb 21 - Tues
Burstein, Julie, 4 Lessons in Creativity, Filmed February 2012 at
TED2012.
Friedan, The Second Stage, pp. 15-18, 23-31, 38-41.
Heifetz, Leadership Without Easy Answers, chapters 4 and 5.
May, The Courage to Create, chapter 1.
Oliver, Mary, Listening to the World, On Being, NPR, October 15, 2015.
Feb 23 – Thurs
Week Six
Feb 28 – Tues
Case Debriefing
Neutralization & Assassination
Heifetz, Leadership Without Easy Answers, chapter 6.
Kets de Vries, Manfred F. R., Death and the Executive: Encounters with the
“Stealth” Motivator, Insead Faculty and Research Working Paper, Nov 2014.
http://ssrn.com/abstract=2388216.
James, Expiation and Atonement, from Sacrifice and Sacrament,
pp. 104-128.
Volkan, Vamik, Some Psychoanalytic Views on Leaders with Narcissistic
Personality Organization and Their Roles in Large-group Processes, chap 4
in Leadership in a Changing World.
Mar 2 - Thurs
Week Seven
Mar 7 – Tues
Case Debriefing
Purpose, Task and Work Avoidance
Heifetz, Leadership Without Easy Answers, chapter 7.
Pink, Daniel, The Puzzle of Motivation, Filmed at TEDGlobal July, 2009.
Steele, The Content of Our Character, pp. ix-xii and 57-75.
Mar 8 - Wed
Film Night II 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Mar 9 – Thurs
Case Debriefing
March 13-19
Spring Break
7
Week Eight
Mar 21 – Tues
Intervention: Managing Chaos and Conflict
Brown, Brené, The Physics of Vulnerability, chap 1 in Rising Strong.
Heifetz, Leadership Without Easy Answers, chapters 8 and 9.
Lazlo, Irvin, The Drivers of Chaos, chap 3 in Chaos Point 2012 and Beyond:
Appointment with Destiny
Owen, Harrison, Chaos, Order, and the Creative Process, chap 3 in The
Power of Spirit.
Mar 23 - Thurs
Case Debriefing
Week Nine
Listening (Sensing the Environment)
Mar 28 – Tues
Chimamanda Adichie:
http://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_s
tory
Greenspan, Miriam, Listening to Pain, Chap 1 in Healing Through the Dark
Emotions, Shambala, 2004.
Payne, Katy, In the Presence of Elephants and Whales, On Being, NPR,
August 13, 2015.
Mar 28 – Tues
Music Night I, 6:00-9:00 p.m.
Mar 30 - Thurs
Case Debriefing
Week Ten
Inspiration
Apr 4 – Tues
Erikson, Gandhi's Truth, pp. 229-254.
Smith, “Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: The Politics of Sounds and
Feelings,” from Leadership in America, pp. 97-109.
Vaclav Havel, "New Year's Address," from Open Letters: Selected
Writings 1965-1990, pp. 390-396.
Apr 4 – Tues
Music Night II, 6:00-9:00 p.m.
Apr 6 - Thurs
Case Debriefing
8
Week Eleven
Boundaries and Partnership
Apr 11 – Tues
Alderfer, ed. "Consulting to Underbounded Systems," in Advances in
Experiential Social Processes.
Powell, John, Opening the Question of Race to the Question of Belonging,
On Being, June 25, 2015.
Hirschhorn and Gilmore, "The New Boundaries of the Boundaryless
Company,” in Harvard Business Review, pp. 104-115.
Joreen, "The Tyranny of Structurelessness," Radical Feminism, ed. Koedt,
et al., pp. 285-299.
Apr 13 - Thurs
Week Twelve
Apr 18 - Tues
Case Debriefing
Staying Alive
Heifetz, Leadership Without Easy Answers, chapter 10.
Vandana, Shiva, Development, Ecology, and Women, chap in 1 in Staying
Alive: Women, Ecology, and Development.
Tracy, The Secret between Us: Competition among Women, pp. 3-30.
Apr 19 – Wed
Film Night III: The Whale Rider, 6:30–8:30pm
Apr 20 - Thurs
Case Debriefing
Week Thirteen
Apr 25 – Tues
Laying the Past to Rest
Heifetz, Leadership Without Easy Answers, chapter 11.
Vicki LaFarge, "Termination in Groups," from McCollom and
Gillette, Groups in Context, pp. 171-185.
George Washington’s Farewell Address.
Apr 27 – Thurs
Saying “Goodbye”
9
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Brown, Brené, Rising Strong, Random House, New York, 2015.
Erickson, Erik H., Gandhi’s Truth, New York: Norton, 1993.
Friedan, Betty, The Second Stage, New York: Summit Books, 1981.
Greenspan, Miriam, Healing Through the Dark Emotions: The Wisdom of Grief, Fear, and Despair,
Shambala Publications, 2004.
Havel, Vaclav, Open Letters, Selected Writings 1965-1990, New York: Knopf, 1991.
James, E.O., Sacrifice and Sacrament, New York: Thames & Hudson, 1962.
Joreen, "The Tyranny of Structurelessness," Radical Feminism, ed. Koedt, et al, New York:
Quadrangle Books, 1973.
Klein, R. H., Rice, C., Schermer, V., Leadership in a Changing World, Lexington Books, 2009.
Lazlo, Irvin, Hubbard Barbara, Chaos Point 2012 and Beyond: Appointment with Destiny, Hampton
Roads Publishing Company, 2010.
May, Rollo, The Courage to Create, New York: Bantam, 1975.
Nye, Joseph, The Powers to Lead, Oxford University Press, 2008.
Owen, Harrison, The Power of Spirit: How Organizations Transform, Berrett-Koehler, 2000.
Pink, Daniel, Purpose, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, Riverhead Books,
New York, 2011.
Plato, The Republic of Plato, London: Oxford University Press, 1945.
Quinn, Robert E., The Positive Organization, Berrett-Koehler, 2015.
Robinson, Ken, The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything, Viking Press,
2009.
Steele, Shelby, The Content of Our Character: A New Vision of Race in America, New York:
Harper Perennial, 1991.
Tracy, Laura, Competition Among Women: The Secret Between Us, Boston: Little Brown, 1991.
Vandana, Shiva, Staying Alive: Women, Ecology, and Development, Zed Books Ltd., 2010.
Whitehurst, Jim, The Open Organization, Harvard Business Review Press, 2015.
10
****************************
11