GRADUATE PROGRAM IN COEXISTENCE AND CONFLICT

COEX 272a– Responsible Leadership

Alain Lempereur, Alan B. Slifka Professor in Coexistence and Conflict Resolution

Class time:Fall2014, Friday, 9:00 am –11:50 pm
Location:Schneider Building, 163

Contact information for Prof. Lempereur

Office Hours: By appointment on the following Google Doc

Office:Graduate Program in Coexistence and Conflict

Heller School, Schneider Building, Level 1, # 106

Email:

Phone:6-3959

Description

Leadership is good news or bad news. It is about leading, but it might also be about misleading. It is more than justgood intentions, charisma, a personal gift, or features of a person; it is about impact, serving justice, positive values and the community; it must be done right. When it is exercised properly, the good must ensue for most of all, while empowering the voiceless, the weak, the least privileged, the most at risk, the disenfranchised. That is whythis course is notinterested merely in a leadership that is just another word for power at any cost, just an instrument for any cause. All together, the class will be spotting responsibleleadership,where the solutionsof women and men of power respond to the problems of the people, to whom they areaccountablefor.

Objectives

Exploring responsible leadership in terms of people, problems and processes

The course examines how to integrate responsibility as a permanent drive in leadership, i.e. to care for the people, to solve their problems and to facilitate an empoweringprocess:

  • People Care

◦Serving the community, analyzing others’ needs, putting the concrete other first,

◦Empathizing with all stakeholders: the disenfranchised, the marginalized, the groups at risk, the next generations, …

◦Aiming for long-term improvement of self and others.

  • Problem Solving

◦Mobilizing ethical values (security, integrity, justice, coexistence, etc.).

◦Building acceptable solutions, which are seen as responding to the problems, legitimate, broadly beneficial to all, and open to ongoing review.

◦Delivering positive impact of the solution on the environment (safe, peaceful, caring, inclusive, green, sustainable growth, etc.).

  • Process Facilitation

◦Empowering all stakeholders from convening to implementation.

◦Favoring a facilitative process to build ownership of the solutions.

◦Ensuring broad accountability for any decision (i.e. not only with own constituency, but beyond).

Possible Objectives for Members of this Class

  • Increasing the capacity to analyze what positive contributions leaders can bring.
  • Spotting the risks of misleading behaviors.
  • Influencing the leaders so that they deliver good impact for the community.
  • Giving and receiving feedback, as leaders, or to leaders.
  • Assessing one’s competencies as a leader and as “second in command”.
  • Becoming leaders of positive change.

Formatand Prerequisites

This course consists of 13 class sessions taught once a week for 3 hours per class. Class sessions will feature practical simulations (role plays), that participants will be asked to prepare at home before class, to role-play with their classmates, in pairs or in teams, and then to debrief with the entire group. Members of the class will also be exposed to case studies, exercises and video excerpts that they will be asked to review and analyze. Summary lectures will sum up the concepts and tools at the end of each session.

Requirements

Attendance, Punctuality, and Active Participation

In order to benefit from experiential learning, you are required to attend every class and lab, barring documented illness. Please also arrive on time at the beginning of class and after the break. If you know you will be absent or late, for a legitimate reason, make sure you warn in advance your instructor and teaching assistant, who cannot acceptunexcused absences. Should you miss more than two classes or labs, unfortunately, you will not qualify for credit. Attendance is more than just coming to class. You are expected to actively participate.

Assignments and Readings

In order to ensure active participation in the best possible conditions, make sure you complete the assignments listed below on time. It is highly recommended that students annotate personal copies of, or make notes from the readings. Students might be called upon to discuss readings in class and to participate in individual or group presentations. They must therefore come to class prepared to allow well-informed discussions. Students enjoy complete academic freedom in the classroom, within the limits defined by mutual respect.

Students will be assigned different roles in leadership simulations. They are asked not to communicate before class with students who are not on the same side.

Writing Requirements

The writing requirements listed below are intended to encourage students to approach reading materials critically, to foster improved research and writing skills, and to serve as a basis for contributing to class discussion and a diversity of opinions. Students are expected to devote careful attention to the technical quality of their written work, as well as its substance. They must be honest in all academic work.

(See:

All written work for this course must include appropriate citation of the sources used.

  • See section 56c (“Avoid Plagiarism”) of the Concise English Handbook.
  • See ‘Truth even unto its Innermost Part’ and in particular the section dealing with citations.

The university policy on academic honesty is distributed annually, as section 5 of the Rights and Responsibilities handbook. Academic integrity is critical in all that you write and say, and transgressions are treated severely. Instances of alleged dishonesty will be forwarded to the Office of Campus Life for possible referral to the Student Judicial System. Potential sanctions include failure in the course and suspension from the university. If you have any questions about this, please ask.

Individual Written and Group Assignments

All written assignments must be typewritten, single-spaced in 12-point font (like this syllabus), and submitted electronically via LATTE through a dropbox, as a Microsoft Word attachment (if you are not using Word, you may format your file in Rich Text Format [RTF]), either before class, in class, or after class as mentioned below.

1. Three post-meetingSummary Group Reports(maximumone page each) will be handed in after the simulated negotiation in class for:

  • Session 3: Report for the simulation “Harmocom” (SR1)

Due: Friday, September 12(in class)

  • Session 4: Report for the simulation “Paradise Project” (SR2)

Due: Friday, September 19(in class)

  • Session 7: Report for the simulation “Weathers & Evans”(SR3)

Due: Friday, October 24(in class)

  • Session 13: Report for the simulation “SIMSOC” (SR4)

Due: Friday, December 5(in class)

2. One short Powerpoint presentation on responsible leadership taking one book about aleader as a case study (2 slides each, one on why he or she could be considered as a leader, one on why he or she could be seen as a responsible leader or not). For each session, you have a list of leaders, which is not exhaustive. Pleasepick one of the names in one of the lists, and read at least one book that is associated to that leader. You must make one such short oral presentation between sessions 5 and 10 and refer to the book you read and to either Leadership without Easy Answers or Leading Minds.

  • After Session 1: Please choose the leader you want to present. Propose three names by order of preference. If several participants pick the same leader, the leader will be assigned at random.

Due: Friday, September12

4.End of the term paper on responsible leadership(approximately 10 pages, with endnotes and bibliography), as well as a short PPT presentation summarizing the findings (two or three slides maximum), are required. Make sure you integrate some of the readings. The choice of topic must be submitted in writing on Latte byOctober3rd. When you choose one of the topics, please indicate which of the following formats you want to explore, and develop:

  • Theory Paper.Read one book on leadership or on a leader and determine how it addresses or not the question ofresponsibility.
  • Case Study.Expose areal-lifecase where leadership is required for coexistence or responsibility to protect, and how to exercise responsibility in this case.

Whatever choice you make, your final topic should be validated by the instructor. As your final paper is an academic writing assignment, please use the APA writing format, with appropriate references to literature, readings, and or/lectures. A short bibliography will be expected. It is intended that the best and most relevant of case studies and theory papers might be publicized on the Coexistence web site at:

In-Class Oral Presentation

Each participant will summarize orally the major findings of his or her final paperon November14th. He or she is encouraged to use a PPT presentation, with two or three slides maximum, to be submitted electronically on November10th, in order to consolidate all students’ PPT presentation in one document.

Each PPT presentation should be two or three slides (5 minutes). It will be followed by a short Q&A time.Participants will have a total of 10 minutes for both the presentation and Q&A.At the end of their presentation, participants are asked to identify a particularly good book, chapter, journal article, or web source,as to allow the class membersto explore further the topic in question.

After the oral presentation and its discussion, students are asked to reread,complete, and correct the draft of their paper they submitted on November 10th. Submission of the final version of their paper is due on November21st.

Choice of Topic Due: Friday October3rd (before class)

Paper Draft & PPT Presentation Due: Monday November10th

Oral In-Class Presentation: Friday November14th

Final Version of the Paper Due: FridayNovember21st

Summary of the Written Assignments

Dates / Cases / Summary
Report
(in class) / Papers on
Responsible
Leadership
(after class)
Session 1 / Aug 29
Session 2 / Sep 5 / Choice of Book
to Present in Class
Session 3 / Sep 12 / Harmocom / SR1
Session 4 / Sep 19 / Paradise Project / SR2
NO CLASS / Sep 26
Session 5 / Oct 3 / Choice for final Paper
Session 6 / Oct 10 / 13 Days
Session 7 / Oct 17
Session 8 / Oct 24 / Weathers & Evans / SR3
Session 9 / Oct 31
Session 10 / Nov 7
Nov 10 / Paper Draft
and PPT SP
Session 11 / Nov 14 / Oral Presentation
Session 12 / Nov 21 / Final Paper Due
NO CLASS / Nov 28
Session 13 / Dec 5 / SIMSOC / SR4 / Short paper on SIMSOC

Grading

The final grade in this course will consist of the following components:

  • 25%: Class Participation (class interactions, participation in discussions), including Four Group Assignments (4 post-simulation reports)
  • 25%: Short Book Presentation
  • 20%: In-Class Presentation of Final Paper
  • 30%: Final Paper on Responsible Leadership (10 pages)

Core Texts

The following textswill be read during the course.

  • Required: Heifetz, Ronald (1994). Leadership without Easy Answers. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
  • Recommended: Allison, Graham, Zelikow, Philip (19992).Essence of Decision. Explaining the Cuban Missile Crisis. New York: Longman, 1971.
  • Recommended: Gardner, Howard. (1995). Leading Minds.An Anatomy of Leadership. London: Harper Collins.
  • For more books on leadership, see “Leadershop. Building a Community of Leaders”:

Schedule, Readings and Other Assignments

Class Session 1: The Foundation. The Case for Responsible Leadership

August 29, 2014, 9:00-11.50am

Required Readings and Assignments

  • Heifetz, Ronald (1994). Leadership without Easy Answers. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, pp. 13-48.
  • Brenkert, George (2006). “Integrity, responsible leaders and accountability.” In: Responsible Leadership, T. Maak and N. Pless (eds), London and NY:Routledge, pp. 95-107.
  • La Fontaine, Jean de. “The Wolf and the Dog,”In Fables
    See:
    In French: see

Agenda

9:00 / Welcome
9:15 / Models? / Socrates, Hypatia, Averroes, Dalai Lama, Prejean, Hill
9:30 / Action / Self-Portrait
10:30 / Break
10:45 / Reflection / Questioning and Problem-Solving
11:50 / End

Debriefing Themes

  • He, or She as a Leader
  • Name your leaders. What is a leader? What makes a leader?
  • What is the leader’s responsibility?What makes a leader responsible?
  • When and where does positive contribution start and stop?
  • What about daily leadership? What about you? Who are you?
  • What about your leadership?
  • What about accountability?
  • What about justice, the next generation?
  • What comes first? Q&A?
  • Questioning and problem-solving
  • The Four Leadership Styles (Heifetz, Perkins)
  • Technical and adaptive problems
  • Sophia and philosophia, truth and seeking, positionalism and questioning (Meyer)
  • Socrates and the courage of truth (Foucault)
  • Problems and demands (Valery)

Choose your Leader

  • Socrates:Taylor, C. (2001). Socrates: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press.

Listen to:

Foucault, Michel (2002). Le Courage de la Vérité.Cours du College de France de 1984, Presses Universitaires de France, 2002.

Watch the movie “The Death of Socrates” (2010).

  • Hypatia:Dzielska, Maria (1995). Hypatia of Alexandria, Harvard University Press.

Watch the movie “Agora” (2009).

  • IbnRushd (Averroes): Leaman, Olivier (1998).Averroes and his Philosophy, Routledge.

Watch the movie “Destiny”(1998).

  • Dalai Lama: The Dalai Lama (2010). Toward A True Kinship of Faiths, Doubleday


Watch the movie “Kundun” (1997) or “Seven Years in Tibet” (1997).

  • Helen Prejean: Prejean, Helen (1995). Dead Man Walking, An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States. New York: Vintage Books.

Watch the movie “Dead Man Walking”(1995).

  • Anita Hill: Hill, Anita (1997). Speaking Truth to Power. New York: Doubleday.

Watch the movie “Anita”(2013).

To Go Further: Suggested Readings and More

  • Aristotle, NicomacheanEthics,MIT Classics.
  • Cohen, William (1995).A Class with Drucker.Amacom, chapter 6, pp. 57-68.
  • George, Bill (2003). Authentic Leadership. Rediscovering the Secrets to Creating Lasting Value. San Francisco: Jossey Bass, pp. 11-25.
  • Sison, Alejo Jose (2006). “Leadership, character and virtues from an Aristotelian viewpoint.” In: Responsible Leadership, op. cit., pp. 108-121.
  • Rawls, John (1971). A Theory of Justice. Cambridge, MA: The Belknap Press of Oxford University Press, 1986, pp. 60-65.
  • Valery, Paul (1919). Crisis of the Mind
  • Foucault, Michel (2002). Le Courage de la Vérité. Cours du College de France de 1984, Presses Universitaires de France, 2002.
  • Meyer, Michel (1995). Of Problematology. University of Chicago Press.
    In French: De laProblematologie. Mardaga, 1986.
  • Watch the movie “Dead Poet Society” (1989).

Class Session 2: The Motivation. The Case for Inspirational Leadership

September 5, 2014, 9:00-11.50am

Required Readings and Assignments

  • Goleman, Daniel, Boyatzis, Richard and McKee, Annie.“Primal Leadership: The Hidden Driver of Great Performance,” Breakthrough Leadership, Reprint of the Harvard Business Review(December 2001), Cambridge, MA: Harvard Business Press, pp. 25-49.
  • Gardner, Howard. (1995). Leading Mind. An Anatomy of Leadership.London: Harper Collins, Chapter on Gandhi, pp. 267-284.

Agenda

9:00 / Welcome
9:15 / Models? / Gandhi, Patton, Martin Luther King, Mandela,
Aung San SuuKyi
10.00 / Action / The Fears
10:30 / Break
10:45 / Reflection / Inspiration and Perspiration
11:50 / End

Debriefing Themes

  • Motivation, inspiration
  • Vision, mission
  • Reflection and action
  • Leadership and followership
  • Focus and self-rule
  • Words and deeds
  • Charisma, assertiveness
  • Listening, empathy
  • Questioning, dialectic and coexistence of opinions
  • Emotional intelligence, self-awareness and change
  • Resonant leadership
  • Dialogue and conversation
  • The bargaining model
  • The coexistence of truths and the truth of coexistence
  • Creative deviance

Choose your Leader

  • Gandhi:Axelrod, Alan (2010), Gandhi CEO. 14 Principles to Guide and Inspire Modern Leaders, NY: Sterling.
    Watch the movie “Gandhi” (1982)
  • Patton:Axelrod, Alan (1999),Patton on Leadership. Strategic Lessons for Corporate Warfare. New Jersey: Prentice Hall Press.

Watch the movie “Patton” (1970)

  • Martin Luther King:Carson,Clayborne (1998). The Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jr,New York: Warner Books, 1997, 2004.
    Watch the miniseries “King” (1978)

Though:

  • Mandela:Mandela, Nelson (1994). Long Walk to Freedom.The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela.Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 2004.
    Watch for example the movies “Mandela” (1996), “Goodbye Bofana” (2007), “Invictus” (2009).
  • Aung San SuuKji:Stewart, Whitney (1997). Aung San SuuKyi: Fearless Voice of Burma. Twenty-First Century Books.
    Watch:

Watch the movie “The Lady” (2010).

To Go Further: Suggested Readings and More

  • Axelrod, Alan (2010), Gandhi CEO. 14 Principles to Guide and Inspire Modern Leaders, NY: Sterling.
  • Axelrod, Alan (2009), Churchill CEO. 25 Lessonsfor Bold Business Leaders, NY: Sterling.

Class Session 3: The Delegation. The Case for Leadership from Behind

September 12, 2014, 9:00-11.50am

Required Readings and Assignments

  • Maccoby, Michael (2010). The Leaders We Need. And What Makes Us Follow, Boston: Harvard Business School Press, pp. 41-55.
  • Stone, Douglas & Heen, Sheila (2014). Thanks for the Feedback. The Science and Art of Receiving Feedback Well. New York: Penguin, pp. 15-26.
  • Harmocom, Simulation Role. You will role-play the negotiation with other students, with whom you are asked to fill out a Summary Report (SR1) in class, after the simulation.

Agenda

9:00 / Welcome
9:15 / Models? / Joan of Arc, Talleyrand, Ike, McArthur,Powell, Lagarde
9:30 / Action / Harmocom
10:30 / Break
10:45 / Reflection / Build your leader
11:50 / End

Debriefing Themes

  • Leadership and followership
  • Servant leadership
  • Chain of command and mandate
  • Second in command
  • Clarity of goals
  • Levels of authority
  • Decentralized command
  • Flexible rigidity
  • Accountability
  • Giving and receiving feedback
  • The law of legacy
  • Protecting oneself against assassination

Choose your Leader

  • Joan of Arc:Brooks, Polly Schoyer (1999). Beyond the Myth: The Story of Joan of Arc. New York: Houghton Mifflin.

    Watch “The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc” (1999).
  • Talleyrand: Cooper, Duff (1997). Talleyrand. New York: Grove Press, 1932.
    Watch “The Lame Devil” (1948), “The Supper” (1992), “Napoleon” (2002).
  • Dwight Eisenhower: Ambrose, Stephen E. (1983). Eisenhower: Soldier, General of the Army, President-Elect, 1890–1952
    Watch the movie “Ike: Countdown to D-Day” (2004).
  • Douglas McArthur: Berhman, Greg (2007).No Substitute for Victory: Lessons in Strategy and Leadership from General Douglas McArthur. Financial times Prentice Hall.
    Watch: “McArthur” (1977).
  • Colin Powell:Harari, Oren (2002). The Leadership Secrets of Colin Powell. New York: McGraw Hill, 2002.
  • Watch “For Love of Liberty: The Story of America's Black Patriots” (2010) and “Green Zone” (2010).

To Go Further: Suggested Readings and More