Leadership and Change

I would like it if we could have a more in depth discussion about some of our readings. I realize that we have a lot to read and trying to get it all in is a huge challenge. However, some of the texts are very difficult for me and I would get more out of them if we could a) spend a little more time on them and b) look at them more in the context of the class as a whole.

Claudia

I would like longer periods of time spent discussing fewer readings in more depth. I would like more give-and-take instead of the sense that everyone needs to make one in-class comment to meet their "participation" requirement. I'd like lots of discussion, lots of participants, lots of interaction on fewer readings.

It would be very helpful to have a brief bulleted summary of what has been read and discussed the previous week, appending to the summary each subsequent week. I would then have a more comprehensive ongoing picture of what the class is attempting to accomplish (help us to be more effective leaders of change) and allow me more time to discover my own take-aways from the different leadership strategies. As it now stands, I have lots of reading reflections and notes that I will still need to find time to organize and re-review in order to have a decent handle on everything we've had to digest in such a short time.

I would like to read less articles but to discuss the ones we read more in depth. I feel we are just skimming the surface with so many of the readings - there is so much more to take away but we often are rushed to only discuss the obvious. I would rather fully discuss 2 articles and really grasp the entire content than read 5 and barely understand what any of them are saying. Its a quality/quantity issue - I vote for quality.

I would also like more personal experiences shared that relate to the subject matter. These experiences really seem to help me better understand the concepts.

I would like more application of the theories and ideas we are reading about. I recognize this is what our project is, but what are some others?

I feel like I want more real-life examples. Even though books and movies and the play will help, I want more clear stories of both success and failure. I liked our speaker and love hearing from other classmates. What valuable experiences do people have and can share?

This is difficult because the class is structured in a way that would be difficult to change in the middle and still be fair to everyone--being that some people still have to present and/or haven't posted all their reading reflections. I would also like to have more time to discuss the readings and hear of concrete examples that help me in understanding the readings and applying them to my own experiences. Small group work is really helpful in this regard but it seems like there's not enough time. Maybe classmates that still have to lead a group discussion could include group work? Just a thought. I also agree with Nan on her comment about class participation.

I would like to see us look at individuals and companies that are prominent and productive to see what it is they do that has made them successful.

I have seen enough about theory and would like to see the class become more of a case study of success, whatever that may be. We could look at financially successful to spiritually successful. Studying people like Mother Teresa to Oprah and E-bay to Wal-mart. What is it they have as core values that has translated into leadership?

What I think might be interesting is more of a case study. I would like to see what fellow classmates would come up with for ‘leadership tactics’ if we were to say dissect a ‘real life’ situation (i.e. case). I think it would be somewhat fascinating to see the different approaches of leadership that would be use to resolve what the problem was. If this was something we did I would not what to know the resolve the company had until we as a class reviewed what we came up with.

I'll admit I am spending more time digesting K&P and less so wrapping my arms around the articles. My suggestion for K&P would be to use famous, or at least more prominent, leaders for their examples. Doing so would make the lessons far more memorable for me. (A savvy writer might want to tackle just that sort of project) Like most of my colleagues that have replied, I feel more in-depth discussions of fewer readings could be beneficial.

We have been given a great opportunity however to develop a very broad overview so far. I doubt that drastic changes could be made at this point. I'm not even sure they are needed. I think a lot of us have just become accustomed to less material covered in more detail. I feel the tweaking that was done earlier regarding the blogging requirements has been helpful.

I agree that there has been so many concepts to digest that we've only skimmed the surface. I see the necessity for that, since covering leadership AND change in breadth and depth isn't possible in such a short time.

There isn't anything I would currently be doing that is different, considering the time limitations placed upon any course.

More of a commentary: I am focusing more on Kouzes and Posner as well, since we have the entire book to digest and consider. I think the group project will allow us to practice some of the ideas we've learned rather effectively. If I can take what I learn from practicing in the group project to my own career, then I would consider this class to have been very successful.

The semester began with a flurry of readings, reflections, and the blog, and it took me about four weeks to begin working beyond the course expectations. My interest in seeking a graduate education is to improve skills and knowledge for real-world benefits. I never tire of opportunities to explore what "innovative change" actually is, how it comes to be within real situations, how it reveals itself, and then how to gauge its short, medium, and long-term impacts at personal, organizational, or societal levels. Unfortunately, the time available for engaging at even rather superficial levels about the readings or applications is quite short. I am hard pressed to say which of the diverse readings I would do without, for I have thoroughly enjoyed the full breadth of the content.

I am trying to approach the blog as an alternative avenue, but cannot quite get over some reservations I have about that public forum as a substitute for face-to-face engagement on subjects as complex as these. I cannot share any details of a current client relationship that has enabled me to use a tremendous amount of the course teachings and begin to answer my own questions in partnership with the client group.

If I have one tangible suggestion, it is to reveal details about the action research project earlier in the semester. Our team laments that we are constrained by the limited number of weeks that remain. However, we are moving forward, using the research-based models, and enjoying the experience.

I agree with the comments made by most everyone else; the quantity of information is overwhelming and I would appreciate more quality discussion of fewer readings/ideas.

I don't want to add any other requirements for the course, but I think it would be helpful to somehow map all of the readings to see how they connect/overlap/inter-relate. I have no idea how to go about it, but I feel like I'm missing the big picture we're developing as I spend all of my mental capacity just trying to digest each week's information.

I agree with the above postings that going more in depth with the classrooom readings would be more benficial for myself. I love the articles that we've been exposed to and still want that exposure, but feel like it would be better to have 30 minutes discussion on more difficult articles then 3, 10 minute segments.

I agree with the above postings that going more in depth with the classrooom readings would be more benficial for myself. I love the articles that we've been exposed to and still want that exposure, but feel like it would be better to have 30 minutes discussion on more difficult articles then 3, 10 minute segments.

Perhaps a discussion in class could be about our specific academic interests [non-professional goals] and how they relate to the theme of the course.

We understand the language/theory of these concepts in professional settings, but how can we use the same format to change our personal or less structured environments?

I would like to have one more guest speaker either from outside or from our classmates, talk about the leadership challenges and how to deal with them with the leadership theories or models we learnt.

I agree with what others have said about there being challenging readings that don't get enough class discussion. However, it looks like the readings were heavier in the early half of the semester, so maybe this is a suggestion for the future. Everyone seems to grasp K&P without much difficulty, so maybe there shouldn't be presentations done on K&P. Instead, perhaps two or three people can be assigned to one article and they do a joint presentation to the class. That way, two or three people have read the same piece, they meet to discuss it, and then they give a presentation geared towards helping the rest of the class tie the piece in with other class concepts.

I am very intimidated at the time line for the Action Research Projects. Even if we had known from the outset how we wanted to pursue our topic, I am concerned that there is not sufficient time to complete it with the level of quality I believe is necessary. When you add the weight of the project to the weekly quantity of reading and blogging required, it begins to feel like an impossible task. I would also be more comfortable with a bit more structure to the process and the project guidelines.

Sarah Waldemar

I also like the idea of more in-depth discussion on fewer readings and perhaps additional case studies. The members of our class have a wide variety of experiences that I enjoy listening to, relating to and discussing. I like the tangible examples of leadership successes and failures that case studies provide. It helps me relate it to my own situation.

My recommendation is to get into the action research project formulation within the first couple of weeks. I purposefully front loaded my reading evaluation postings to allow more time to work on the project and final paper. The body of work we examine will be a future reference tool for me, however I agree that more discussion of a few key pieces would have been welcome. I would like to see 2 or 3 more guests speaking on their real world application of leadership skills in fostering change and innovation in their organizations.

I like the personal aspect and experiencing things. So, I really appreciate the avenue to read other's opinions, to listen to others and to participate in the action research project as well as going to the play.. One of the things I appreciate best is talking with my colleage, Ben, about this class our experiences and improvements we dream up within our work environment. I would personally like to hear more from people (Jack was a great speaker) on changes they made, their challenges and reflecting what they would have done differently in the process - big or small project changes.

I do tend to agree with the idea of a little less reading and more discussions. This might be more effective. I do struggle and try to keep up with the readings but I also realize that I loose a lot of the main points simply because I am trying to make sure I read more.
Bringing in additional guest speakers would also help to reinforce the readings with real life examples and experiences.