This is a workshop focused on providing key aspects of leadership principles and challenges faced by department chairs. This 2-day Fundamentals workshop will later be followed by five stand-alone workshops on the following topics: conflict resolution, communication skills, 1st line leadership, mentoring and coaching/developing people, and decision making. This Fundamentals workshop is designed for department chairs, distance learning site directors, supervisory project managers, and other supervisory staff members.
Leadership, leadership development, management, leadership training
Foundations of Leadership is an introductory module in a series of workshops for leaders of various levels across the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLIFLC). Participants will explore a number of foundational leadership concepts which will be addressed in more detail in subsequent workshops. These additional workshops can be taken in any order, after the Foundations of Leadership has been completed. The module content is based on the needs assessment conducted in April of 2017 through a series of interviews and focus groups from all levels of the organization. The workshop design follows an experiential learning approach that provides participants with the opportunities to apply the newly gained knowledge to their own work settings.
The Foundations of Leadership course includes 12 sections:
The Foundations of Effective Leadership Workshop is focused on providing key aspects of leadership principles and challenges within the DLIFLC context. This two-day foundational workshop is followed by five other stand-alone professional development trainings on the following topics: conflict resolution, communication skills, 1st line leadership, mentoring and coaching/developing people, and decision making.
Department of Defense (DoD) Civilian Leadership Competencies Addressed:
Workshop objectives:
As a result of completing this module, you will be able to:
Complete a survey: Your facilitator will present you with a brief survey for you to complete so we get to know you better and can better understand your areas of interest in leading others.
Make a comment: Tell your peers about yourself (the nature of your work, how long you have been doing it, etc.) and share some information on your supervisory experience (how long you have been in a supervisory position, what are some of the organizational and other challenges you face, etc.)
Create an update: What is Leadership to you? Who or what influenced your experience of leadership? How did they shape your values, tendencies, and biases?
Rationale:
In accordance with the DLIFLC Leadership Development Roadmap, the Center for Leadership Development is designing workshops for leaders of various levels across the Institute. There will be a series of two-day workshops for first-line supervisors. The first workshop, Foundations of Leadership, is an introductory module that will introduce the various topics and include diagnostic instruments which will be referred to in the following workshops. The other workshops can be taken in any order, after the Foundations of Leadership has been completed. The content of all workshops is based on the needs assessment. The workshops will utilize an experiential learning approach where participants will apply gained knowledge to their own work settings.
Pedagogical Considerations:
This course is the online version of the two-day workshop described above. The online version of the workshop will be offered to the supervisors in the Distance Learning Centers who may not have opportunities to attend face-to-face trainings at the Presidio of Monterey
This module consists of a series of topics, and each topic has one or two updates with videos, texts, worksheets and case-studies to help participants listen, read and reflect in the context of their own experiences and particular situation.
Participants will engage with the materials through reflection, research and online discussion among themselves. Each participant is expected to respond to the reflection questions with a comment. In addition, they are also expected to create and update for each section.
This first section of Goals and Objectives is only intended for the facilitator and participants to get the pulse of the group and for participants to introduce themselves and share their supervisory experience. It is expected that participants will familiarize with each other and begin to form a sense of community with the other participants and facilitators.
Some of the sections of the course are longer than others due to the nature of the content; and may take longer to complete. Facilitators are encouraged to become familiar with the content and allow the necessary time for each section.
In this update we will explore the differences between the concept of leadership and the concept of management and will discuss why those distinctions are important.
Review the summary chart contrasting leadership and management. The article that follows provides a more detailed explanation.
Watch the following two videos on leadership and management while trying to relate their content to your own experience.
Video 1: John Kotter on Leadership vs management: The Key Differences Between Leading and Managing
Video 2: The Perils of Confusing Management and Leadership
Make a comment (expected length approx. between 150-200 words):
Create an update (expected length approx. 200 words):
Consider whether a good manager can be a bad leader and vice versa. Back up your rationale with charts, images and videos.
Respond to at least 3 peer updates posting your comments through the appropriate platform online. (Responses should be 100 words or more).
Rationale:
There are important distinctions between managing and leading people. Leaders have a vision of what they see as possible and inspire and engage people in turning that vision into reality. They think beyond what individuals do. Managers focus on setting, measuring and achieving goals. They control situations to reach or exceed their objectives.
Leaders are disrupters and innovators. They embrace change and they understand and accept the fact that changes to the system often create waves. Managers stick with what works, refining systems, structures and processes to make them better.
Leaders focus on people – all the stakeholders they need to influence in order to realize their vision. They know who their stakeholders are and spend most of their time with them. They build loyalty and trust by consistently delivering on their promise. Managers focus on the structures necessary to set and achieve goals. They focus on the analytical and ensure systems are in place to attain desired outcomes. They work with individuals and their goals and objectives.
A successful chairperson and supervisor needs to be both a strong leader and manager in order to get their team on board to follow them towards their vision of success.
Pedagogical Considerations:
This section provides an opportunity for the participants to begin analyzing the types of things they do on a daily basis and where they spend most of their time: leading or managing. They also begin to consider the question of what makes a good leader; and start looking at different ways in which leadership has been defined over the last several decades. This is just a brief introduction to the section on leadership styles that will be discussed later on.
Supplementary materials:
Consider introducing the following discussion of leadership as a trait vs. leadership as a process at the beginning of this update if many of your participants are new to leadership training and are unfamiliar with the scholarly definition of leadership.
For more detailed discussion of leadership vs. management, see here:
In this update, you will look at followership from a dynamic leader-follower interaction perspective and examine the multiple roles followers play and their often complex relationship to leaders.
You will also explore the practice and research that promote positive followership to reveal the part that followers play in setting the standards and formulating the culture and policies of the group.
Video 1: The Art of Followership: How Great Followers Create Great Leaders and Organizations
Video 2: The Art of Following
Video 3: What is Followership
Reading material:
Make a comment: How does your understanding of followership help you in continually growing as a leader?
Create an update: As a first-line supervisor, what strategies could you take to develop more effective followers in your own setting? Choose one type of follower below and discuss some strategies for engaging them in becoming more effective followers.
Respond to at least 3 peer updates posting your comments through the appropriate platform online. (Responses should be 100 words or more).
Rationale:
Followership is important in the discussion of leadership for several reasons. In fact, one leadership theory is based on how managers adjust their behavior to fit situations, especially their followers. Thus, the nature of leader–follower relationships involves reciprocity, the mutual exchange of influence. Leadership and followership are closely intertwined. Effective followers can shape productive leadership behavior just as effective leaders develop employees into good followers.
Pedagogical Considerations:
In this section, course participants will first watch a couple of videos about the notion of followership and why it is important to look at followership when studying leadership. Participants will then read two articles by Rost and Gardner discussing the importance of looking at followership. For each article, there is one comprehension question about the content of the article, followed by a reflection question with direct application to the leader.
The section ends with an article by Kelley, where the author discusses four different types of followers and how to cultivate effective followers. Here, the participant is asked to reflect on some strategies to use with the different types of followers and how to engage them to become more effective in that role.
Additional Resources:
Another great way to demonstrate the post-industrial concept of followership is this video:
Leadership Timeline
Why do certain people become great leaders? Leadership theories seek to answer this question.
Here is a very brief overview of top 10 leadership theories
On Machiavellian Leadership
Machiavelli was born in Florence, Italy, in 1469. He was a politician and writer, and his best-known work is The Prince, in which Machiavelli teaches political leaders of the time how to keep power by any means, including immoral decisions, dishonesty, killing, etc.
There is a lot of debate about whether Machiavelli was really teaching how to do evil in the world to remain in power, or instead representing the worst of the political caste of the time. However, 503 years after he wrote The Prince, it seems that many of the political and corporate leaders of our time still behave in similar ways as described by Machiavelli.
Make a comment: How do you see yourself as a leader? How prevalent is the Machiavellian leadership style in your cultural background? Do you think your supervisees see your role that way? (looking at it from the supervisees’ perspective – how do their expectations of leaders affect your work?)
Create an update: Review the Machiavellian leadership characteristics (the left column) in the worksheet below. Write an update describing appropriate behaviors and strategies that provide an alternative approach to this style.
Respond to at least 3 peer updates.
Rationale:
Sections 4 and 5 begin to briefly look at Leadership Theory. Scholars and practitioners have attempted to define leadership for more than a century without universal consensus. Here we begin by taking a quick look at how leadership has been defined over the last century. Then we turn to Machiavelian Leadership. While Machiavelli “is frequently dismissed today as an amoral cynic who supposedly considered the end to justify the means,” many of his ideas and teachings are still encountered and practiced today. It is important to be able to identify what Machiavellian Leadership looks like, its implications and possible alternative ways to look at leadership and the role of the leader.
Pedagogical considerations:
First, participants look at the Leadership Timeline and watch a short video that describes the different ways to study Leadership. This is only intended to situate the participants and guide them to the discussion of Machiavellian Leadership. Many leaders at the DLI still appear to follow the principles described by Machiavelli the 1500s. Participants are asked to reflect on the characteristics of the Machiavellian style and then discuss appropriate behaviors and strategies that provide an alternative approach to this style. Participants are also asked to consider how their supervisees' expectations may affect their work and how they lead.
Additional Resources:
For more information on specific leadership styles, see the following resources:
Transformational Leadership
Transformational leadership is defined as a leadership approach that causes change in individuals and social systems. In its ideal form, it creates valuable and positive change in the followers with the end goal of developing followers into leaders.
Here is an overview of the 4 transformational leadership factors
Situational Leadership
The situational theory of leadership suggests that no single leadership style is "best." The following video provides a breakdown of the Situational Leadership model
Strategies for Directing Style
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Strategies for Supporting Style
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Strategies for Coaching Style
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Strategies for Delegating Style
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Make a comment: Reflect on the four transformational leadership factors and try to articulate how your leadership reflects those characteristics and where do you think you can continue to develop your own leadership.
Create an update: Chose one case study (attached below); identify what quadrant the employee falls under (according to the situational leadership model) and post your ideas and suggestions for what strategies to use with the employee. Respond to at least 3 peer updates.
Situational Leadership Case Studies:
Refer to the previous update for the rationale, pedagogical considerations, and additional resources.
Emotional Intelligence, or EQ, is your ability to recognize and understand emotions in yourself and others, and your ability to use this awareness to manage your behavior and relationships.
Emotional intelligence gives individuals a variety of skills, such as the ability to manage relationships, navigate social networks, influence and inspire others. Every person possesses different levels, but in order for individuals to become effective leaders, they’ll need a high level of emotional intelligence. In today’s workplace, EQ has become a highly important factor for success, influencing productivity, efficiency and team collaboration.
Follow the link below and complete the online EQ assessment:
Online Emotional Intelligence Test
Make a comment: Can you think of any examples of situations or events in your department that were influenced by either poor management or excellent management of emotions? What is your role as a leader in helping your supervisees handle their emotions?
Create an update: Review the report generated for you by the online EQ test. Based on your results, reflect on which quadrant you wish to explore and develop. Consider some steps you may take to develop the area you wish to work on.
Respond to at least 3 peer updates.
Rationale:
Great leaders are aware of their own leadership style. For them, having awareness of how their style influences their team, makes these already great leaders, exceptional. Truly great leaders identify, understand and not only manage their own emotions, but are able to do that with others in a very empowering way. This is referred to as having emotional intelligence.
Leaders with high emotional intelligence are able to regulate themselves and stay in control. These individuals are unlikely to rush headlong into hasty decisions or let their anger take over their behavior. They are also able to clearly communicate with others and know what to say in order to inspire and motivate. In addition, leaders with emotional intelligence are well tuned to the emotions of others and are able to pick up on what is going on around them. Leaders with emotional intelligence are equipped to handle conflicts and provide resolution. They can help placate disagreements that arise between employees, or other parties. Effective leaders can use their emotional intelligence to develop a more effective workplace.
Pedagogical Considerations:
In this section, participants will take an online self-assessment tool to analyze their emotional intelligence. They will receive a report and then reflect on the areas where they might want to work on and develop.
Here at the DLI, we have been discussing how to teach culture for a long time, and we all understand the importance of cultural awareness for our students and in language learning in general. But, the purpose of this section is not to talk about how to teach culture to our students.
In this workshop, we will be looking at intercultural competence in leadership; how to be an effective leader within DLI’s multicultural environment. While cultural stereotypes tend to be negative and can create an “us and them” atmosphere, leaders need to understand how people are both individuals and also products of their cultural background.
When we work in a place surrounded by others from our own group, basic awareness of human psychological needs and motivations is enough. But, in a place with such a diverse workforce as the DLI, we need the ability to decode cultural differences in order to work effectively with the students, the military, civilians, and colleagues from virtually every corner of the world.
The Cultural Iceberg
When we see an iceberg, the portion which is visible above water is, in reality, only a small piece of a much larger whole. Similarly with culture, the numerous observable characteristics of a group that we can *see* with our eyes - their food, dances, music, arts, or greeting rituals - are merely an external manifestation of the deeper and broader components of culture.
Below the surface are the complex ideas and deeply-held preferences and priorities known as attitudes and values.
Deep below the "water line" are a culture's Core values. These are primarily learned ideas of what is good, right, desirable, and acceptable -- as well as what is bad, wrong, undesirable, and unacceptable. In many cases, different cultural groups share similar core values (such as "honesty", or "respect", or "family"), but these are often interpreted differently in different situations and incorporated in unique ways into our daily lives.
Code-switching in intercultural communication
The process of cultural learning can be helped along by experience, reflection, and training. Intercultural training not only provides information but also develops skills, and encourages attitudes to enable people to progress along the cultural learning curve.
At the lowest level is the belief that all people are alike. Then comes the recognition that there are differences, and acceptance of the differences, seeing ways of synthesizing the different ways, selecting, and making things run smoothly.
“Being culturally fluent means being able to enter a new context, master the norms, and feel comfortable doing so.” (Gibson, 2000)
Stereotyping
Stereotyping is a fixed image created based on limited experience and applied to every single person from that culture.
Generalizing is based on research and looking for basic patterns in different cultures always keeping in mind that an individual might or might not be a representative of those tendencies. Adults process information by creating categories.
Stereotypes
Generalities
Avoid stereotyping. Stereotyping usually betrays long-held subconscious biases that are often supposed to be innocent but can be actually, offensive.
The Different Cultural Dimensions
Over the past few decades, anthropologists, communication researchers, psychologists, and sociologists have isolated several dimensions of cultural variability that can be used to differentiate cultures.
Here we will look at 4 main areas: Team orientation, Communication, Task Orientation, and Time orientation.
Make a comment: Look at the document with the detailed descriptions of each dimension continuum and try to come up with one example for each: Team; Communication; Task; and Time orientation.
Create an update: Reflect on your experiences and try to describe an encounter/challenge you had involving a cultural misunderstanding. Analyze what happened and your assessment of what cultural dimensions were involved and where each participant probably fell in the continuum and how that translated into the misunderstanding. Then try to offer some ideas for clearing up the misunderstanding and how to work productively together.
Respond to at least 3 peer updates.
Rationale:
The DLI is a unique institute with over 70 different countries represented. This culturally diverse environment requires leaders to have an in-depth understanding of and clear communication with people from a variety of cultural backgrounds and nationalities. Cross-cultural awareness is essential for chairs and supervisors in order to avoid misunderstandings and to maximize positive outcomes.
While most DLI faculty are familiar with the importance of cultural understanding for language learning, many instructors may interact primarily with other instructors from their own culture on a daily basis. Department chairs, on the other hand need to increase their inter-cultural awareness to be able to successfully interact with Deans, military instructors, and staff from a variety of cultures.
It should be reinforced to participants, that this section is not about how to teach culture, but rather how to effectively communicate and work within a multi-cultural environment.
Pedagogical Considerations:
Sections 7 and 8 deal with intercultural awareness in the workplace. It starts with a brief definition of culture and the familiar analogy of the cultural iceberg. We then have a quick caution of the dangers of falling into stereotyping while analyzing other cultures. Following that, we begin to look at the cultural dimensions theory as a framework for cross-cultural communication. Section 8 will then introduce some case-studies, inviting participants to analyze and propose strategies for dealing with the various scenarios.
Case Study:
Midwestern Intercom
Now watch the recording of the Japan/U.S. meeting (the second half of the video).
Make a comment: Answer the following questions.
Create an update: Read the two scenarios (attached). What are some of the issues? Chose one scenario and analyze it using the 4-step method described below. Respond to at least 3 peer updates.
Leveraging Differences:
This is an opportunity for you to engage in a process for reflecting on a specific interaction, for filtering out cultural biases, and to learn from and use cultural differences with the Four-Step method:
(source: Communication Highwire: Leveraging the Power of Diverse Communication Styles. (2005) Hofner-Saphire, Mikk, DeVries)
Refer to the previous update for the rationale, pedagogical considerations, and additional resources.
When faced with disagreement or conflict, people react in different ways. Some may get defensive; others may avoid it altogether. Here is a short video describing the ways people deal with conflict, based on the Thomas-Killman Conflict Styles.
TKI inventory
Because no two individuals have exactly the same expectations and desires, conflict is a natural part of our interactions with others. The TKI is an online assessment that takes about fifteen minutes to complete. Interpretation and feedback materials help you learn about the most appropriate uses for each conflict-handling mode.
You should have received your TKI assessment and upon completion, an individualized report was sent to you.
Make a comment: Answer the following questions.
Create an update: Share some techniques or approaches you use to resolve conflict in your department, with teachers, other chairs and/or your supervisor.
Rationale:
An appreciation of conflict resolution styles is integral to understanding the communication process. Conflict in the workplace is natural and can even be productive, when handled appropriately. In this section, we will look at the Thomas Kilmann Conflict model for handling conflict. There are five major responsive approaches to managing conflicts: avoiding, accommodating, compromising, competing, and collaborating. There is no right or wrong conflict resolution style, and each conflict style may be appropriate in different situations. In the workplace, a manager should understand each of these approaches to help parties resolve conflicts that arise on the job.
Pedagogical Considerations:
In the Conflict Resolution Section, participants will be given a code/link to take the Thomas Kilmann Inventory (TKI). They will take the inventory before the beginning of the course and will receive a report tailored to their specific strengths and areas for improvement. Participants are then asked to bring their results to the workshop with them; and they will use the report they receive to reflect and analyze the areas where they may wish to develop.
Make a comment: Answer the following questions.
Create an update: Research the six-step decision making model, then apply it to a decision you have to make in your department. Explain each step and how you will apply it to your situation/decision.
Six-step Decision Making Model
In order to involve others, it is good to have a structured approach. This model offers steps that can assist in increasing involvement from supervisees.
Rationale:
There is a direct correlation between how involved employees are in the decision making in their department or team and their overall morale, motivation, and satisfaction with their jobs. Companies and departments who have a higher level of employee involvement in decision making show higher levels of employee motivation and satisfaction. However, involving employees may not be the best answer in all situations. In this section, participants begin to look at the factors involved in determining whether involving supervisees is the appropriate answer for different types of decisions.
Pedagogical Considerations:
In this section, we suggest a framework which chairs may find useful in grappling with the dilemma of how much to involve subordinates in the decision-making process. First, we will look at the different types of decisions chairs typically have to make; and the conditions for when to request employee input and when to let them work independently; or when to take control.
In our institute, civilians work side by side with military instructors, staff and students. We need to be able to bridge the gap between civilians and military. We begin by looking at the army values and reflecting on what they mean to each of us, and how these values translate into our everyday practice.
Make a comment: Choose 1 of the Army Values that resonates with you, or pick a value of your own choosing. Write it down and explain what it means to you. Why is it important/ meaningful to you?
Create an update: Reflect on the Army Values and create an update describing how these values (plus other values of your choice) influence and affect the work you do as a department chair. How do these values translate into actions and behaviors?
Rationale:
As Army civilian employees, we work in a military institute and should be able to work collaboratively with our military counterparts. As front line supervisors, department chairs are in direct contact with students, military instructors and other military members. Having an understanding of the Army Values and Army culture can help civilians be more effective in their role as leaders.
Pedagogical Considerations:
This is a short section to serve as a wrap up for the workshop. There are no right or wrong answers here. It is intended as just an opportunity for reflection and sharing of participants’ personal values; and an opportunity for them to reflect on how these values translate into their leadership practices.
Supervisor Leadership Development Action Plan:
Create a plan of action for how you will develop your own leadership skills, behaviors and practice in each of the following areas:
Following is the peer rubric for the learning module, against which others will review your work, and against which you will do your self-review after completing your final draft. You can view this rubric while you draft your work in Creator => Feedback => Reviews => Rubric.
Rationale:
Through this project, the participants have the opportunity to appropriately and creatively apply the concepts learned in the workshop while developing their own leadership action plan.
The project will be evaluated three times through:
1) peer review
2) self-review (post revision)
3) instructor/admin review
Bradberry, T., & Greaves, J. (2009). Emotional intelligence 2.0. San Diego, CA: TalentSmart.
Gardner, J. (1995). Leaders and Followers. In Wren, J. The Leaders Companion. New York: The Free Press.
Gibson, R., (2002). Intercultural Business Communication. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Harvey, T., Bearley, W., & Corkrum, S. (1997). The Practical Decision Maker. Lantham Maryland: R&L Education.
Hofner-Saphire, D., Mikk, B., & DeVries, B., (2005). Communication Highwire: Leveraging the Power of Diverse Communication Styles. London: Intercultural Press.
Kelley, R. (1995). In Praise of Followers. In Wren, J. The Leaders Companion. New York: The Free Press.
Moran, R., Harris, P., & Moran, S. (2007). Managing Cultural Differences. Oxford: Elsevier.
Northouse, P. (2015). Leadership Theory and Practice. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.
Rost, J. (1995). Leaders and Followers Are the People in this Relationship. In Wren, J. The Leaders Companion. New York: The Free Press.
Wren, J. (1995). The Leaders Companion. New York: The Free Press.