Course Description and Objectives
Course Description:
This course is the first of a three-course sequence which introduces systems theory and its application to organizational contexts. Students will learn to analyze and understand complex systems, identify feedback loops, leverage system leverage points, and promote system-level change.
This course explores the intricate relationships between the self, groups, and systems, emphasizing the interconnectedness and interdependence of these three levels of analysis. The course is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of how individual behaviors and identities (self) influence and are influenced by group dynamics, and how these groups operate within and collectively form larger systems.
The teaching method for this course emphasizes a collaborative and reflective learning environment where students engage in both individual and group work to deepen their understanding of systems thinking and organizational dynamics. Readings from foundational and contemporary texts will provide a strong academic foundation, while case studies and experiential activities will offer opportunities to analyze and apply key concepts. Practical application is central, as students will be encouraged to link theoretical concepts to their professional experiences and organizational settings. The course will blend theory and practice, ensuring students develop actionable insights they can implement as leaders within complex systems.
Course Objectives:
Students enrolled in this course will:
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Develop self-awareness as a leader by examining personal history, identity, values, beliefs, and biases, and their influence on their own leadership, group dynamics and organizational systems.
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Explore the complexities of group behavior and dynamics, including team roles, decision-making processes, and the impact of diversity on group effectiveness.
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Develop a deep understanding of systems thinking principles and how they apply to organizational dynamics.
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Learn to analyze and interpret the behavior of individuals and groups within organizations using systems thinking frameworks.
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Foster critical thinking and problem-solving skills by applying systems thinking methodologies to real-world organizational challenges.
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Explore practices to enhance sustainability related to self, groups and systems.
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Practice applying systems theory and skills in a concrete situation
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Engage in collaborative learning practices and knowledge sharing among peers to enhance understanding of complex systems and diverse perspectives in organizational contexts.
Course Readings & Resources
Note: Some course readings will be available via Copley e-reserves (AKA course reserves). Use the e-reserves link to access. USDOne credentials may be necessary if login page appears.
Examples of Module 1 resources include, but are not limited to:
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Allen, B. J. (2016). Chapter 7. In Difference matters: Communicating social identity (2nd ed.)
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McTaggart, L. (2008). Chapter 9. In The intention experiment: Using your thoughts to change your life and the world. Free Press, 127-144.
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Psychoanalytic Studies of Organizations
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This book samples the groundbreaking work that has been developed over the last twenty-five years by psychoanalysts, writers and practitioners associated with the International Society for the Psychoanalytic Studies of Organizations (ISPSO). What characterises this collection of original papers is an attempt to look at organizations, groups, teams and organizational role holders using psychoanalytic, systemic and psychodynamic perspectives that collectively eschew superficial, linear, prescriptive and mechanistic views of both the system and the individual within. These papers, delivered as presentations to the Society during the Annual Symposia of the ISPSO - from its inception in 1983 to date - collectively form an important commentary on the changing societal dynamics and current preoccupations facing contemporary organizations, their leaders and their workforce. As such, these papers are representative of many that have contributed to - and documented - the development of the thought and praxis from a psychoanalytic perspective and systems thinking over the last quarter of century.
Call Number: OnlineISBN: 9781849406987Publication Date: 2009-01-01 -
Light in the Dark/Luz en lo Oscuro
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Light in the Dark is the culmination of Gloria E. Anzaldúa's mature thought and the most comprehensive presentation of her philosophy. Focusing on aesthetics, ontology, epistemology, and ethics, it contains several developments in her many important theoretical contributions.
Call Number: OnlineISBN: 9780822375036Publication Date: 2015-09-17 -
Communication, Relationships and Care
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Communication and relationships have become an increasing focus of attention in debates about the future of health and social care. People working in care services are being encouraged to improve communication processes, to develop more participatory relationships with service users, and to work more closely in partnership with other professionals. This Reader provides a comprehensive collection of literature that aims to enable those involved in care services, as workers, carers or service users, to reflect on their everyday interactions and to situate them in wider contexts. Including new material from the frontline of research and practice, as well as some classic readings, this wide-ranging volume emphasises the need to see interpersonal communication as embedded in relationships, and to take account of issues of power and diversity, as well as the emotional dimension of care work. Covering both health and social care, the Reader is divided into four sections, focusing on: * concepts and contexts * analysing aspects of communication * the person in the process * communication and relationships in organisations. Communication, Relationships and Care will be an essential resource for students of social work, nursing, health and social policy, and for all involved in health and social care services, whether as professionals, carers or service users. It is a set book for the Open University's second level undergraduate course Communication and Relationships in Health and Social Care (K205).
Call Number: OnlineISBN: 9780203494325Publication Date: 2004-03-01
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When leadership spells danger: Leading meaningful change in education takes courage, commitment, and political savvyHeifetz, R. A., & Linsky, M. (2004). When leadership spells danger: Leading meaningful change in education takes courage, commitment, and political savvy. Educational Leadership, 61(7), 33-37.
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Emotions Are Data, TooPetriglieri, G. (2014, May 9). Emotions are data, too. Harvard Business Review Digital Articles. https://hbr.org/2014/05/emotions-are-data-too
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Addressing the Blind Spot of Our Time: Executive Summary of Theory UScharmer, O. (2007) “Addressing the Blind Spot of Our Time: Executive Summary of Theory U.”
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What’s your story?” A life-stories approach to authentic leadership developmentShamir, B., & Eilam, G. (2005). "What’s your story?” A life-stories approach to authentic leadership development. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), 395-417.
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Care to Dare
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Have you ever been led by someone who cared for you like family, and dared you to achieve more than you ever thought possible for yourself, your organization, and even society? Award-winning author of Hostage at the Table, George Kohlrieser, along with his co-authors Susan Goldsworthy and Duncan Coombe, explain how becoming a secure base leader releases extraordinary potential in others. Part of the Warren Bennis leadership series Care to Dare shows you how to become a Secure Base Leader so that you release your followers from the fears that get in the way of their performance. It shows you how you can unleash astonishing potential by building the trust, delivering the change, and inspiring the focus that underpins sustainable high performance. From extensive interviews with executives from all over the world, as well as from surveys with more than a thousand executives, the book reveals the nine characteristics that Secure Base Leaders display on a daily basis. The research shows that a primary difference between a successful leader and a failed leader is the presence or absence of secure bases in his or her life. Care to Dare will take you on a journey where you will discover your own secure bases, past and present, and determine how you can be a secure base for other people in your life at work and at home.
Call Number: OnlineISBN: 9781118361283Publication Date: 2012-05-29
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“Notice the Rage; Notice the Silence” [Podcast] Across the past year, and now as the murder trial of Derek Chauvin unfolds with Minneapolis in fresh pain and turmoil, we return again to the grounding insights of Resmaa Menakem. He is a Minneapolis-based therapist and trauma specialist who activates the wisdom of elders, and very new science, about how all of us carry in our bodies the history and traumas behind everything we collapse into the word “race.” We offer up his intelligence on changing ourselves at a cellular level — practices towards the transformed reality most of us long to inhabit. ~ from website
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The emergence of the breath of life theoryBlackstock, C. (2011). The emergence of the breath of life theory. Journal of Social Work Values and Ethics, 8(1).
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Gender identity, pronouns, and expression: A guide for LGBTQ+ people and alliesNPR. (2021, June 2). Gender identity, pronouns, and expression: A guide for LGBTQ+ people and allies.
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Timely and Transforming Leadership Inquiry and Action: Toward Triple-loop AwarenessStarr, A. & B. Torbert. (2005). Timely and transforming leadership: Inquiry and action toward triple-loop awareness. Integral Review.
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Stillwater Mindfulness Practice CommunityStillwater Mindfulness Practice Community. (2010). The busyness in our lives.
Note: Some course readings will be available via Copley e-reserves (AKA course reserves). Use the e-reserves link to access. USDOne credentials may be necessary if login page appears.
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Racial and Cultural Dynamics in Group and Organizational Life
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"The field has been waiting for a masterpiece like Racial and Cultural Dynamics in Group and Organizational Life for a long time. It provides a thoughtful account of the subtle, barely visible, and sometimes unspeakable influences of racial and cultural dynamics that occur in groups." --Leo Wilton, Binghamton University, State University of New York "I believe that by focusing on group diversity, this book aligns with a major trend that has not received enough attention." -- Christopher J. McCarthy, University of Texas at Austin This book presents a theoretical framework for understanding leadership and authority in group and organizational life. Using relational psychoanalytic and systems theory, the authors examine conscious and unconscious processes as they relate to racial and cultural issues in the formation and maintenance of groups. Unique among group dynamics texts, the book explores aspects of racial and cultural influences in every chapter. Readers will enhance their analytic and practice skills in addressing factors that impact diverse groups and organizations, including ethical considerations, social roles, strategies for leadership, dynamics of entering and joining, and termination. Key Features Case examples help readers integrate theory and practice, as illustrated in transcripts of interactions from group sessions. A group work competencies list ensures that readers master concepts as they progress through the book. An assessment form allows the student or practitioner to evaluate concrete dynamics of groups, such as size, and gendered and racial composition. This text is appropriate for graduate-level courses incorporating group dynamics and multicultural topics in departments of psychology, education, counseling, and social work. It is also a valuable resource for counselors, psychologists, and other mental health professionals in preparation for group work.
Call Number: OnlineISBN: 9781483302157Publication Date: 2009-01-01
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The BART system of group and organizational analysisGreen, Zachary and Molenkamp, Rene, "The BART System of Group and Organizational Analysis: Boundary, Authority, Role and Task" (2005). School of Leadership and Education Sciences: Faculty Scholarship. 78.
https://digital.sandiego.edu/soles-faculty/78 -
Transactional analysis part 1: The masks we wearNewton, C. (n.d.). Transactional analysis part 1: The masks we wear. https://www.clairenewton.co.za/my-articles/transactional-analysis-part1-the-masks-we-wear.html
*This is part 1 of a 3 part series. If you are interested, read the whole series. -
The never-ending upward quest: Spiral dynamicsRoemischer, J. (2002). The never-ending upward quest: Spiral dynamics. EnlightenNext Media.
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Racial and Cultural Dynamics in Group and Organizational Life
by
"The field has been waiting for a masterpiece like Racial and Cultural Dynamics in Group and Organizational Life for a long time. It provides a thoughtful account of the subtle, barely visible, and sometimes unspeakable influences of racial and cultural dynamics that occur in groups." --Leo Wilton, Binghamton University, State University of New York "I believe that by focusing on group diversity, this book aligns with a major trend that has not received enough attention." -- Christopher J. McCarthy, University of Texas at Austin This book presents a theoretical framework for understanding leadership and authority in group and organizational life. Using relational psychoanalytic and systems theory, the authors examine conscious and unconscious processes as they relate to racial and cultural issues in the formation and maintenance of groups. Unique among group dynamics texts, the book explores aspects of racial and cultural influences in every chapter. Readers will enhance their analytic and practice skills in addressing factors that impact diverse groups and organizations, including ethical considerations, social roles, strategies for leadership, dynamics of entering and joining, and termination. Key Features Case examples help readers integrate theory and practice, as illustrated in transcripts of interactions from group sessions. A group work competencies list ensures that readers master concepts as they progress through the book. An assessment form allows the student or practitioner to evaluate concrete dynamics of groups, such as size, and gendered and racial composition. This text is appropriate for graduate-level courses incorporating group dynamics and multicultural topics in departments of psychology, education, counseling, and social work. It is also a valuable resource for counselors, psychologists, and other mental health professionals in preparation for group work.
Call Number: OnlineISBN: 9781483302157Publication Date: 2009-01-01
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Care to Dare
by
Have you ever been led by someone who cared for you like family, and dared you to achieve more than you ever thought possible for yourself, your organization, and even society? Award-winning author of Hostage at the Table, George Kohlrieser, along with his co-authors Susan Goldsworthy and Duncan Coombe, explain how becoming a secure base leader releases extraordinary potential in others. Part of the Warren Bennis leadership series Care to Dare shows you how to become a Secure Base Leader so that you release your followers from the fears that get in the way of their performance. It shows you how you can unleash astonishing potential by building the trust, delivering the change, and inspiring the focus that underpins sustainable high performance. From extensive interviews with executives from all over the world, as well as from surveys with more than a thousand executives, the book reveals the nine characteristics that Secure Base Leaders display on a daily basis. The research shows that a primary difference between a successful leader and a failed leader is the presence or absence of secure bases in his or her life. Care to Dare will take you on a journey where you will discover your own secure bases, past and present, and determine how you can be a secure base for other people in your life at work and at home.
Call Number: OnlineISBN: 9781118361283Publication Date: 2012-05-29
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The Unconscious at Work
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Why do our organizations so often seem to be less than the sum of their parts? What undermines effectiveness and morale, and gets in the way of achieving what we set out to do? The Unconscious at Work, Second Edition draws on a body of thinking and practice which has developed over the past 70 years, often referred to as 'the Tavistock approach' or 'systems-psychodynamics'. All the contributors are practising consultants who draw on this framework, bringing it alive and making it useful to any reader - manager, leader or consultant, regardless of whether they have any prior familiarity with the underlying concepts - who is curious about what might be driving the puzzling or stressful situations they find in their workplace. The First Edition was addressed to people working in 'the human services': health, social care and education. Since it was published in 1994, there has been growing interest in the business world, and in understanding more about the 'irrational' side of organizational life. Therefore, this Second Edition includes an entirely new section where the key ideas are revisited and illustrated with case studies from a wide range of business organizations, from large corporations to start-ups and family businesses. The aim, however remains the same: to enlarge readers' existing sense-making 'tool-kits' so that they can look at themselves and their organizations with fresh eyes, deepening the emotional intelligence they bring to bear on the challenges they face and providing new possibilities for action. The Unconscious at Work, Second Edition is for managers, leaders, consultants, and anyone working in organizations who has been puzzled, disturbed or challenged by their experiences at work.
Call Number: OnlineISBN: 9781351104166Publication Date: 2019-02-08
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Collective intelligence in teams: Contextualizing collective intelligent behavior over timeJanssens, M., Meslec, N., & Leenders, R. T. A. J. (2022). Collective intelligence in teams: Contextualizing collective intelligent behavior over time. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, Article 989572.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.989572 -
The FieldMolenkamp, R. J. (2012, July). The field. Group Relations International.
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A Guide to Building Psychological Safety on Your TeamRavishankar, R. (2022, December). A guide to building psychological safety on your team. Harvard Business Review.
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Integrating self‐managed work teams into project managementRoper, K. O., & Phillips, D. R. (2007). Integrating self‐managed work teams into project management. Journal of Facilities Management, 5(1), 22-36. https://doi.org/10.1108/14725960710726502
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Emergent Strategy
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In the tradition of Octavia Butler, here is radical self-help, society-help, and planet-help to shape the futures we want. Change is constant. The world, our bodies, and our minds are in a constant state of flux. They are a stream of ever-mutating, emergent patterns. Rather than steel ourselves against such change, Emergent Strategy teaches us to map and assess the swirling structures and to read them as they happen, all the better to shape that which ultimately shapes us, personally and politically. A resolutely materialist spirituality based equally on science and science fiction: a wild feminist and afro-futurist ride! adrienne maree brown, co-editor of Octavia's Brood: Science Fiction from Social Justice Movements, is a social justice facilitator, healer, and doula living in Detroit.
Call Number: OnlineISBN: 9781849352611Publication Date: 2017-03-20
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Leverage points: Places to intervene in a systemMeadows, D. H. (1999). Leverage points: Places to intervene in a system.
**URL points to Wayback Machine capture as the original link is broken.**
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Organizational Culture and Leadership
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The book that defined the field, updated and expanded for today's organizations Organizational Culture and Leadership is the classic reference for managers and students seeking a deeper understanding of the inter-relationship of organizational culture dynamics and leadership. Author Edgar Schein is the 'father' of organizational culture, world-renowned for his expertise and research in the field; in this book, he analyzes and illustrates through cases the abstract concept of culture and shows its importance to the management of organizational change. This new fifth edition shows how culture has become a popular concept leading to a wide variety of research and implementation by various organizations and expands the focus on the role of national cultures in influencing culture dynamics, including some practical concepts for how to deal with international differences. Special emphasis is given to how the role of leadership varies with the age of the organization from founding, through mid-life to old age as the cultural issues vary at each stage. How culture change is managed at each stage and in different types of organizations is emphasized as a central concern of leader behavior.. This landmark book is considered the defining resource in the field. Drawing on a wide range of research, this fifth edition contains 25 percent new and revised material to provide the most relevant new concepts and perspectives alongside the basic culture model that has helped to define the field. Dig into assumptions and typologies to decipher organizational culture Learn how culture begins, thrives, or dies with leadership Manage cultural change effectively and appropriately Understand the leader's role in managing disparate groups The resurgence of interest in organizational culture has spurred an awakening in research, and new information is continuously coming to light. Outdated practices are being replaced by more effective methods, and the resulting shift affects organizations everywhere. Organizational Culture and Leadership is an essential resource for scholars, consultants and leaders seeking continuous improvement in the face of today's business realities.
Call Number: OnlineISBN: 9781119212133Publication Date: 2016-12-05 -
An Introduction to Systems Psychodynamics
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This book provides an introduction to systems psychodynamic theory and its application to organisational consultancy, research and training, outlining systems dynamics methods and their historical and theoretical developments. Systems Psychodynamics is an emerging field of social science, the boundaries of which are continually being refined and re-defined. The 'systems' designation refers to open systems concepts that provide the framing perspective for understanding the structural aspects of organisational systems. These include its design, division of labour, levels of authority, and reporting relationships; the nature of work tasks, processes and activities; its mission and primary task; and the nature and patterning of the organisation's task and sentient boundaries and the transactions across them. This book presents a critical appraisal of the systems psychodynamics paradigm and its application to present-day social and organisational difficulties, showing how a holistic approach to organisational and social problems can offer a fresh perspective on difficult issues. Bringing together the theory and practice of systems psychodynamics for the first time, this book provides an examination of the systems psychodynamics paradigm in action. This book gives an accessible and thorough guide to understanding and using systems psychodynamic ideas for analysts, managers, policy makers, consultants and researchers in a wide range of professional and clinical settings.
Call Number: OnlineISBN: 9781003181507Publication Date: 2021-12-13 -
The Unconscious at Work
by
Why do our organizations so often seem to be less than the sum of their parts? What undermines effectiveness and morale, and gets in the way of achieving what we set out to do? The Unconscious at Work, Second Edition draws on a body of thinking and practice which has developed over the past 70 years, often referred to as 'the Tavistock approach' or 'systems-psychodynamics'. All the contributors are practising consultants who draw on this framework, bringing it alive and making it useful to any reader - manager, leader or consultant, regardless of whether they have any prior familiarity with the underlying concepts - who is curious about what might be driving the puzzling or stressful situations they find in their workplace. The First Edition was addressed to people working in 'the human services': health, social care and education. Since it was published in 1994, there has been growing interest in the business world, and in understanding more about the 'irrational' side of organizational life. Therefore, this Second Edition includes an entirely new section where the key ideas are revisited and illustrated with case studies from a wide range of business organizations, from large corporations to start-ups and family businesses. The aim, however remains the same: to enlarge readers' existing sense-making 'tool-kits' so that they can look at themselves and their organizations with fresh eyes, deepening the emotional intelligence they bring to bear on the challenges they face and providing new possibilities for action. The Unconscious at Work, Second Edition is for managers, leaders, consultants, and anyone working in organizations who has been puzzled, disturbed or challenged by their experiences at work.
Call Number: OnlineISBN: 9781351104166Publication Date: 2019-02-08
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Addressing the Blind Spot of Our Time: Executive Summary of Theory UScharmer, O. (2007) “Addressing the Blind Spot of Our Time: Executive Summary of Theory U.”