Graduate
(3 Credit
Hours)
Summer
Semester 2007
Dates:
June 30, July 1
July 14, 15
August 11 ,12
Times for session:
Sat.
Office
Hours by Appt. (available before and after class)
Tel:847-843-9934 home or 847-902-9038 cell, email connect@wisemanconsulting.com
or
I.
Course
Description/Summary:
Theory, research and
practice of interpersonal and group communications for collaborative leadership
roles such as serving as a facilitator, coach, catalyst for change and leaders. Includes using a variety of media for
information transfer among groups, communicating a leadership stance, creating
and enrolling others in your vision (advocacy), developing organizational
support for your vision (systems literacy, creating a culture for
collaboration), and building skills in interpersonal communication, group
dynamics, negotiations, conflict resolution, and asserting influence on
organizations.
II.
Required
Reading/Texts:
Garmston, Rober J. and Bruce
M. Wellman. The Adaptive School: A Sourcebook for Developing Collaborative
Groups.
Fisher, Roger and Alan Sharp. Getting It Done: How to Lead
When You Are Not In Charge.
NY: Harper Business, 1999. (Required). ISBN 0-88730-842-2
Olson, Christi A. and Singer, Paula M. Winning with Library Leadership: Enhancing
Services with Connect, Contribution, and Collaboration. ALA 2004 (required). ISBN 0-839-0885-3
Inventories:
Myers-Briggs Type Inventory-
Self Scorable Form M (Required). Available in Bookstore or from
Instructor.
III.
Learning
Objectives:
Essential Questions
·
Why is Communications for Leadership a part of the curriculum?
·
How do I communicate-i.e. What are my
“default” actions and reactions? How do
these defaults affect my communications with others?
·
What does it mean to be a leader in today’s society? What is collaborative leadership and why is
it important in a learning community?
How do I develop my own leadership potential?
·
What is a system? How can I act
as a catalyst for change within my environment?
·
What does it mean to collaborate?
How do I help to create a collaborative climate within my learning
organization?
·
Observe examples of effective and ineffective communication and
leadership in the everyday environment;
·
Articulate observations (through journals, conversations, and papers)
and relate them to his/her developing philosophy of communication and
collaborative leadership;
·
Demonstrate the ability to assume a variety of leadership roles in
class activities;
·
Seek out examples of useful writing and information about
communication, collaboration, and leadership;
·
Demonstrate communication skills for meeting management, negotiation
and conflict resolution in small group interactions.
·
Use communication skills to develop a vision, create support for it,
and build a team to accomplish the vision;
·
Explore an organizational system and identify strategies for improving
the environment for cooperation and collaboration.
IV.
Assignments
and Course Requirements:
Reading Assignments:
The Adaptive School
Weekend #1 - Chapters
1-4
Weekend #2 - Chapters
5-8
Weekend #3 - Chapters
9-12
Winning
with Library Leadership
Weekend #3
Myers-Briggs Type Inventory
- Will cover Weekend #1
Course
Requirements:
1) Leadership
Journal: Keep a journal of your personal observations,
reading, and learning throughout the course.
Your journal will become your SOURCEBOOK for activities throughout the
class, so maintaining entries on a regular basis is important. Pay attention to your reactions to
activities, readings, and people- correlating what you see to any of the elements
of communication, leadership, and collaboration discussed. Bring the journal to class each session-it
will provide you with the “content” for some of the class activities.
2) Portrait
of a Leader: Read about or interview someone whom YOU
consider to be a leader. Create a short
presentation (10 minutes) on your selected leader, emphasizing those skills,
actions, and characteristics that make him/her an effective leader. You will present your findings to a small
group of your colleagues the second week-end
3) Class
Participation: It is expected that every students will
participate fully by reading text and materials as assigned, preparing for
discussions, and facilitating or leading small and large group activities as
requested in class. Because much of our
work takes place in class and class periods are limited, absences will make
completion of the coursework difficult or impossible. Self-evaluations and assessments from your
colleagues will provide feedback for both you and the instructor.
4) Class
Bibliography: Each class member will contribute four
annotated entries (articles/books/web pages) to the class assemblage of a body
of published writings about communication, collaboration, and leadership. Annotations should be 3-5 sentences in
length, relate/apply ideas to the library or school environment, contain an
evaluative statement and follow Turabian style.
*Bring a copy for each student and the instructor during the second
weekend.
5) Collaborative
Leadership Project: Develop a Vision Statement and Plan of Action
for a collaborative project that you can carry out during the semester. The project should require that you
demonstrate your skills as a collaborative leader (though you may not be able
to complete the project by the time class ends). During the final class weekend, you will be
asked to share the vision for your project with your colleagues who will
critique your “enlisting or enrolling” skills.
6) Final
Reflection: A guided, reflective essay analyzing your own
journal and learnings throughout the month will be completed in class during
the final weekend.
V. Assessment
and Evaluation