Introduction to the Social Change Leadership Development Model

The Social Change Leadership Development Model (the Social Change Model or SCM) was originally developed at the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) in the mid-1990s and continues to evolve.  This model reflects the more recent evolution in leadership development scholarship as a whole, which purports that leadership is less about the individual characteristics of positional leaders (transactional leadership) and more about the way leadership functions in a larger context of a group or organization to accomplish change (transformational leadership).

The SCM has several key assumptions (Komives and Wagner, 2009): 

1.        The point of leadership is producing change in a purposeful manner that benefits others.

2.       Collaboration is a hallmark of leadership.

3.       Leadership is more about process than the formal position or title of the leader.

4.       Leadership is value-laden.

5.       Everyone is a potential leader, regardless of their title or position within an organization.

6.       Service is a powerful tool for learning leadership.

The goal of the SCM is to create positive social change either on behalf of the individual or an institution/community or society.  “Positive social change” is conceived here as helping a group – such as a work group, an organization, or society – function more effectively and more responsibly.  This is where the value-laden aspect of the model emerges.  The model assumes that any group should act for the betterment of the group itself and/or others, whatever that may mean in any given context.  Due to the name of the model, it is easy to assume that it only applies to those who work in non-profit, activist, or similar settings but a close reading of the model reveals that it can apply anywhere.  Wagner (2009) summarizes by saying:

It is an approach to leadership that is collaborative rather than coercive, civil and respectful rather than defensive, open to different perspectives rather than controlling and single-minded, and clear and consistent about values rather than hypocritical.  While the primary mission of a group may not relate to social change, leaders in a variety of contexts, such as business, sports, theater groups, or a group classroom assignment, can benefit from these approaches to working with others (p. 33).

The SCM looks at leadership from three lenses:  the individual, the group/organization, and the community/society.  Seven fundamental values (the Seven Cs) are critical to the model (Komives and Wagner, 2009):

·         Consciousness of Self

·         Congruence

·         Commitment

·         Collaboration

·         Common Purpose

·         Controversy with Civility

·         Citizenship

·         Change

We will explore the Seven Cs through the lenses of individuals, groups and community over the coming months.  Your comments, questions and stories are a critical part of this exploration so I invite you to reflect and comment in the comments section below.

What do you think of this model and the philosophical context?  Can everyone be a leader in some aspect of their lives?

References

Komives, S. R. and Wagner, W. (2009). Preface.  In Komives, S. R., Wagner, W. and Associates (Eds.), Leadership for a Better World (pp. xi-xxv). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Wagner, W. (2009).  What is social change?.  In Komives, S. R., Wagner, W. and Associates (Eds.), Leadership for a Better World (pp. 7 - 42). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Listen Up, BP: What the Experts Say About Crisis Communication

Toyota and BP have recently been criticized not only for their problems but the way that they handled the problems publicly. These examples are business-related but public crises happen in all sizable organizations: The irregularities in the Georgia CRCT exams, the Atlanta Police Department raid that killed 92-year old Kathryn Johnston, and so on. The way an organization responds to crises is important but no less critical is how they communicate about their response.


To learn more about appropriate use of public relations, the AJC’s Henry Unger talked to three local PR experts. Read the entire article here. Here’s what the experts recommend for any organization handling a crisis:

1. Don’t wait. Take charge of informing the public immediately.

2. Plan your work and work your plan. All organizations should have an updated communications plan that has been vetted through crisis simulations. The uncertainty involved in these situations calls for more advance planning, not less.

3. Be clear. The entire organization should be clear on who the messenger is from the very beginning. The messenger should most likely be the CEO, mayor, superintendent or equivalent senior position.

4. Listen to your experts. Organizations should include their PR experts in their senior-level crisis team and listen to their advice.

5. Send the right message. It should always include these points:

• A clear description of what went wrong and expression of remorse.
• No minimization of the impact until everything is known about the situation.
• The organization’s immediate plans to make it right.
• The organization’s long-term plans to make it right, even as far as 5-10 years out.

Based on my experience handling smaller scale crises and observing others’ work with the big ones, I would add:

1. This advice is portable. While details may differ, these principles also apply to internal organizational communication about difficult predicaments and even, to a certain extent, to thorny one-on-one conversations.

2. It’s important that people know you get it. You should, if at all possible, apologize even if you didn’t directly cause the problem. At least say something compassionate that indicates you understand how the problem has affected people. They’re smart enough to figure out if a problem was caused by factors beyond your control and you can gently craft your words to help them connect the dots, without making excuses. The bottom line is that people need to know you understand the impact they’ve experienced.

3. No pseudo-apologies. If you say something along the lines of, “I’m sorry that people/the media, etc. misconstrued my comments,” it sounds condescending and infuriates people. Never do this -- ever -- whether it’s a personal disagreement or a public crisis. Apologize sincerely or don’t apologize at all, but don’t make fake apologies.

4. Transparency and courage pay dividends. Don’t dodge the media or treat them as enemies. Stand up, take the heat for what happened on your watch and try not to be defensive or secretive. Giving the appearance of covering something up or being less than forthcoming will only hurt you, even when you did nothing wrong.

What do you think of this advice? How would you or your organization use this information? What lessons have you learned about crisis communication in your experiences? What examples of good crisis communication have you seen?

Self-Confident Leadership

How does one counteract the nerves and self-doubt accompanied with a leadership position? In a Harvard Business Review blog, Marshall Goldsmith offers 5 points of advice to boost self-confidence.


1. Don’t worry about being perfect. There might not be a right or wrong answer for every situation a leader is faced with, but do your research and use your resources to develop the best solution to your problem. That’s the best you can do.

2. Learn to live with failure. Mistakes happen. Learn from them, and the same mistake can be prevented in the future.

3. After you make the final decision, commit! Don’t second-guess yourself. Believe in the decisions you make and communicate positive expectations of those decisions to those around you.

4. Show courage on the outside. Everyone is afraid sometimes, but you don’t have to show it. Those around you will notice your lack of courage if you let them and it could lead to damaged credibility.

5. Find happiness and contentment in your work. Life is too short to do something you loathe every day. Celebrate your accomplishments, and learn from your shortcomings.

What are your thoughts on Goldsmith’s advice?

What are some other ways someone in a leadership role can boost his or her self-confidence?

To read this article in its entirety, click here

Suicidal Leadership Podcast

To first time readers, please note that you can subscribe to this blog by clicking on the link to the right that says: Subscribe to Gwinnett Campus Student Affairs by Email .

The Department of Student Affairs will periodically bring you personal and professional development topics – with a special focus on leadership – in blog and podcast formats that are suited to your hectic schedule. Download or read them as your interest and your time allow and provide us feedback and ideas for future topics. You can follow the blog, subscribe to the podcast channel or access the podcasts directly.

We are pleased to present our first leadership podcast, Suicidal Leadership. There is an ocean of advice about how to be a successful leader, but this podcast describes what not to do. Suicidal leadership describes how leaders in business, education and government sometimes turn their initial successes into ultimate failure, leading to termination. Dr. Patricia Daugherty presents research about suicidal leadership, teaching listeners about the definition and phases of the suicidal leader.

URL to subscribe to channel: http://podcasting.gcsu.edu/4DCGI/Podcasting/UGA/Channel_4145/22230.xml

URL to go directly to podcast (with video): http://podcasting.gcsu.edu/4DCGI/Podcasting/UGA/Episodes/23920/31477.mp4

URL to go directly to podcast (without video): http://podcasting.gcsu.edu/4DCGI/Podcasting/UGA/Episodes/32335/16444.m4v

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