leadership across differences model what is the leadership challenge? why leadership across...

Leadership Across Differences Model

• What is the leadership challenge?• Why Leadership Across Differences?• What is the question we seek to address?• How are we investigating this question?• What are the project goals?• What is the purpose of the project framework?• How is the current iteration of the framework organized

?• Building the Framework• Framework

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Framework

What is the Leadership Challenge?

In a diverse and globally interconnected world, a major leadership challenge is, and will increasingly be, the need for

shared direction, alignment, and commitment within a context of

difference.

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Why Leadership Across Differences?

Due to increasing globalization, technology, civil rights legislation, immigration, and new organizational forms, groups of people who

have historically been kept apart are now increasingly working together in organizational

settings.

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What is the question we seek to address?

Given this context, the primary research question of the Leadership Across Differences

(LAD) project is: What are the leadership processes by which organizations create shared direction, alignment, and commitment within a

context of difference?

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How are we investigating this question?

Given the complexity of this leadership challenge, we are using a multi-method, multi-level design that is grounded

in different approaches such as comparative case study and grounded theory. We are investigating this research

question in 11 different countries across 5 continents. A variety of strategies are being used to gather information

including literature reviews, interviews, surveys, and media scans. We are also employing a variety of analysis

techniques in order to examine and articulate the core relationships and trends we observe.

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What are the project goals?

The overarching objectives of the Leadership Across Differences project are:

• To generate new knowledge necessary to understand the dynamics of leadership within a context of difference; and

• To develop new interventions, tools, and techniques to help individuals and organizations create shared direction, alignment, and commitment within a context of difference.

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Step 2: Examine and make sense of

dataStep 1: Identify

areas of exploration & gather data

Step 3: Create an illustrative model based on data and

insights

Step 4: Solicit feedback from

different sources on the model

Step 5: Identify new areas to explore or

verify

What is the purpose of the project framework?

To better understand the leadership processes organizations use within a context of difference and to capture our understanding as it emerges, we are developing successive iterations of the project framework, titled “A Model of Leadership Across Differences in the Workplace.” Similar to the concept of prototyping and emergent modeling, each iteration of the framework helps us to think through the questions we are currently trying to solve. Soliciting rich and diverse feedback is the central mechanism by which new insights are gained around these questions. Once solutions to these questions are reached, a new iteration of the framework can be developed and the cycle repeats anew. This cycle is illustrated to the right:

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How is the current iteration of the framework

organized?The 2nd iteration of the framework is focused at the organizational level and organized into three basic elements: Leadership Contexts and Challenges, Leadership Processes and Actions, and Leadership Outcomes. At its most basic level, the framework states that various leadership contexts and challenges relate to a number of different leadership processes and actions that lead to leadership outcomes which, in turn, relates back to leadership contexts and challenges

We have organized the model to flow from left to right, but the interplay between different elements is neither linear nor mechanistic. In the next slides we provide an overview of the framework. Specific terms are defined and explored in the attached glossary.

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A Framework of Leadership Across Differences in the Workplace

Leadership Contexts & Challenges

Societal Factors:

•Cultural Values

•Identity Group History

•Political Environment

•Legal Environment/ Justice System

•Economic Forces

•Religious Environment

•Workforce Demography

Sp

illover

Organizational Factors:

•Mission & Values

•Interdependency of work

•Organizational Demography & Dynamics (Faultlines)

•Organizational Learning Paradigms

Trigger/P

olarizing E

vent

Feedback Loop

Leadership Processes & Actions

Leadership Outcomes

Individual Formal

Leadership Processes

(we will pull examples from data)

Individual Informal



Organizational Formal


(we will pull examples from

data)

Organizational Informal



data)

Direction – extent to which the organization has shared

understanding. Indicators include:

•Inclusive/exclusive mission•Positive/negative climate for innovation

Alignment – extent to which the organization has shared

coordination. Indicators include:

•Workforce efficiency/inefficiency•HR Policy integration/fragmentation

Commitment – extent to which the organization has shared

motivation. Indicators include:•Employee trust/distrust•Employee engagement/disengagement

Interventions

Leadership Contexts and Challenges: Defined as societal-level inputs (e.g. identity group history; cultural values; political/legal environment) that “spillover” into organizational settings. Spillover from the society at large influences several organizational factors (e.g. mission and values; workforce demographics; the nature and type of work) and creates the context for a trigger or catalyst related to social identity differences. A trigger is an issue or event that makes social identity salient.

TOC



Individual Formal



Individual Informal






data)




data)

Interventions

Feedback Loop


Societal Factors:

•Cultural Values




•Economic Forces



Sp

illover


•Mission & Values




Trigger/P

olarizing E

vent

Leadership Outcomes









Leadership Processes & Actions: Defined as the processes and actions that impact an organization’s capability to achieve the leadership outcomes of shared direction, alignment, and commitment in a context of difference. As shown in the various boxes, there are a variety of ways in which these outcomes can be achieved – from the action of individuals in authority to the interactions between groups of individuals who share work, from the influence of formal organizational policies and procedures to the influence of informal organizational values, beliefs, and culture.

TOC


Interventions

Feedback Loop

Leadership Contexts & Challenges Leadership Processes & Actions

Leadership Outcomes

Societal Factors:

•Cultural Values




•Economic Forces



Sp

illover


•Mission & Values




Trigger/P

olarizing E

vent

Individual Formal



Individual Informal






data)




data)









Leadership Across Differences Interventions: The interventions we develop serve to increase the supports and decrease the barriers that influence the achievement of shared direction, alignment, and commitment within a context of difference. Interventions will be created for individual, group, and organizational levels and will seek to achieve impact at a variety of levels of learning. A description of intervention levels is available as a separate document

TOC


Leadership Outcomes









Feedback Loop


Societal Factors:

•Cultural Values




•Economic Forces



Sp

illover


•Mission & Values




Trigger/P

olarizing E

vent

Individual Formal



Individual Informal






data)




data)

Interventions

Leadership Outcomes: Defined in terms of an organization’s capability to achieve shared direction, alignment, and commitment in a context of difference. A working assumption is that organizations with high levels of shared direction, alignment and commitment will be more likely to achieve their mission or strategy in the face of social identity differences. Thus, at the highest level, this model addresses the challenge of how organizations can develop the leadership processes needed to achieve their mission within a context of difference.

TOC


Feedback Loop


Leadership Outcomes

Societal Factors:

•Cultural Values




•Economic Forces



Sp

illover


•Mission & Values




Trigger/P

olarizing E

vent

Individual Formal



Individual Informal






data)




data)









Interventions

Feedback Loop: The feedback loop reflects the notion that changes in the system, or in elements in the system, have the capacity to change the context of the system as well. The feedback loop captures the dynamic relationship between an organization and the broader society or community in which it exists. As a simple example, issues faced by organizations may lead to the creation of new laws.

TOC



Leadership Processes &

Actions

Leadership Outcomes

TOC




Leadership Outcomes

Societal Factors

Sp

illover

Organizational Factors T

rigger/Polarizin

g Even

t

Leadership Development Interventions

Feedback Loop

TOC

Individual Formal


Individual Informal






Direction Shared

Understanding.

Alignment shared

coordination.

Commitment shared

motivation.




Leadership Outcomes

Societal Factors:

•Cultural Values




•Economic Forces



Spillover


•Mission & Values




Trigger/P

olarizing Event


Feedback Loop

TOC

Individual Formal Leadership Processes

(We will pull samples from Data)

Individual Informal Leadership Processes

(We will pull samples from data)

Organizational Formal Leadership Processes


Organizational Informal Leadership Processes


Direction – extent to which the organization has shared understanding. Indicators include:•Inclusive/exclusive mission•Positive/negative climate for innovation

Alignment – extent to which the organization has shared coordination. Indicators include:•Workforce efficiency/inefficiency

•HR Policy integration/fragmentation

Commitment – extent to which the organization has shared motivation. Indicators include:•Employee trust/distrust•Employee engagement/disengagement

Cultural Values

Socially shared, abstract ideas about what is good, right, and desirable in a society or other

bounded group.

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Data Source(s): Shalom Schwartz’s work

Identity Group History

The history of the relationship between social identity groups in society at large, including tenure, recency, and the intensity and nature of past conflict. This relates to the construct

of intergroup anxiety in the literature (Stephan & Stephan, 1985).

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Data Source(s): Literature reviews, media scans, and our international collaborators

Political Environment

The formal and informal political environment. This includes which SI groups have access to power. Voting rights. Political

parties. The extent to which there is “free press,” active labor organizations, and

community organizing.

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Data Source(s): Literature reviews and societal indicators including non-CCL databases.

Legal Environment/Justice System

The laws as well as informal justice systems of the country or countries in which an

organization is located. Of specific interest are laws regarding workplace policy and behavior. Also of interest is the ability of

various social identity groups to access the justice system and the application of the laws

to various social identity groups.

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Data Source(s): Summaries of legal code in different countries, non-CCL databases/

Economic Forces

Current trends in employment. Included are the percent of the population who is

unemployed and type of work available (leading industries in that region).

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Data Source(s): Literature reviews, non-CCL databases.

Religious Environment

The degree of religious tolerance and the extent to which different religious groups are

represented in the country or countries in which an organization is located.

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Data Source(s): Literature reviews, non-CCL databases.

Workforce Demography

A description of the available workforce (in terms of major SI group categories including immigrant groups) in the country or countries

in which an organization is located.

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Data Source(s): Literature reviews, non-CCL databases

Spillover

The process by which social identity differences in the society at large influence

organizational dynamics. The extent or means by which spillover impacts organizational

dynamics is influenced by a number of different organizational elements (e.g. mission

and values).

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Data Source(s): Interviews and media scans.

Mission & Values

Indicates what the organization as a whole is trying to accomplish and the values by which is operates. In our study, a working assumption is that the superordinate goal of nonprofit organizations is some type of “greater good” while profitability is the primary superordinate goal for for-profit organizations. Mission and values influence the nature of social identity group relations. A nonprofit mission (e.g. feeding hungry children) may make the day-to-day tensions between SI groups seem “less important” in the greater context of what they are trying to achieve. As another example, economic factors in society (e.g., the need for a job) may make profitability an important enough goal to put aside/tolerate differences.

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Data Source(s): The for-profit or not-for-profit status of the organization is our loose indicator of mission and values.

Interdependency of the Work

The extent to which mission accomplishment requires interdependent & cooperative work. Organizations may

vary from having work that is highly technical/task oriented/independent to highly interdependent/adaptive. Interdependent work may require different social groups to work together (increased contact) while independent work may allow for greater SI categorization (though

perhaps infrequent triggers because of lack of interaction). The nature of the work may vary by unit in

the organization.

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Data Source(s): Organizational assessment interview and data, interviews.

Organizational Demography & Dynamics

The demographics of those within the organization. A key construct in the literature related to this part of the model is

faultlines, defined as the compositional dynamics of the multiple demographic attributes that can potentially subdivide a group (Lau and Murnighan, 1998). Faultlines may or may not be active in an organization, but they are always present (similar to the notion of the simmering pot). A trigger serves to activate or exacerbate a faultline. When a faultline becomes opened, it becomes more

difficult for organizations to achieve shared direction, alignment, and commitment within a context of difference.

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Data Source(s): Organizational assessment interview and data.

Organizational Learning

The ability of an organization to continuously learn and appropriately transform itself given

its changing realities (Marsick). Organizational learning includes the concepts

of single loop vs. double loop learning, as well as espoused theories vs. theories in

action from Chris Argyris’ work.

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Data Source(s): Interviews.

Trigger/Catalyst

A trigger occurs when social identity becomes activated in varying degrees. A trigger fosters social categorization. A trigger is an event or action that:

o Activates social identity schemas o Serves to make an inequity or inequality perceptibleo Becomes shaped within the context of various leadership actions and processes

Triggers involve at least two social identity groups. There are actors and responders. The actors of a trigger are the individuals who create the stimulus, or triggering actions or event. The responders of a trigger are the individuals who are affected by the stimulus, or towards whom the action was targeted. For an event to be a trigger the collective attribution is based on the shared social identity of either the actors, the responders, or of both groups. Collective attribution means at least two members from the same identity group attribute the event or action to their social identity group or the social identity group of the other party.

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Leadership processes and actions are defined as the processes and actions that lead to shared direction, alignment, and commitment in a context of difference. Examples include:• Leadership processes that contribute to the outcome of shared direction:

– Articulating an inclusive vision, mission, purpose, values– Naming of shared goals, outcomes, objectives– Devising of consistent and overlapping strategies, policies, and practices to

meet these ends.• Leadership processes that contribute to the outcome of shared alignment:

– Finding common ground in ideas, activities, and values– Identifying areas of shared responsibility– Creating practices and systems for bridging differences

• Leadership processes that contribute to the outcome of shared commitment:– Creating trust and mutual respect– Building a sense of togetherness or community– Keeping the organization together when broader forces try to pull people apart

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MORE


Note that the examples of leadership processes on the previous page can be accomplished in a number of different ways. For example, one process for “creating trust and mutual respect” would be a leader in a position of authority who models trust and respect on a daily basis. Another process would be an event in which members of different social groups build trust through the sharing of customs and traditions. And yet another process would be an organizational value that places emphasis on “demonstrating respect to one another.” What all of these leadership processes have in common is that they contribute to the creation of shared commitment within a context of difference.Currently, we have organized the various types of leadership processes along two dimensions – individual and organizational level processes and formal and informal processes. The two dimensions create four different quadrants as follows:• Individual:

– Actions of authority and interactions between authority and others (formal)– Actions and interactions between others (informal)

• Organizational:– Organizational practices (formal)– Organizational culture (informal)

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Data Source(s): Interviews, surveys, organizational assessment interview.


The interventions we develop serve to increase the supports and decrease the barriers that influence the

achievement of shared direction, alignment, and commitment within a context of difference.

Interventions will be created for individual, group, and organizational levels and will seek to achieve

impact at a variety of levels of learning. A description of intervention levels is available as a

separate document.

Back

Framework

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Leadership Outcomes

Leadership outcomes are defined as the extent to which organizations have shared Direction, Alignment, and Commitment across different

Social Identity groups. We speculate that organizations with high levels of shared direction, alignment, and commitment will be more capable of

accomplishing their mission in a context of difference than organizations low in these dimensions. As we create and evaluate interventions we will have the opportunity to explore the outcome

element of the framework in more depth. As we analyze the current data, we will summarize various indicators of shared direction,

alignment, and commitment in organizational settings (for example, high turnover with regard to a specific social group could be an

indicator of high direction). Both positive and negative indicators need to be explored and articulated.

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Data Source(s): Interviews

Feedback Loop

The feedback loop reflects the notion that changes in the system, or in elements in the system, have the capacity to change the context of the system as well. The feedback

loop captures the dynamic relationship between an organization and the broader society or community in

which it exists. For example, issues faced by organizations may lead to the creation of new laws.

Back

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leadership across differences model what is the leadership challenge? why leadership across...

Documents

project framework

model of leadership

dynamics of leadership

differences project

major leadership challenge

context of difference

differences lad project

new iteration