16 June - The beginning of the transformation

As a student of transformational servant leadership the theme of SLI 2017 has the possibility of being quite informative. It is my hope to be able to expand on my knowledge and understanding of the concept. It will interesting to see how the participants and speakers present their interpretation of transformation. 

Dr. Tony Frontier gave the opening lecture on transformation. Not so much giving a definition but a manner in which to approach a personal and intellectual methodology to SLI. The quote from his presentation that resonates is that
                      It is not about change. It is about what changes, what stays the same, and 
                      whether not those who use the system are empowered as
                    active, rather than passive participants of our efforts to improve (Frontier, 2017). 

This quote is reflective of not only act of implementing change as a leader but also the process that one should go through when implementing change. 

  The role of Greenleaf within the context of organizational theory would be that of a post modernist social constructionist. Servant leadership is action based and centered around members making meaning (Bradley, 2017). Although servant leadership is not considered an organizational theory, the context in which Greenleaf proposed the conceptual use of this leadership style one could make the case that it fits in to Wheatly’s construct of organizational theory. The foundational understanding that “The vision of an organization must be congruent with the past and give guidance for the future” (Bradley, 2017) emulates the servant leadership trait of foreshadowing.

This circles back to the concepts of transformational servant leadership and the tenets set forth by Robert Greenleaf. Greenleaf presents the understanding that one must serve before one can lead. The act of leading successfully only develops as leaders continues to reflect, grow from and implement new ways of viewing leadership and the people one is leading; thus transformation (Greenleaf, 1977).

Perhaps the best example of the journey of transformation one can present is that of my cohort moving into our third year . . . it is not just about the academic knowledge. It is also the personal knowledge we have garnered through this process of transformation reflecting on personal and professional leadership, for ourselves and others. If addressing the cohort within organizational theory it would be reflective of Senge’s Five Disciplines: Systems thinking, personal mastery, mental models, team learning, shared vision. Each of these concepts can be applied to both the interaction of the cohort as well as our process of development through the program.

Cohort 46 - Cardinal Stritch SI 2017

Bradley, D.J. (2017) Organizational Theory and Practice in Higher Education [PowerPoint Slides]. Retrieved from https://stritch.instructure.com/courses/22545/files/1977389?module_item_id=662900

 
Frontier, T. (2017). Understanding Transformation. [PowerPoint Slides]. Retrieved from https://stritch.instructure.com/courses/15677/files/1986080?module_item_id=666875

Greenleaf, R. K. (1977/2002). Servant-leadership: A journey into the nature of legitimate power and greatness. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press.

Understanding Transformation - Frontier, T.  (2017, June 16). Transformational change.  Presentation at the 2017 Leadership, Learning and Service Summer Institute, Milwaukee, WI.