A500.3.3.RB_AndersonShane

Organizational Leadership as a System

     If I were to think of organizational leadership as a body of information, I would research a few definitions, keywords,  and ideas and leave it at that.  However, that would be an injustice to myself and the discipline of organizational leadership.  According to Nosich, " Fields embody a distinctive way, or set of ways, of looking at the world" (2012)  The key differences between a body of information and a discipline are perspective and depth.  

In my opinion, knowing the information is a having a shallow understanding whereas viewing the discipline allows us to know how to think about and synthesize the information.  Rather than just remembering the information in order to regurgitate it for a test, I can critically think about the information in order to gain a deeper understanding of the discipline.  

This will definitely change the way I approach my coursework as I will be more invested in the underlying purpose and concepts.  Instead of simply accepting the information at factual, I will question it in order to form my own ideas and conclusions.  Furthermore, I will understand the logic of Organizational Leadership and be able to analyze it to recognize how each class, book or bit of information relates to each other and the whole of the field.  

For example, learning a body of information is having an 8-piece jigsaw puzzle.  You can look at the picture on the box and easily see how the pieces should be put together or solve it from memory.  

However, viewing the discipline and learning the logic of a field is like figuring out a 1000-piece puzzle.   You have all the information (pieces, and picture on the box) but putting it all together takes time and an understanding of how they can fit together.  

Below is a bit of information I wrote out as I was reading this week's material which has helped me view Leadership as a discipline rather than just a body of information.   

LOGIC OF A LEADERSHIP COURSE:

Purpose: 

            To think the way a leader thinks about his or her followers and team

Question at Issue: 

            How can I learn to be a more effective leader?

Assumptions:  

            That I can learn to lead by studying books or the results of other leaders

Implications and Consequences:  

            That my understanding of leaders will become deeper during the course

            That I will become a more effective leader through these courses

Concepts:  

             Leadership; Followership; Teamwork

Information:  

            Stories and books written about “great leaders”

Conclusions/Interpretations:  

            Conclusions I will draw about my life

            Interpreting items in a different way

            Conclusions of the idea of a good/effective leader

Point of View:  

            The point of view of other leaders

            Also, point of view of followers

  Context: I am learning this as someone of a certain age, of a certain gender, with a personal history, in a society, in a culture – and all of these shape the information I learn and the way I interpret it.

   Alternatives:  I have choices – alternatives – about which leaders I will let influence me.  

Nosich, G. M. (2012). Learning to think things through: a guide to critical thinking across the curriculum. Boston: Pearson.