Transformative Innovation for 21st Century Challenges (TIMS3310)

In-Semester Break

Intro to Course

In this first class, students are introduced to the core focus of the course: developing leaders fit to handle 21st century complexity. Students are also introduced to the two-part weekly structure of the course: the first half of each week is focused on 'external' leadership - leading the world outside - and the second half focuses on leading the world 'inside' (personal leadership development). As the course progresses, eventually both these streams converge into an integrated leadership development experience.

External Leadership topic: Introduction to Wellbeing Polarity Leadership for Society and Self

Internal Leadership topic: Introduction to psychodynamic approach to leader development

Learning outcomes: L01, L02

Placemaking

External Leadership topic: The first half of this week covers the topic of Placemaking. This topic will introduce students to 21st century changes demanding new approaches to transformative innovation for business and society. The topic is the first of two external leadership topics that set the context for the core framework of the course: wellbeing polarity leadership

Internal Leadership topic: In the second half of our class, we build on last week's introduction to psychodynamics. This week we look at two common real-world examples of why psychodynamics are a powerful method of leader development: The detached executive & The obsessive-compulsive

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03

Community Gridlock: The Roots of Polarisation

External Leadership topic: the first half of this week's class looks at the second of our context-setting topics: community gridlock. Last week we looked at how leaders need to think in terms of placemaking. This week we look at how this ideal can break down into polarised stakeholders. A key leadership challenge is how to move past gridlock and polarisation towards an agreed vision of a 'place'

Internal Leadership topic: Introduction to the Leadership Circle. In the second half of this week's class, students will be introduced to a key method for identifying their own psychodynamic factors which may impede their leadership. This is known as the Leadership Circle. Students start a journey here of realising that polarisation outside in the world is also matched by polarisation within our own minds. Change outside is made difficult without corresponding change inside.

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03

Eight Component Model of Wellbeing

External Leadership topic: Eight Component Model of Wellbeing. After the last two context-setting weeks, students are now introduced to the first core component of the wellbeing polarity leadership (WPL) framework. WPL is advanced as a way to help develop leaders who can navigate the placemaking, gridlock and polarisation challenges of the 21st century.

Internal Leadership Topic: Reactive Leadership. Last week students were introduced to the basic theory behind the Leadership Circle method for identifying psychodynamic factors. This week we go beyond the basic underlying theory to look more deeply at each of the categories of psychodynamic factors. These are known as Reactive behaviors of leadership.

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03

Stages of Leader Consciousness

External Leadership Topic: Stages of Leader Consciousness. In the first half of this week's class, students will now look at how leaders come to very different ideas about the eight components of wellbeing introduced last week. These different 'theories of wellbeing' are shown to be linked to how leaders make sense of complexity. Students will be introduced to the stages of leader consciousness model of developmental psychology. This model explains patterns we see in practice and charts a developmental pathway to help leaders build greater capacity to handle 21st century complexity.

Internal Leadership topic: The Theory of Psychological Complexes. In the second half of this week, students go deeper in their understanding of how psychodynamic factors affect their present day. This is explained through the concept of psychological complexes.

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03

Conventional versus Postconventional Stages

External Leadership topic: Conventional versus Postconventional Stages. In the first half of this week, we build on the theory of leader stages of consciousness introduced last week. Students are shown how most leaders are at 'conventional' stages while 21st century complexity requires a 'post-conventional' mindset. This week specifies the differences between the two.

Internal Leadership topic: In the second half of this week, students begin to unpack their own Leadership Circle diagnostic assessment. This helps students to identify the psychodynamic complex they will work on in the course as part of Assessment 3.

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03

Introduction to polarities

External and Internal Leadership topic: Intro to polarities. This week students are introduced to the third component of the wellbeing polarity leadership framework: polarities. The recognition and leading of polarities is seen as a hallmark distinguishing feature of effective post-conventional leadership for 21st century complexity. The concept of polarities is the linking pin that now unites both the external and internal sides of the course. Students will come to see that effective leadership requires the leading of polarities both outside and inside.

Learning outcomes: L01, L03

Assessments 1 & 3 Workshop

Now that all the theoretical essentials have been laid down in the course, we shift to their application to effective assessments (1 & 3). In the first half of this week, students are given specific guidance for how to go about the task of Assessment 1. Students benefit here from a week of consolidating all the concepts they have learnt so far. This clarification and consolidation is vital for success with Assessment 1.

The second half of the lesson turns to Assessment 3. This Assessment requires a journaling of student's own personal development journey at using psychodynamic theory to work through their own psychological complex.

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03

Assessment 1 Due

The Focus this week is entirely on Assessment 1, which is due the end of this week. The purpose of Assessment 1 is to compel students to learn the fundamental theories of the course. This week students are given the time and space for further clarification and consolidation of the concepts. This theoretical grounding is seen as essential for the next Assessment #2. Assessment 2 is a practical application of the theory learnt in Assessment 1.

Learning outcomes: L01, L03

Polarity Mapping

External Leadership topic: The first half of this week begins the student journey towards Assessment 2 due at the end of semester. We pick up the topic of 'polarities' again but this time students are introduced to a practical tool leaders use to map polarities. Polarity mapping is a vital tool for moving past gridlock and building a place.

Internal Leadership topic: with awareness now that polarities are inside as well as outside, students are shown how psychodynamic complexes result from a broken inner polarity. The two sides of the course are now working together to help build the mindset for effective 21st century leadership.

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03

Creating wellbeing value through polarities

External Leadership topic: In preparation for Assessment 2, students are now shown how the concept of polarities and the concept of the eight components of wellbeing are linked. Students are shown how to take real-world leadership issues and learn to diagnose the wellbeing polarities at play. The framework allows students to then see what the opportunity is to move from an 'issue' to creating greater wellbeing value for stakeholders.

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03

Assessment 2 Workshop

With Assessment 2 imminent, this class is devoted to working through an example of how to do Assessment 2.

Learning outcomes: L01, L03

Assessment 3 Workshop

Our last class is devoted to working through an Assessment 3 example

Learning outcomes: L02