Leadership For a Fractured World- How to Cross Boundaries, Build Bridges, and Lead Change (By Dean Williams)
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| A fractured humanity? |
As one begins to read the book, some obvious questions emerge-
* Why is there so much conflict (antagonism among groups) around the world, almost without exception? Conflict here is expressed in a very broad sense, that which is not only pervasive among divergent groups, but also from one human to another, based on their derived and assumed identities.
* How can leadership be defined in the context of today's intricately globalized world, yet still perpetually “fractured”?
* It compels one to ask very tough questions- "Do we really want the world to be a better place, even if it entails making really huge concessions in our own belief systems, and the related symbols that we highly hold dear? Are we ready to reexamine our own intimate loyalties, which define our identity to usher the path to a better world?
* What do we expect from the leadership? By the way, in terms of the globe, who is "in-charge"? Is there a responsible global leadership in place? It not, why so? Who is responsible to redress global grievances? Plainly put, who is in charge of the globe?
* Are we supposed to just rely on "authority" to address interdependent challenges? Moreover, will not the asymmetry in power, and contingent capabilities only make it difficult to assign the job of "cleaning up the mess" more complicated?
* Will there even be a civilized dialogue between conflicting parties across the world, let alone wars?
* How can one emancipate oneself from the chains of parochial mentality, and "bust boundaries" to address interdependent challenges?
* Why are we so blind to the pain of "others"? And so much at pain when our "own" people suffer? Why does this empathy sharply diminish when the point of reference is someone else?
* What is the role of the "small" man in the big chaotic world? Where is each individuals place in affairs of global magnitude? What is your "call to leadership" in terms of addressing global issues, as a mere denizen of the world?
What does a "fractured" world entail?
The word "fractured" refers to deep incongruities among multitudinous groups represented in terms of race, religion, ethnicity, nationality, caste, class, and a whole broad spectrum of subtle stratification. A "fractured world" is a result of fractured identities and fractured perception of how one sees oneself and "others".
The book starts with a foreword by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The beginning lines- "Many of the world's problems and conflicts arise because we have lost sight of the basic humanity that binds us all together as a human family. We need to forget that despite the diversity of race, religion, ideology, and so forth, people are equal in their basic wish for peace and happiness."
Keeping Dalai Lama as the point of reference, What relevance does someone like him hold as a world leader? Does a spiritual man have a place in the world which is largely utilitarian? For instance, is the world too pragmatic to have a place for a spiritual leader such as him? Even though he is one of the most influential persons alive today, he does not have a native homeland.
The book brings forth a cold fact to the fore, the world is indeed a highly fragmented place. There is divergence on too many issues that can even be accounted. But why is the world the way it is? How can one be so thirsty for the blood of another group?
The integral question is 'How did we get here?' Shedding light on this, Williams refers to the book Moral Tribes by Joshua Greene, which describes "how our brains are designed for tribal life, leading us to make choices to advance our own group's interests at the expense of others and to rationalize such behavior as appropriate and moral." Further, explaining how deeply ingrained this "tribal impulse" is, he writes even Belgium, the headquarters for the European Union is not an exclusion. "Some Dutch-speaking people of the Flander region want to separate from the French-speaking people of the Walloon region." This tendency to adhere to "tribal identity" is rooted in economic, cultural, linguistic, historical and political differences. Even a biological organism creates external walls to protect itself. For instance, a womb protects the child before conception.
While one's own self should also be put under the "introspection-glass," since, these aspired change will not be effective if one own understanding of oneself is delusional. It's a question that dares to shake the very notions that we hold to be true, regarding our shared identities as human beings. Before becoming resolved to change the world, the need to assess perceptively the ground realities against which the need for leadership has sprung is a paramount.
What does it mean to be human beings? Do I have an obligation towards someone across the world? Should I be bothered about a child in Bangladesh or in remote Nepal who is hungry for days? How do I perceive these happenings around the world?
The "global change agents"
Even though the widely stated cliché “be the change you want to see in the world" does hold true largely for someone who wishes to be a "global change agent." The challenge is to find as much as converging ground
These agents are expected to have a broad mindset, and who (1) "mobilizes people to cross the boundaries that divide groups to address shared problems; (2) helps groups bust the boundaries and maladaptive practices that keep people from effectively responding to emerging threats and the demands of a changing world; (3) works with divided and fractured groups to build a relational bridge by healing wounds, reducing the mystery of the other, and resolving conflicts; and (4) intervenes when a group is stuck to stimulate sufficient creativity to transcend confining boundaries to produce break though solutions."
The “global change agent” will need to first emancipate him/herself. This will need one to change the attitude of- "someone else will clean the mess" in terms of addressing interdependent challenges. These change agents will first need to move beyond parochial way of looking at things.
Convergence in terms of reducing these fractures is only possible when one is willing to see that the superficial lines that divides groups is just largely artificial. It entails acknowledging the fact that the stratification that were created for a purpose has to some extent completed its utility.
The real dangers of leading in a fractured world
Sergio Vieira de Mello was killed in Baghdad, Iraq in 2003. 22 other individuals were also killed, including very bright UN professionals from different countries. He was in Iraq in the position of UN Special Representative. He was most likely the contender for the position of Secretary General of the UN after Kofi Annan. He served 34 years in the UN humanitarian efforts across conflict-torn countries.
Sergio, a Brazilian national was a passionate man who believed that conflict can be curtailed across the world, but was aware about the enormity and complexity of the problem. He was a great negotiator, he is applauded for having had a really high success in bringing together warring groups, furthering UN’s humanitarian efforts. He strove to find convergences between opposing ends and truce an understanding. Starting from the early 70's, he went on missions to Bangladesh, Sudan, Cyprus, Mozambique, Peru and Lebanon. Abu Musab Zarkawi claimed the responsibility for the bomb blast, as an attack on the institution of UN.
Dean Williams calls the likes of Serio as "global change agents," since, such people strive to "cross boundaries, build bridges and lead change."
Built on the adaptive leadership framework
Dean Williams states in the preface that this work is a contribution to the adaptive leadership framework first articulated by Ronald Heifetz and Riley Sinder. Hence, as framework emphasizes, the book distinguishes between authority and leadership, and also delineates sharply between technical and adaptive leadership.
It is usually difficult to discern if the challenge at hand is an adaptive one, specially when it entails to the globe itself. Letting go of the tribal impulse for the good of all and respond to global challenges, even when it is largely obviously, is certainly going to be an arduous and tricky task. For instance, who is to responsible to "take charge" for global challenges such as environmental degradation and climate change, mass animal extinctions, global mass poverty, gender empowerment, careful use of nuclear energy, continual tensions among nation-states, dangers of outburst of epidemics, transnational organized crimes, sustainable global development etc. These clearly are challenges faced by not just one, but all communities and nations across the world. This begs the question- who is in charge to mitigate these issues? Adaptive leadership framework seeks to provide diagnostic tools to that helps individuals figure out their own biased loyalties and find convergence grounds for the eager "global change agents."
A touch of "grounded idealism"
The quest to making the world a better place is one that is mired with innumerable uncertain variables. From trying to assess systemic and structural problems, to changing the mindset of huge number of people can plausibly considered an idealistic endeavor. Changing the cold "Machiavellian world" entails even redefining the meta-words such a liberty, justice, human nature etc. In the introduction to the book Niccolo Machiavelli is quoted- "There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things."
The book is a guide for someone passionately seeking to change the world. The lessons drawn from both past examples, to actually making this endeavor a strategic one, Williams goes into lengths to be as useful to someone who is resolved to make the world a better place.
Albeit, it is a cold reminder that we still live in a world where even after 5 years of civil war, and the carnage it brought about in Syria, the world is largely divided over what solutions to undertake to bring the conflict to an end. But the very fact that countries are not willing to make concessions on their demands and eager to come to the table for consensus, proves how divided they are, even on very critical issues that demand immediate attention. The book highlights why separate communities across the world have become so blind to the pains of the "others," not seeing children, men and women both, getting uselessly killed, while the world moves on. It is because of the "fractures" that pervade through all communities, countries, and groups.
* Why is there so much conflict (antagonism among groups) around the world, almost without exception? Conflict here is expressed in a very broad sense, that which is not only pervasive among divergent groups, but also from one human to another, based on their derived and assumed identities.
* How can leadership be defined in the context of today's intricately globalized world, yet still perpetually “fractured”?
* It compels one to ask very tough questions- "Do we really want the world to be a better place, even if it entails making really huge concessions in our own belief systems, and the related symbols that we highly hold dear? Are we ready to reexamine our own intimate loyalties, which define our identity to usher the path to a better world?
* What do we expect from the leadership? By the way, in terms of the globe, who is "in-charge"? Is there a responsible global leadership in place? It not, why so? Who is responsible to redress global grievances? Plainly put, who is in charge of the globe?
* Are we supposed to just rely on "authority" to address interdependent challenges? Moreover, will not the asymmetry in power, and contingent capabilities only make it difficult to assign the job of "cleaning up the mess" more complicated?
* Will there even be a civilized dialogue between conflicting parties across the world, let alone wars?
* How can one emancipate oneself from the chains of parochial mentality, and "bust boundaries" to address interdependent challenges?
* Why are we so blind to the pain of "others"? And so much at pain when our "own" people suffer? Why does this empathy sharply diminish when the point of reference is someone else?
* What is the role of the "small" man in the big chaotic world? Where is each individuals place in affairs of global magnitude? What is your "call to leadership" in terms of addressing global issues, as a mere denizen of the world?
What does a "fractured" world entail?
The word "fractured" refers to deep incongruities among multitudinous groups represented in terms of race, religion, ethnicity, nationality, caste, class, and a whole broad spectrum of subtle stratification. A "fractured world" is a result of fractured identities and fractured perception of how one sees oneself and "others".
The book starts with a foreword by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The beginning lines- "Many of the world's problems and conflicts arise because we have lost sight of the basic humanity that binds us all together as a human family. We need to forget that despite the diversity of race, religion, ideology, and so forth, people are equal in their basic wish for peace and happiness."
Keeping Dalai Lama as the point of reference, What relevance does someone like him hold as a world leader? Does a spiritual man have a place in the world which is largely utilitarian? For instance, is the world too pragmatic to have a place for a spiritual leader such as him? Even though he is one of the most influential persons alive today, he does not have a native homeland.
The book brings forth a cold fact to the fore, the world is indeed a highly fragmented place. There is divergence on too many issues that can even be accounted. But why is the world the way it is? How can one be so thirsty for the blood of another group?
The integral question is 'How did we get here?' Shedding light on this, Williams refers to the book Moral Tribes by Joshua Greene, which describes "how our brains are designed for tribal life, leading us to make choices to advance our own group's interests at the expense of others and to rationalize such behavior as appropriate and moral." Further, explaining how deeply ingrained this "tribal impulse" is, he writes even Belgium, the headquarters for the European Union is not an exclusion. "Some Dutch-speaking people of the Flander region want to separate from the French-speaking people of the Walloon region." This tendency to adhere to "tribal identity" is rooted in economic, cultural, linguistic, historical and political differences. Even a biological organism creates external walls to protect itself. For instance, a womb protects the child before conception.
While one's own self should also be put under the "introspection-glass," since, these aspired change will not be effective if one own understanding of oneself is delusional. It's a question that dares to shake the very notions that we hold to be true, regarding our shared identities as human beings. Before becoming resolved to change the world, the need to assess perceptively the ground realities against which the need for leadership has sprung is a paramount.
What does it mean to be human beings? Do I have an obligation towards someone across the world? Should I be bothered about a child in Bangladesh or in remote Nepal who is hungry for days? How do I perceive these happenings around the world?
The "global change agents"
Even though the widely stated cliché “be the change you want to see in the world" does hold true largely for someone who wishes to be a "global change agent." The challenge is to find as much as converging ground
These agents are expected to have a broad mindset, and who (1) "mobilizes people to cross the boundaries that divide groups to address shared problems; (2) helps groups bust the boundaries and maladaptive practices that keep people from effectively responding to emerging threats and the demands of a changing world; (3) works with divided and fractured groups to build a relational bridge by healing wounds, reducing the mystery of the other, and resolving conflicts; and (4) intervenes when a group is stuck to stimulate sufficient creativity to transcend confining boundaries to produce break though solutions."
The “global change agent” will need to first emancipate him/herself. This will need one to change the attitude of- "someone else will clean the mess" in terms of addressing interdependent challenges. These change agents will first need to move beyond parochial way of looking at things.
Convergence in terms of reducing these fractures is only possible when one is willing to see that the superficial lines that divides groups is just largely artificial. It entails acknowledging the fact that the stratification that were created for a purpose has to some extent completed its utility.
The real dangers of leading in a fractured world
Sergio Vieira de Mello was killed in Baghdad, Iraq in 2003. 22 other individuals were also killed, including very bright UN professionals from different countries. He was in Iraq in the position of UN Special Representative. He was most likely the contender for the position of Secretary General of the UN after Kofi Annan. He served 34 years in the UN humanitarian efforts across conflict-torn countries.
Sergio, a Brazilian national was a passionate man who believed that conflict can be curtailed across the world, but was aware about the enormity and complexity of the problem. He was a great negotiator, he is applauded for having had a really high success in bringing together warring groups, furthering UN’s humanitarian efforts. He strove to find convergences between opposing ends and truce an understanding. Starting from the early 70's, he went on missions to Bangladesh, Sudan, Cyprus, Mozambique, Peru and Lebanon. Abu Musab Zarkawi claimed the responsibility for the bomb blast, as an attack on the institution of UN.
Dean Williams calls the likes of Serio as "global change agents," since, such people strive to "cross boundaries, build bridges and lead change."
Built on the adaptive leadership framework
Dean Williams states in the preface that this work is a contribution to the adaptive leadership framework first articulated by Ronald Heifetz and Riley Sinder. Hence, as framework emphasizes, the book distinguishes between authority and leadership, and also delineates sharply between technical and adaptive leadership.
It is usually difficult to discern if the challenge at hand is an adaptive one, specially when it entails to the globe itself. Letting go of the tribal impulse for the good of all and respond to global challenges, even when it is largely obviously, is certainly going to be an arduous and tricky task. For instance, who is to responsible to "take charge" for global challenges such as environmental degradation and climate change, mass animal extinctions, global mass poverty, gender empowerment, careful use of nuclear energy, continual tensions among nation-states, dangers of outburst of epidemics, transnational organized crimes, sustainable global development etc. These clearly are challenges faced by not just one, but all communities and nations across the world. This begs the question- who is in charge to mitigate these issues? Adaptive leadership framework seeks to provide diagnostic tools to that helps individuals figure out their own biased loyalties and find convergence grounds for the eager "global change agents."
A touch of "grounded idealism"
The quest to making the world a better place is one that is mired with innumerable uncertain variables. From trying to assess systemic and structural problems, to changing the mindset of huge number of people can plausibly considered an idealistic endeavor. Changing the cold "Machiavellian world" entails even redefining the meta-words such a liberty, justice, human nature etc. In the introduction to the book Niccolo Machiavelli is quoted- "There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things."
The book is a guide for someone passionately seeking to change the world. The lessons drawn from both past examples, to actually making this endeavor a strategic one, Williams goes into lengths to be as useful to someone who is resolved to make the world a better place.
Albeit, it is a cold reminder that we still live in a world where even after 5 years of civil war, and the carnage it brought about in Syria, the world is largely divided over what solutions to undertake to bring the conflict to an end. But the very fact that countries are not willing to make concessions on their demands and eager to come to the table for consensus, proves how divided they are, even on very critical issues that demand immediate attention. The book highlights why separate communities across the world have become so blind to the pains of the "others," not seeing children, men and women both, getting uselessly killed, while the world moves on. It is because of the "fractures" that pervade through all communities, countries, and groups.
"Dean Williams is on the faculty of Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, where he chairs the Global Change Agents program and leaders the World Leaders Interview Project at the Center for Public Leadership. He server as the chief advisor to the president of Madagascar and has also conducted research and leadership development initiatives in India, Australia, Africa, Asia, South America, the Middle East, and the United States.(1) "He is the author of Leadership for a Fractured World: How to Cross Boundaries, Build Bridges, and Lead Change, and Real Leadership: Helping People and Organizations Face Their Toughest Challenges."(2)
The above "A Reflection" is weekly initiative to reflect on what leadership at the global level entails, building on the adaptive leadership framework. It will contain a series of writings, starting from the book :Leadership For a Fractured World- How to Cross Boundaries, Build Bridges, and Lead Change by Dean Williams.While the first chapter, over which the write-up is based introduces the general "whats", the consequent chapters will elaborate on the "hows."Different chapters deal with disparate elements of a fractured world. |
References-
(1)- From the book- Leadership for a fractured world.
(2)- (http://www.globalleadership.net/about-dean-williams.html)
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