Tag Archives: Authority

Leadership and Human Systems – How Authority Relationships Influence Behavior

Edwin Friedman This is an expansion of an earlier post: A colleague in the nuclear industry recently asked my opinion of the role “boss stress” plays in nuclear safety culture. Research (study after study indicates that the boss-subordinate relationship is … Continue reading

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A future of Organization Development (OD)

Despite the ancient wisdom, “there is nothing new under the sun,” many OD practitioners and their customers seem to be addicted to finding what is “new.” This habit has been manifested over the past few decades through a constant stream … Continue reading

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Self Differentiated Leadership

A self-differentiated leader is able to lead and connect simultaneously. They respect their own inner guidance system – what they want, think, and feel – and convey their sense of direction clearly, calmly, and consistently. They follow their own path, … Continue reading

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T-Group as Cutting Edge Post #5:

Implications for OD Practice The first major implication from what I have written above is that team and even some leadership development, not just T-group training, needs to be done with intact groups. This minimizes the problem of transfer of … Continue reading

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Leaders Lead…and Manage

It’s often said that leaders lead and managers manage. From my perspective, if a leader doesn’t “manage”…if they don’t organize the system to pull off their vision by essentially clarifying who’s going to do what by when and then holding … Continue reading

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Leaders must add “structure”

I colleague recently asked: “I invite you to share more of your structure-based approaches that you have used to convert or help each type (theory X and theory Y). I would like to learn more.” To which I replied: The … Continue reading

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Leadership and Culture by Robert P. Crosby

The use of too much authority or the absence of authority are equally disastrous. The culture created by authoritarianism is well known. The culture encouraged by a vacuum of leadership is one of confusion, delay, and unproductive anxiety leading to … Continue reading

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T-Groups – “…the most significant social invention of the (20th) century.”

T-Groups are a unique learning methodology invented in 1946 by Kurt Lewin, who many consider the founder of organizational development. Carl Rogers, a renowned psychotherapist, reportedly described the T-Group as “…the most significant social invention of the century.” We strongly agree. … Continue reading

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Leadership – the first chapter from my new yet to be published book

Excerpted from “Leadership can be Learned” Chapter One: Leadership Take clear stands and stay connected – the essence of leadership. The task of being an effective authority figure remains the same, whether your role impacts many (President, VP, CEO, etc.) or … Continue reading

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More Thoughts on Authority

A colleague wrote today on our list serve, prompting the following thoughts: Gil, I liked the thoughts you offered in your note below. Thanks for taking the time to share them. Your comment: “Because of human reactions to authority, it … Continue reading

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