Leading Through Collaboration: Guiding Groups to Productive Solutions

by John P. Glaser

Overview

"Written by a very successful leader, problem solver and negotiator, the book combines a strong rationale for its practices, well delineated practical strategies, and vignettes from Glaser′s extensive background that provides the reader with a clear understanding of how to become a truly collaborative leader."
Pat Wolfe, Education Consultant
Mind Matters, Inc.

Use the power of collaboration to solve problems and resolve conflicts!

Any group has the potential for mistrust, suspicion, and rancor, and so effective leadership involves developing attitudes that guide groups to recognize and work through conflict in order to maximize the potential for collaboration.

Leading Through Collaboration offers practical guidance to leaders encountering conflict in their organizations. Based on years of experience that includes work as an organizational consultant and a superintendent, author John Glaser describes and applies a more effective means of solving problems through the creation of alignment and shared leadership. Part One of this accessible guide presents a framework for understanding the fundamental attitudes that are necessary for success in addressing conflict and change in an organization, while Part Two provides an essential set of problem-solving skills that can make successful collaboration a reality.

This easy-to-use resource will help group members:

• Establish a sense of shared commitment and common goals
• Build higher levels of trust and understanding
• Develop an approach to leadership that responds effectively to changing circumstances
• Understand each other′s needs and perspectives
• Set aside differences and work together for the greater good

In successful group interactions participants build on each other′s ideas, interests, and perspectives to develop a unity of purpose and a creative synergy that maximizes success. Learn to cultivate this powerful dynamic to create a community aligned around a common vision.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781483360416
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	11/17/2004
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

John Glaser is Superintendent of the Napa Valley Unified School District in Napa, California. He was the founding partner of Glaser and Associates, a consulting firm focusing on effective interpersonal learning in individuals and organizations. Throughout his professional life he has explored the nature of dynamic leadership and how people come together to produce more powerful outcomes. His consulting experiences have included a general focus on organizational development, as well as specific training, mediation, and facilitation work with joint labor relations initiatives. Glaser was formerly an associate professor of Organizational Leadership at the University of La Verne in La Verne, California. He received his doctorate in education from the University of California, Berkeley. He can be contacted at [e-mail].

Table of Contents

Preface
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Part I: Staying on One Page: An Attitude of Coherence
1. Coherence: The Mysterious and Scientific Side of Problem Solving
2. Starting With the Self: Attitudes and Habits That Promote Collaboration
3. Creating Shared Meaning: Moving From Discord to Collaboration
4. The Perils of Coherence: Bad Agreements, False Coherence, and Groupthink
Part II: Tools and Strategies for Leading Through Collaboration
5. The Fundamental Elements for Creating Coherence
6. Aligning the Team
7. Focusing on the Vision
8. Searching for Solutions
9. Reaching Effective Agreements
10. Bringing Coherence to the Entire Organization
References
Index

Editorial Reviews

"I love this book! It is practical, readable and wise. With this book, John Glaser has made an important contribution to our field. He has done a wonderful job of both describing the underlying theory of his approach and offering an effective translation into practice. "

Janet Walden

"Educational leaders who hope to foster the shared vision, collective commitments, and collaborative cultures of true learning communities in their schools will require new ways of thinking and skills. Leading Through Collaboration represents a useful resource for those leaders. "

Richard Du Four

"Written by a very successful leader, problem solver, and negotiator, the book combines a strong rationale for its practices, well delineated practical strategies, and vignettes from Glaser's extensive background that provide the reader with a clear understanding of how to become a truly collaborative leader. "

Pat Wolfe

"One of the foremost practiotioner and trainer in organizational problem solving has finally put his knowledge and experience into a book. "

Arne Croce

"What a marvelous blend of theory and practice! Glaser’s writing is so engaging, so personal, and so informative that you will want to read every word. This book should be a requirement for every person who is serious about learning how to lead. "

Leonard O. Pellicer

"Glaser's conversational style and liberal use of examples from his own work and family life make this an enjoyable and very readable book and fabulous learning tool. "

Bonnie Prouty Castry

"Educational leaders who hope to foster the shared vision, collective commitments, and collaborative cultures of true learning communities in their schools will require new ways of thinking and skills. Leading Through Collaboration represents a useful resource for those leaders."

Richard DuFour