Leading Systems : Lessons from the Power Lab (Paperback)--by Barry Oshry [1999 Edition] ISBN: 9781576750728

In three parts, management educator Barry Oshry explains the phenomena of systems and leadership as experienced through his innovative Power Lab, a total-immersion experience that shows how to exert leadership in the family, the community, organizations, and the nation. The Power Lab shows how and why we repeatedly fall into systemic relationship problems, and what it takes to break out of the pattern. Once people recognize that they are system creatures, they can begin to master system processes rather than fall victim to them. Accessible, full of real-life examples, and beautifully written by a pioneer in systems thinking A systems framework based not on hopes and dreams but on thirty years of research on what systems really are Speaks to leadership in the family, community, organization, and nation For over thirty years, Barry Oshry has uncovered core truths about how we operate in large organizations through the Power Lab, an experiential program that has been called'The World Series of Leadership Development Activities.'In Leading Systems, Oshry reveals the lessons he has derived from his Power Lab experiences-experiences that have been central to his innovative insights about human systems and system leadership. Oshry maintains that the next evolutionary challenge for human beings is to recognize ourselves as system creatures, see how system processes shape our experiences, and develop the knowledge and skills to master these processes rather than be victims of them. Drawing on his Power Lab experiences, he reveals the possibilities of systems leadership and how effective leadership can provide the basis for creating sane, healthy, effective social systems. Challenging conventional thinking, Oshry shows the limitations of consensus, the importance of unilateral action, and the restrictions that our values-such as egalitarianism, liberalism, conservatism-can place on power. He reveals how the problems we often believe are personal or peculiar to our system or circumstances are in factsystemic, limiting the possibilities of both individuals and the system as a whole-and he demonstrates what it takes to break out and elevate ourselves and our systems to higher levels of possibility. Perhaps most importantly, Oshry shares his experience in discovering what he calls'exhilarating concepts,'and shows how these concepts offer unusual insights into the nature of systems, shedding light on everything from organizational dysfunction to the conflicts that occur along lines of race, gender, sexual orientation, and ethnicity. It is only through this deep knowledge, Oshry says, that system leaders can elevate their systems to those higher levels of possibility to which we aspire. Offering new directions, Leading Systems is essential reading for anyone who wants a deep understanding of how systems work and how to exert enlightened leadership Barry Oshry stellt dar, wie wir alle in Systemen leben, die unser Verständnis von der Welt und unsere Beziehung zu ihr unwiderruflich prägen. Falls Sie noch nicht festgestellt haben, dass Sie von einem System umgeben sind, sollten Sie Ihr sozioökonomisches Umfeld genau betrachten, das Sie weit mehr, als Sie denken, beeinflusst. Zur Erläuterung der Prinzipien von Macht, Führung und Systemen führt Oshry ein experimentelles Programm durch, in dem die Teilnehmer sich komplett einem ihnen "zugeordneten" System verschreiben, indem sie in einem bestimmten sozioökonomischen Umfeld leben und arbeiten. Dieses so genannte "Power Lab" unterrichtet er seit 30 Jahren. In seinem Buch geht Oshry auf verschiedene menschliche Systeme und Erfahrungen aus dem Power Lab ein. Seine Einblicke sind unterhaltsam geschrieben und dabei gut ausgearbeitet. getAbstract.com empfiehlt dieses faszinierende, aufschlussreiche Buch jedem, der sich für Themen wie Macht, Führung, menschliche Systeme und Soziologie interessiert Barry Oshry maintains that we all live in systems that inevitably shape our understanding of the world and our relationship to it. If you haven't noticed a system encircling you, look again at your socioeconomic group, which governs you in far more ways than you suspect. To teach power, leadership, and systems, Oshry runs an experiential program in which participants totally immerse themselves in an "assigned" system, usually by living and working in a particular socioeconomic realm (as in "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" or a pauper). He has taught this "Power Lab" for thirty years. In this book, Oshry looks at human systems and at lessons from the Power Lab experiences. His insights are casually written, but well crafted. getAbstract recommends this fascinating, insightful book to anyone interested in power, leadership, human systems, and sociology "For over thirty years, Barry Oshry has uncovered core truths about how we operate in large organizations through the Power Lab, an experiential program that has been called "The World Series of Leadership Development Activities." In Leading Systems, he draws on his Power Lab experiences to show how, through effective leadership, we can create sane, healthy, effective social systems."--BOOK JACKET. "Challenging conventional thinking, Oshry examines: the limitations of consensus; the importance of unilateral action; the conflicts that occur along lines of race, gender, sexual orientation, and ethnicity; the restrictions that our values - such as egalitarianism, liberalism, conservatism - can place on power, and much more."--BOOK JACKET