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Systemic Leadership

Programme Overview

Course outline

Day 1

Day 1

Welcome and practicalities. Introductions and context setting:

  • Overview of the systemic approach and beginning to make links between this as a practice and leadership framework
  • Emphasis upon the coherence of the learning throughout practice, supervision/ management and leadership courses.

Reading:

Byng-Hall, J. (1995) Secure enough to improvise (ch. 1) The nature of scripts (ch. 2). In: Rewriting family scripts: improvisation and systems change. NY:Guildford Press, pp. 23-40
Pendry, N. (2012) Systemic practice in a risk management context (ch. 3) In: S. Goodman & I. Trowler (Eds) Social work reclaimed. London: Jessica Kingsley Publications, pp. 26-33
Rivett, M. & Street, E. (2009) Part One, Family therapy: 100 key points and techniques. Hove: Routledge, pp. 3-35
Vetere, A. & Dallos, R. (2003) Systemic Formulation. In: Working Systemically with Families: Formulation, Intervention and Evaluation. London: Karnac, pp.59-86

Day 2

Day 2

What do we mean by systemic leadership?

  • Introduction to the systemic idea of reflexivity and application to practice and leadership
  • Introduction to the systemic practice of questioning and multiple applications within leadership and multi-agency working

Reading: 

Burnham, J. (2005) Relational reflexivity: a tool for socially constructing therapeutic relationships. In: Flaskas, C., Mason B. & Perlesz, A. (Eds) The space between: experience, context and process in the therapeutic relationship. London: Karnac, pp. 71-89
Tomm, K. (1987) Interventive interviewing, part II. Reflexive questioning as a means to self-healing. Family Process. 26 (2), 167-183 
Tomm, K. (1988) Interventive interviewing, part III. Intending to ask lineal, circular, strategic or reflexive questions? Family Process. 27 (1), 1-15

Day 3

Day 3

A systemic approach to risk management:

  • Risk management within a systemic framework
  • The importance of “holding” risk at a leadership level
  • Mason’s (1993) concept of safe uncertainty

Reading: 

Lang, P., Little M. & Cronen, V. (1990) The systemic professional: domains of action and the question of neutrality.  Human Systems. 1 (1), 39 - 56
Mason, B. (1993) Towards positions of safe uncertainty. Human Systems. 4, 189-200

Day 4

Day 4

Working with partner agencies:

  • The nature of multi-agency meetings and how the systemic approach might be useful
  • The use of open dialogue (Seikkula, 2006) and other systemic ideas
  • Attending to aspects of social difference within and between organisations

Reading:

Burnham, J. (2011) Developments in social GRRRAAACCEEESSS: visible - invisible and voiced - unvoiced. In: I. B. Krause (Ed) Culture and reflexivity in systemic psychotherapy. London: Karnac, pp. 139-160
McKay, B. (2015) Systemic landscapes for thinking and acting in inter-agency meetings. Context. 137, 23-27
Seikkula, J. & Arnkil, T. E. (2006) Open Dialogues as crisis intervention. In: Dialogical meetings in social networks. London: Karnac, pp. 51-64

Day 5

Day 5

A CMM and social constructionist approach to leadership, management and supervision:

  • What does this approach mean?
  • How can it support the supervisory and management task?
  • What does a CMM and social constructionist approach to social work practice look like?

Reading:

Anderson, H. & Goolishian, H. The client is the expert: a not-knowing approach to therapy. In: McNamee, S. & Gergen, K. J. Therapy as social construction. London: Sage, pp. 25-39
Burr, V. (1995) What is Social Constructionism? In Gergen, K. (Ed.) An introduction to social constructionism. New York: Routledge, pp. 1-16
Pearce, W. B. (2007) Critical moments that shape our social worlds. In: Making social worlds: a communication perspective. MA: Blackwell Publishing, pp. 1-28
Pearce, W. B. (2007) Episodes and patterns of communication. In: Making social worlds: a communication perspective. MA: Blackwell Publishing, pp. 131-170
Pearce, W. B. (2007) Afterword: something of a guide for using CMM. In: Making social worlds: a communication perspective. MA: Blackwell Publishing, pp. 224-240

Day 6

Day 6

Review and endings:

  • Consolidation of learning and what this means for the organisation
  • Forward planning

Reading:

Oliver, C. & Miksits, M. (2016) Leadership: putting our systemic sensibilities to work. Context. 148, 14-20
Fredman, G. & Dalal, C. (2011/1998) Ending Discourses: Implications for Relationships and Action in Therapy. Human Systems: The Journal of Systemic Management and Consultation. 9 (1), 1-13, and 22 (2), 418-433

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