Module 6: Leading Change in Fair Trade Organisations
Leading in a Fair Trade/Social Enterprise organization requires leadership which, like management, provides congruence with the organization’s values. This Module gives managers leading change in Fair Trade organizations (and Social Enterprises) an understanding of what is involved in leading change, helps them examine their own styles of leadership, different options for exercising leadership and develops your capacity to lead others with authenticity and effectiveness and learn how to nurture and support the leadership of others to complement their own styles.
Leadership for change is a competence required in Fair Trade organizations when new issues arise which may require new management or strategic responses which need all members’ support.
Length: Preparatory work: half a day; Session: 2 hours (afternoon 11.00 – 13.00 GMT on set day); Follow-up Exercises: half a day; Module log: 3 half days. Total = 3 days over 4 months
Session 1: Wednesday 14th October 2pm-4pm BST
Title: The challenges for leadership in an FTO and different ways to meet them
Content:
• Introducing different ideas about leadership from the literature
• Setting a tone, Setting a direction
• Leadership in FTO context: What does it mean?
• What kind of leader am I? Exercises in developing self-knowledge of own leadership style
• Sharing ideas between trainees and (literature) and trainer on how different leadership styles can suit different situations
Session 2: Tuesday 10th November 11am-1pm BST
Title: Leading from behind: Nurturing Distributed Leadership of Different Types in FTOs for complementarity and inclusiveness
Content:
• How to complement your leadership style; things you can learn, other people you can bring on
• Distributing formal and informal leadership: the roles of Board members, other senior managers and staff
• Nurturing distributed leadership without losing accountability
• Struggles for power in leadership battles: the issue of envy
Session 3: Monday 30th November 11am-1pm BST
Title: Calibrating Leadership to Different Demands in FTOs (eg transitioning from one lifecycle stage to another)
Content:
• Organizational life cycles and the different challenges they pose for leadership
• Leadership life cycles and transformation to different styles
• How to adjust leadership to different organizational contingencies
• How to grow in new ways as a leader
• To understand key concepts and debates about leading change and why they matter in a Fair Trade/Social Enterprise setting (knowledge of leading change and the FT sector)
• To identify the attributes involved in different ways of leading change and how to develop them in self and others (Skills/know-how in how to lead in different ways for different situations)
• To demonstrate knowing when to offer different types of leadership for change, to support the tasks of managing staff and volunteers in an unpredictably changing strategic climate
Evaluation of students’ progress in this Module will be led by assessment of their individual performance in understanding the theory and practice as shown by their completion of individual tasks, capacity to monitor their activities using their log or diary, which will outline any feedback activities and their own self-reflection.
This assessment will be triangulated by trainees’ performance in group discussions to check the likely authenticity of the trainee’s account.
The criteria for assessment will include:
• Quality of participation in the half-day on-line training event
• Demonstrating in the half day training event that they have read the material and understood the main concepts involved
• Showing development of practice in their diary or log, through: reporting interactions between themselves and others (staff, volunteers, Board members, others); demonstrating concepts in practice.