Psychology 1508: Janusian Thinking

The goal in leadership development, it is important to remember, is to develop ell!rounded leaders, ones ith the skills and personal attributes needed to adapt, act ith "le#ibility, and combine hat appear to be opposites: toughness and compassion, sel"!con"idence and humility, strong individuals and good team players$% &uss 'o#ley, (enter "or (reative )eadership

Janusian Thinking
conceiving t o or more opposite or antithetical ideas, images or concepts simultaneously$% &obert &othenberg

,e see everything as this or that, plus or minus, on or o"", black or hite* and e "ragment reality into an endless series o" either!ors$ /n a phrase, e think the orld apart$% Parker Palmer Turning and turning in the idening gyre The "alcon cannot hear the "alconer* Things "all apart* the centre cannot hold* 'ere anarchy is loosed upon the orld, The blood!dimmed tide is loosed, and every here The ceremony o" innocence is dro ned* The best lack all convictions, hile the orst +re "ull o" passionate intensity$% ,$-$ .eats

Thinking the ,orld Together

Parado#ical thinking re0uires that e embrace a vie o" the orld in hich opposites are 1oined, so that e can see the orld clearly and see it hole$$$ The result is a orld more comple# and con"using than the one made simple by either!or thought2but that simplicity is merely the dullness o" death$ ,hen e think together, e reclaim the li"e "orce in the orld, in our students, in ourselves$% Parker Palmer

Janusian )eadership
-en 3ranklin as a parado#$ 4e "iercely believed in the po er o" the individual, but he as a relentless advocate "or acting on behal" o" the community$ 4e believed in competition, but he never hesitated to cooperate ith competitors hen it as in his interest$ 4e could be the most partisan o" politicians2and the most accomodating o" diplomats$% Jack 5ldrich

'yth

: .ou can6t have your cake and eat it too$

&eality : &ather than succumbing to the tyranny o" the 7&% they embrace the genius o" the +89$%

Progress through :ynthesis

; ; ; ; Person 7& :ituation< 9emocratic 7& +uthoritarian< 9ogmatism 7& &elativism< Tough 7& 8ice<

Person 7& :ituation<

The history o" the men$%

orld is but the biography o" great Thomas (arlyle

'an lives consciously "or himsel", but is an unconscious instrument in the attainment o" historic, universal, aims o" humanity$ + deed done is irrevocable, and its result coinciding in time ith the actions o" millions o" other men assumes an historic signi"icance$ The higher a man stands on the social ladder, the more people he is connected ith and the more po er he has over others, the more evident is the predestination and inevitability o" his every action$$$$ + king is history6s slave$% )eo Tolstoy

The 8egro race, like all races, is going to be saved by its e#ceptional men$ The problem o" education, then, among 8egroes must "irst o" all deal ith the Talented Tenth* it is the problem o" developing the -est o" this race that they may guide the 'ass a ay "rom the contamination and death o" the ,orst, in their o n and other races$% ,$ =$ -$ 9u -ois

9oes )eadership 'atter<

; 8o> ?)ieberson @ 76(onnor, 1ABCD
:tudies estimating the e""ect o" administrators have "ound them to account "or about 10 percent o" the variance in organiEational per"ormance$ FThis isG a striking contrast to the A0 percent o" intellectual e""ort that has been devoted to developing theories o" individual action$% P"e""er @ :alancik

)eadership 'atters
; -et een versus ,ithin ?Thomas, 1A8BD

; :kipper =""ect ?Thorlindsson, 1A8BD

Person +89 :ituation

4istorical "orces create the circumstances in hich leaders emerge, but the characteristics o" the particular leader in turn have their impact on history$% John Hardner

Person +89 :ituation

4istorical "orces create the circumstances in hich leaders emerge, but the characteristics o" the particular leader in turn have their impact on history$% John Hardner

4istorical per"ormances come "rom great opportunities greatly met$% John Hardner

4itler

+taturk

+yatollah 4umeini

/t ould be a pro"ound disservice to leaders to suggest that they are ordinary people ho happened to be in the right place at the right time$ 'aybe the place matters, but it takes a special kind o" person to master the challenges o" opportunity$% )ocke @ Iilpatrick

9emocratic 7& +uthoritarian<

9emocracy as :olution to +uthoritarianism

; Iurt )e in ?1AJAD
K democratic leadership K laisseE "aire leadership K authoritarian leadership

4ierarchical organiEations are simply too in"le#ible and rigid to compete e""ectively in today6s business environment$$$ They need to be replaced by lateral "orms o" organiEations that rely heavily on teams, in"ormation technology, net orks, shared leadership, and involved employees$% =d ard )a ler

9emocracy /s 8ot =nough

7ne sure ay to miss truth in any "ield is to count the votes: had (opernicus and Halileo done so, the sun might still be circling the earth$ Parker Palmer / onder ho "ar 'oses ould have gone had he6d taken a poll in =gypt$% 4arry Truman
; Hoing against the grain ? hen necessaryD ; Pseudo leaders

(ontingency Theory ?3iedler, 1ALAD

The ablest and most e""ective leaders do not hold to a single style* they may be highly supportive in personal relations hen that is needed, yet capable o" a 0uick, authoritative decision hen the situation re0uires it$% John Hardner

9ogmatism 7& &elativism<

F&elativism is aG theory, especially in ethics or aesthetics, that conceptions o" truth and moral values are not absolute but are relative to the persons or groups holding them$% +merican 4eritage 9ictionary 9ogmatism is a condition o" mind in hich essential practical concepts are perceived ith such clarity that only one possible interpretation o" reality e#ists$ /n such a case, all evidence suggesting contrary interpretations2and there"ore alternate courses o" action2simply disappears "rom sight, indeed is inconceivable$% .oram 4aEony

'oral &elativism
+lmost every student entering the university believes, or says he believes, that truth is relative$% +llan -loom

&elativist
; + commitment to open!mindedness and "le#ibility ; )acks conviction and certainty "or sustained action

9ogmatist
; Possesses conviction and certainty ; )acks openness and "le#ibility

'oral &elativism at 4arvard

?-en!:hahar @ Hrant, C00JD

Muestion 1: /s any culture morally superior to another culture< Muestion C: /s a culture that supports gender e0uality morally superior to a culture that oppresses omen<

; Muestion 1, "irst: ; Muestion 1 a"ter C:

B8N say O8o6 BAN say O.es6

?Pearson (hi!:0uareP10$0Q* pR $00CD

Janus, help>>>
; The dangers o" dogmatism ; The dangers o" relativism
The only thing necessary "or the triumph o" evil is "or good men to do nothing$% =dmund -urke The best lack all convictions, hile the orst +re "ull o" passionate intensity$% ,$-$ .eats

; &egaining a strong belie" in a cause

Janusian :ynthesis
/" e regard truth as something handed do n "rom authorities on high, the classroom ill look like a dictatorship$ /" e regard truth as a "iction determined by personal him, the classroom ill look like anarchy$ /" e regard truth as emerging "rom a comple# process o" mutual in0uiry, the classroom ill look like a resource"ul and interdependent community$% Parker Palmer

Tough 7& 8ice<

-eauti"ul =nemy
?&alph ,aldo =merson, 18Q1D

4e that restles ith us strengthens our nerves, and sharpens our skill$ 7ur antagonist is our helper$% =dmund -urke 8othing ill sink a leader "aster than surrounding him! or hersel" ith yes!men and omen$ =ven hen principled nay!sayers are rong, they "orce leaders to re!evaluate their positions and to poke and prod their assumptions "or eaknesses$ Hood ideas are only made stronger by being challenged$% ,arren -ennis

-eauti"ul =nemy
?&alph ,aldo =merson, 18Q1D

'cIinsey had a culture that "ostered rigorous debate over the right ans er ithout that debate resulting in personal criticism$% )ou Herstner The real heroism o" leadership involves having the courage to "ace reality2and helping the people around you to "ace reality$% &on 4ei"etE

=spoused Sersus /n!5se

=spoused theories o" action are those that people report as a basis "or actions$ Theories!in! use are the theories o" action in"erred "rom ho people actually behave$% (hris +rgyris 'ost individuals studied seem to be able to detect the discrepancies bet een their espoused theories and theories!in!use o" others, but ere not able to detect similar discrepancies in themselves$% (hris +rgyris

The (hallenge o" (hallenging

/t takes one kind o" courage to "ace a duelist, but it6s nothing like the courage it takes to tell a "riend, 8o$% 4arry Truman

(=7 disease: the in"ormation vacuum around a leader created hen people ithhold important ?and usually unpleasantD in"ormation$% 9aniel Holeman

The (hallenge o" -eing (hallenged

,e say e ant the truth, hat e mean is that e ant to be correct$% 'ihnea 'oldoveanu 3aced ith the choice bet een changing one6s mind and proving that there is no need to do so, almost everybody gets busy on the proo"$% John Ienneth Halbraith

; &ationaliEing over rationality

The leader needs a circle o" associates ho are illing to be both supportive and critical$ Pity the leader caught bet een unloving critics and uncritical lovers$ )eaders need reassurance, but 1ust as important they need advisors ho tell them the truth, gently but candidly$% John Hardner

4ealthy :ynthesis
; ; ; ; Person +89 :ituation 9emocratic +89 +uthoritarian 9ogmatism +89 &elativism Tough +89 8ice