The Art of Participatory Leadership is a highly effective way of harnessing the collective wisdom and self-organizing capacity of groups of any size.
The Art of Participatory Leadership
In a world that is becoming increasingly complex and fragmented, true solutions and innovations lie not in one leader or one viewpoint, but in the bigger picture of our collective intelligence. The Art of Participatory Leadership is a response to this global complexity, at a time when institutions and democracies themselves are failing to address the increasing chaos in our world. It is a testing ground for those seeking to find new effective and healthy patterns for organizing, innovating and interacting to create new forms that serve us all better. The training is part of a global family of trainings through the Art of Hosting network that are considered practice grounds for those who aspire to bring out the best in others.
The Art of Participatory Leadership is essentially an expression of authentic ways of being with others and situations as they emerge – and a practice of creating the conditions for our collective intelligence to become visible to ourselves so that it can get to work. The principles of self-organization, participation, ownership and non-linear solutions are essential to both individual and collective discoveries.
We are particularly inspired by what happens in the creative tension between chaos and order – the chaordic field – where learning, innovation and harvesting take place and where wise and sustainable change can be discovered and grounded into acting wisely.
What does a training in the Art of Participatory Leadership entail?
The Art of Participatory Leadership is typically a three day, intensive, action learning experience. Unlike most trainings, participants are encouraged to gain hands-on experience by stepping into hosting the different methods, supported and coached by the Hosting Team, which includes seasoned stewards of the practice. At the same time, the Hosting Team will offer models, practices and support for participants to explore and consider both the theme of the training – chosen because it is appropriate to that time and place – and the deeper practice inherent in hosting conversations that matter.
Because hosting meaningful conversations for change is, at heart, complex systemic work, you should look at your first Art of Participatory Leadership training as a point of entry into a continual learning journey – there is so much more to learn than what can fit in a 3-day seminar! Even if you are an experienced practitioner, you will gain new insight and be on the road to deepening and expanding your practice.