Colleen Grosch
University of South Carolina
The Hidden Leaders: Utilizing the Social Change Model to Engage All Members of an Organization
Bolman and Deal’s (1991) structural framework identifies leadership as a form of hierarchy. In any given organization the president, executive board members, and officers are the leaders at the top of the organizational chart while the rest of the members report to these leaders and are housed at bottom of the organizational chart. One of the disadvantages of such hierarchical approaches to leadership is that the leaders at the top can lose touch with the majority of the organization that is at the bottom of the chart. This is not beneficial for the growth of the group or the individual members.
In contrast, the social change model of leadership embraces transformational leadership and encourages leadership development at every level of the organization. This leadership model works to dispel the myths that a follower is not a leader and cannot lead (Astin, Astin, and Associates, 2001). The social change model is an inclusive model of leadership development. This model “is designed to enhance the development of leadership qualities in all participants…and to promote a process that is inclusive and actively engages all who wish to contribute” (Astin et al., p.18).
The two primary goals of the model are to enhance student learning and development by developing greater self-knowledge and leadership competence, and to create a positive change in the community or at the institution (Astin et al, 2001). The purpose of this paper is to advocate that higher education institutions adopt the social change model as the theoretical infrastructure of their student leadership development initiatives. Adopting the social change model will ensure that all students have the opportunity to learn and develop leadership skills in college which will in the end benefit both students and society.
Hidden Leaders
In almost all groups there are formal leaders that often serve as the “face” of the organizations, but equally important, yet often overlooked, are the hidden leaders. Some professionals may refer to these members as invisible leaders, while others may view them as apathetic because they have not chosen to pursue more prominent formal leadership roles within an organization. No matter how these students are viewed, they are all still deserving of, and will benefit from, training in the social change model of leadership. After all, the hidden leaders are the glue that holds student groups together. The largest group of people within an organization is the general membership itself, not the formal leaders. Just as a chorus completes a musical, or the extras in a movie provide a realistic perspective, the general body of an organization allows student groups to prosper and grow. These hidden leaders maintain the shared values and goals of the organizations, and in turn, strengthen groups from the ground up.
The hidden leaders of organizations are typically not unmotivated; rather they may simply be lacking the knowledge of how to be a more prominent leader or the encouragement to take on more visible leadership roles. The value of the hidden leader often goes unnoticed because the traditional leaders are in the spotlight. However, the value of the hidden leaders should be highlighted and leadership development for them should be encouraged.
As Leadership Reconsidered (2001) mentions, leadership development is important and useful because it can enrich the undergraduate experience, empower students, and give students a greater sense of control over their lives. In providing leadership training only to people in formal leadership positions, the majority of the members of the organization miss out on opportunities to become better leaders. This training would not only better serve the organizations that they belong to, it would also be beneficial to these members in terms of their own personal and professional development. Leadership development and training opportunities should be open to all members of an organization and all members should be applauded and praised for their contributions to the overall success and improvement of the organization.
Social Change Model
In focusing on a leadership development model that strengthens leadership in individuals, groups, and communities, the social change model promotes development in an inclusive and engaging environment – an environment that does, in turn, aid in student success. The social change model also aids in accomplishing higher education’s mission of educating and producing informed citizens. Several institutions, including Central Michigan University, University of Louisville, and Loyola Marymount University, have adopted the social change model, and in doing so have included and provided an outlet of development for all students.
The social change model of leadership acts as an inclusive leadership development model. Whereas some leadership development models view leadership as positional, this model sees leadership as a process – it is ever-evolving and continually advancing. This model promotes several values – equity, social justice, self-knowledge, personal empowerment, citizenship, and service (HERI, 1996).
The model has seven critical values that examine leadership development from three levels – the individual, the group, the community. The individual values include consciousness of self (self-aware of what motivates one to take action), congruency (actions are consistent with beliefs), and commitment (motivates service, drives collective effort). The group values include collaboration (working with others in a common effort), common purpose (working with shared values), and controversy with civility (differences are inevitable, yet should be shared). The community value is citizenship (working for a positive change on behalf of others).
When advisors, visible leaders, and hidden leaders of an organization collaborate and realize the importance of all members, the personal success of each member will be greatly enhanced. Members will gain what is highlighted in the social change model as leadership competence, which is the capacity to mobilize oneself and others to serve and to work collaboratively. These emerging leaders will begin to understand their importance, their individual values, and the importance of every leader within the organization.
The advantages of the social change model are numerous. Astin's (1984) theory of Student Involvement supports the social change model in that each student is involved and invested in their organization or a cause that is important to them. The involvement of each member of an organization helps their personal growth as a collegiate and sets the foundation for success after they graduate. Success in an organization whether as a visible or hidden leader will encourage leadership as a graduate, whether in family or in business (Astin, et al, 2001).
This model also enhances the development of student organizations. If a focus is made on the values in the social change model, the organizational dynamic will strengthen and individual leadership qualities will prosper. Using the social change model as the theoretical infrastructure for student leadership programs will ensure that all student leaders – hidden and visible – will have the opportunity to develop leadership skills.
References
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Mike Bowers
Winner of the 2008 SCCPA Graduate Student Writing Award
Graduated from Clemson University, May 2008
Presbyterian College
Facebook, MySpace, and YouTube: Friend and Foe
Web sites like Facebook, MySpace, and YouTube are similar to many things popular among college students: they can be good resources, but they can easily be abused. Professionals in higher education tend to focus on the negatives associated with these sites. Doing this is a great disservice to everyone involved, as these resources can be harnessed to enhance community among students.
Facebook, MySpace, and YouTube reach a significant percentage of the online population. Facebook’s online membership is currently at 64 million users, many of whom are college students (Facebook, 2008). MySpace claims even more members, registering more than 106 million people as of September 2006. More than 230,000 new people register each day (MySpace, 2008). YouTube also boasts a great number of members, as it hosts over 72 million videos and five million channels as of 2008 (YouTube, 2008). The amount of traffic these sites experience is just as amazing. MySpace experienced almost 68 million unique visitors during September 2007. YouTube registered almost 50 million visitors during that same month, while Facebook experienced 30 million unique visitors (Sebestyen, 2007).
One can say with a great deal of certainty that these sites reach more college students than any other site on the Internet. A simple search on YouTube will generate videos of college students acting rowdy in the residence halls or a video from a collegiate sporting event. Searching MySpace will generate millions of profiles of both current, former, and future college students. Facebook was originally developed exclusively for college students, so it is a safe assumption that the majority of its users are college students.
Since these sites reach the most college students, this means it can be the best way to communicate with them. One of the more popular features on Facebook is the ability to create groups. These groups can be formed around any common interest. Examples of possible groups include members of a student organization, people who live in the same residential community or students who watch the same television shows. Groups like these can allow students to connect with new people. They can also facilitate good discussions on various issues.
These networking sites also provide other features for building a stronger community. Students can search for other users through various search strings, whether they are looking for someone with the same activities and hobbies or a member of the same organization. Connecting with these students can help build friendships that may have never materialized otherwise. For students who are struggling to fit in at their institution, connections like these may be the difference between staying in school or withdrawing.
However, these Web sites also have their drawbacks, and many of these drawbacks are in the same areas. Some students use Facebook and MySpace to show their disdain for other people. A simple search for the derogatory term “douchebag” on Facebook, for example, generates over 600 results. Many of these groups are referring to a fellow student, and a percentage of these are serious groups. While Facebook and MySpace make their best efforts to remove these negative groups, a student finding out he or she is the subject of an attack group can lead to a very uncomfortable experience.
Another way these sites can be detrimental to community is one of the bigger issues facing institutions of higher education today: students posting information or media that can be damaging to themselves and to others. Examples of this include posting YouTube videos of students binge drinking, posting personal information on a profile, or writing a negative blog entry about a peer. In talking with many students in past years, one of the most common statements I’ve heard is, “It’s my personal profile. I can post whatever I want.” Many people don’t grasp the concept that anything they post on the Internet is not necessarily protected. The posting of these damaging materials can lead to conflict within the campus community, whether it is with students, with faculty, with staff, or with multiple populations.
When attempting to educate students on how the Internet can damage a campus community, I always refer to a personal experience. As a sophomore in college, a person who used to be a close friend posted a blog that included many personal attacks towards me. Upon seeing this, I contacted the person and told her she should have come to me if she had these issues. This received no personal response, but it did generate another blog the next day. This blog also attacked me, mentioned our conversation, and then made the statement that it was her personal blog and she would post whatever she wanted to post. Our relationship never recovered after that, so I have used this experience to make sure the same thing does not happen to other students.
I have also personally used the positive aspects of Facebook, MySpace, and YouTube in building better communities. As a resident assistant, I used to start groups for the students on my halls. These groups would be used as a way to get to know each other before the semester starts, and it also serves as an easy way to keep people informed of various things happening on campus and in our building. More recently, our orientation program here at Clemson has used these various sites as a good way to build networks. A Facebook group has been established for current and former orientation ambassadors. This is a great idea, as it connects people with a common interest. It also facilitates discussion when people talk about their orientation experiences and what things were like when they were students. Orientation has also used YouTube to promote ambassador recruitment, a marketing tool that has also been used by other departments and student organizations. Methods like these are great and innovative ways to build better communities. They also show faculty, staff, and parents that not everything associated with these Web sites is bad.
Popular Web sites like Facebook, MySpace, and YouTube are frequently the focus of negativity among professionals in higher education. As students continue to use these sites for personal attacks and the posting of inappropriate information, it can be a real detriment to the concept of campus community. However, students will continue using these sites for the immediate future. We need to recognize this fact, identify the ways these sites can be used to our advantage, and use them in more positive ways. Some institutions have already done this, so now it is just a matter of getting more to do the same.
References
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