In today's increasingly globalized world, it is essential that people of diverse ethnicities and socio-economic backgrounds learn to work together and communicate effectively. This book offers a breakthrough approach to recognizing that differences among people are resources for organizations to tap as they strive to anticipate change and adapt rapidly in an unpredictable world. "Catalytic Conversations" provides a conceptual framework for understanding how complex communication patterns of social networks influence, and are influenced by, organizational structures. It discusses how to enhance the quality and viability of groups and organizational life by paying attention to how people talk - and do not talk - to each other. The book distinguishes between conversations that support organizational enhancement and others that inhibit innovation, and explores the complexity of organizational communication in detail.

More than news, weather, and sports. When is the last time you had a catalytic conversation with an employee, a colleague, a friend, or a complete stranger? Whether at work, church, a coffee shop, or at home, people everywhere are one conversation away from a life-defining decision. Being truly present during such moments grants you an invitation to greater levels of leadership and friendship along the way.If you don’t have the heart, it limits your capacity.If you don’t have the questions, it limits your access.If you don’t have the discipline, it limits your engagement. The Conversationalist will help you to develop your heart, ask the questions, and engage your relationships—leading yourself and others into life-changing discovery. In an age driven by social media and virtual reality, we need practical tools to help take our relationships to the next level of trust, transparency, and real change for the good. An adventure is waiting for those willing to step forward courageously as a conversationalist.

Social Ecology and Education addresses "ecological understanding" as a transformative educational issue: a learning response to emerging insights into social-ecological relationships and the future of life on our planet. In the face of the existential threats posed by climate change, loss of biodiversity, pandemids and the associated ecological and social challenges; there is a need to extend our responses beyond scientific inquiry and technological initiatives. This book seeks to move the dialogue towards a deeper and broader understanding of the complexities of the issues involved. To achieve this, the book discusses issues rarely addressed through programs in "Education for Sustainability" and "Environmental Education," such as student defined knowledge systems, deep engagement with the implications of indigenous understandings, climate change as symptomatic of broad epistemological problems, social disengagement and differentiated barriers to meaningful change. This work is enriched by its focus on the learning and the learning systems that have led to our current predicament. This book seeks to initiate considerations of this kind, to invigorate education for sustainable, equitable, healthy and meaningful futures. As such, this book will be of great interest to undergraduate and postgraduate students in a range of education and environmental courses.

A vision to address our environment, economy, politics, culture, and to catalyze the radical whole-system change we need now Recasting current problems as emergent opportunities, Terry Patten offers creative responses, practices, and conscious conversations for tackling the profound inner and outer work we must do to build an integral future. In practical and personal terms, he discusses how we can all become active agents of a transformation of human civilization and why that is necessary to our continued survival. Patten's narrative focuses on two aspects of existence--our dynamic but fractured and threatened world, and our underlying wholeness and unity. Only by honoring both of these realities simultaneously can we make sustainable changes in ourselves, our communities, our body politic, and our planetary life-support system. A New Republic of the Heart provides a comprehensive understanding and inspiring vision for "being the change" in a way that can address the most intractable problems of our time. Patten shows how we can come together in our communities for conversations that matter and describes new communities, enterprises, and forms of dialogue that integrate both inner personal growth work with outer awareness, activism, and service.

An international arts organisation and network engaging with music, dance, theatre and visual art, Phakama creates adventurous, site-responsive performances with large groups of people from diverse backgrounds. With contributions from participants, artists, academics and cultural commentators from India, Ireland, South Africa, the UK and USA, this book features case studies, interviews and articles covering two decades of practice. At the heart of the book is a selection of carefully explained and beautifully illustrated exercises which will enable Phakama's methodology to be used by organisations and practitioners working with young people internationally. Phakama is a Xhosa and Zulu word for stand up, arise, empower yourself. With a focus on collaborative, non-hierarchical performance making, Phakama invites cultural sharing and critical engagement with the world we live in. As well as engaging with political and critical concerns about contemporary theatre and performance, the book offers unique approaches to devising theatre, applied and social theatre, intercultural performance practices and pedagogic models of collaboration and cultural leadership.

Donors, leaders of nonprofits, and public policy makers usually have the best of intentions to serve society and improve social conditions. But often their solutions fall far short of what they want to accomplish and what is truly needed. Moreover, the answers they propose and fund often produce the opposite of what they want over time. We end up with temporary shelters that increase homelessness, drug busts that increase drug-related crime, or food aid that increases starvation. How do these unintended consequences come about and how can we avoid them? By applying conventional thinking to complex social problems, we often perpetuate the very problems we try so hard to solve, but it is possible to think differently, and get different results. Systems Thinking for Social Change enables readers to contribute more effectively to society by helping them understand what systems thinking is and why it is so important in their work. It also gives concrete guidance on how to incorporate systems thinking in problem solving, decision making, and strategic planning without becoming a technical expert. Systems thinking leader David Stroh walks readers through techniques he has used to help people improve their efforts to end homelessness, improve public health, strengthen education, design a system for early childhood development, protect child welfare, develop rural economies, facilitate the reentry of formerly incarcerated people into society, resolve identity-based conflicts, and more. The result is a highly readable, effective guide to understanding systems and using that knowledge to get the results you want.

Evaluation-based performance management systems are flawed, ineffective and inefficient. Markle shows why and describes in detail an exciting new system based on a coaching, not a coercing, paradigm. His "catalytic" approach integrates performance management into the entire people development process. Markle provides tools that can be used to quickly and easily measure the effectiveness and efficiency of any performance management system. With examples, forms, and hands on guidance, Markle's book is essential for HR professionals, business executives, and for organizational development specialists in corporations and academia.

Research in the Social Scientific Study of Religion (RSSSR) publishes reports of innovative studies that pertain empirically or theoretically to the scientific study of religion, including spirituality, regardless of their academic discipline or professional orientation. RSSSR is published annually with the kind support of Loyola College, Maryland, USA. This volume of RSSSR contains several articles on spiritual development among adolescents, spiritual transcendence, Jung and pastoral counseling and spirituality and religiosity. In addition to this, a special section of nine articles is devoted to several aspects of positive psychology and its usage in practice.

There’s always room for improvement. It’s tough to be a great manager, but also fascinating, enriching, meaningful, and fun. Organizations need managers who bring individuals and teams together to do their best work in the service of company goals—make no mistake, management is a people-driven job. Though the barriers to success are many—you could become a victim of circumstances, confuse the need to manage with the need to control, let management become maintenance, fail to tune up and realign—don’t be discouraged. With over 30 years of experience, author Lisa Haneberg has seen it all and is here to guide you with 10 Steps to Be a Successful Manager. From detailing the foundational importance of knowing your business to understanding pull versus push motivation, managing change, and leaving a legacy, Haneberg illustrates how to establish or realign your management habits, describing in each step an area of action you can develop for a healthy management practice. With pointers, examples, tables, tools, and worksheets, this updated second edition is also aligned with ATD survey-based research on social skills crucial to managerial success—so you are better able to build managerial capabilities. Intended for managers of all experience levels, this book will help you to embrace your challenges and triumph over management barriers. Make your current management challenge the best job you will ever have.