Power, Politics & Partnership is a dynamic, yawn-free leadership development program. This in-house workshop focuses on the worlds of Tops, Middles, Bottoms and Customers during turbulent times. It gets to the heart of partnership in organization life —what makes partnership so critical, what gets in the way of it developing, and what the role of leaders is in making it happen.
The centerpiece of the workshop is an organization exercise in which participants are dropped into roles as top executives, middle managers, workers and customers interacting in a chaotic, fast-paced environment. This visceral approach enables the learning to get beyond the head level to where it really hits home and sticks. Peer discussion reinforces the students' learning.
You would benefit from this course if your organization is struggling with ...
- Conflict between departments
- Misdirected energy and lost opportunities
- Finger-pointing and blaming
- Organizational silos and lack of collaboration
- Dissatisfied/disengaged customers
Some Key Learning Points
Participants will
- understand intellectually and experience the differing "worlds" of Tops, Middles, Bottoms, and Customers and develop concrete strategies for working more constructively across organizational lines
- recognize the multiplicity of roles they play, as sometimes Top, Middle, Bottom and Customer. They will recognize and avoid the disempowering pitfalls of each position, and approach each role with more effective behavior
- learn how to build partnership in lateral relationships with their peers and create exciting new synergies
- provide leadership that addresses issues systemically rather than personally
See our Workshop in action
Play a short video
One version is for fast Internet connections (9MB)
and one for dial-up connections (1.5MB).
How the Power, Politics & Partnership Workshop is Used
- As a module in leadership, management and executive development programs
- As a culture-change intervention with multiple levels in attendance.
Goals of such workshops include:
- to improve relationships in cross-functional teams
- to infuse systems thinking into learning organizations
- to strengthen the middle level of the organization
- to support organizations in living their values
- to strengthen partnership between organizations and their customers
- to help organizations transition to more participative structures
- to energize high performance work systems
- to work more effectively across boundaries
- to develop an empowered organization from top to bottom
This workshop is based on the Organization Workshop by Power & Systems.
The News and Events page lists the scheduled times for the workshop.
A Sample of Organizations Who Use the Power, Politics & Partnership Workshop:
- Aera Energy
- Abbott Northwestern Hospital
- AOL
- Ashland Inc.
- Boeing
- Dept. of Veterans Affairs
- Fannie Mae
- Fidelity Investments
- GE Plastics
- Harley Davidson
- Institute for Healthcare Improvement
- International Boundary Water Commission
- Kansas Foundation for Medical Care
- Lexmark
- Lockheed Martin
- Medtronic
- Microsoft Corp.
- Phillips Petroleum
- Procter & Gamble
- Rocketdyne
- Solectron
- St. Paul Companies
- Staples
- Target
- Tarmac America
- Unisys
- Xilinx
Quotes from workshop participants:
"Thirty of our senior managers
attended the Power, Politics & Partnership
Workshop three months ago and they continue to talk about the insights they received.
The most powerful message for them seemed to be how to manage the "muddle
in the middle." We've seen them become more collaborative and strategic
in their alliances. I credit these results to their learning from the workshop."
Alesia Wilson
Fidelity Investments
"Over ten years ago I attended the Power, Politics & Partnership
Workshop. I never forgot what I learned. When it came time in our organization's
culture change for managers to do a "paradigm shift," I wanted
everyone to hear this unique point of view. Once our managers learned that
they have a choice of how to behave and interact, the organization's power
structure shifted radically. Walls came down, territories merged, and people
liked their jobs a whole lot better. We never want to slip back to our
old ways of doing things."
Janice M. Smallacombe
Senior Vice President
Maritrans, Inc.
"The Power, Politics & Partnership Workshop was fantastic, and
the resulting discussion and strategies were excellent. I've done
a lot of management workshops, not to mention an MBA, but this was very
powerful and I learned something new."
Lynn Cobb
Adjunct Professor, Information Technology Department
University of Denver; Daniels College of Business
"This workshop provides the hands-on experience that makes the message
stick. The results have been that people really remember the lessons they've
learned and can immediately apply their knowledge back on the job. The
presentation is challenging, practical, and fun, which makes the workshop
a meaningful experience. It has been a very positive addition to our curriculum."
Bill Wise
Manager, Training & Development
Lockheed Martin
"The Power, Politics & Partnership Workshop is a key part of
our leadership development program, which is aimed not just at senior management
but also at developing leadership initiatives throughout all levels of
the company. The power of the workshop is so strong that the tops, middles,
bottoms, clients model has become part of the everyday language in the
Unisys world. For us it has proved to be an outstanding success."
Gill McKay
Senior Consultant, Leadership School
Unisys
"Since the Power, Politics & Partnership Workshop the relationships
between individuals and groups in our workplace have improved significantly.
For the first time after having this kind of training, we are actually
following through on the lessons learned."
Adam D. Silverman
U.S. Customs Service
"I sponsored and attended the Power, Politics and Partnership Workshop for members of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield's management team in the summer of 2003. This organizational workshop provides keen insights into forces that are in play in our organizations every day. It is a fabulous tool for leaders. You will learn a great deal about leadership positions that help you achieve successful partnerships with customers, colleagues, and business partners. Anyone in a management or leadership position will benefit from an investment of time in this organizational seminar. The two days were enjoyable, fun and increased the energy level of our team. It's always difficult to find time to be out of the office for a day and a half, but this workshop is well worth your time and effort!"
-Caz Matthews
President, Anthem Blue Cross
Blue Shield Western Region
CONNECT Events
TDWI - Colorado Chapter Meeting
Power, Politics & Partnership Class
> view all events
Download our CONNECT Course Catalog
(88Kb, PDF)