A new movement is emerging towards values-centered and virtues-based organizations. At the same time, organizations must be able to effectively respond to a rapidly changing landscape of dizzying changes. The most effective organizations are the ones who go beyond “managing change,” to being able to integrate change. During times of disruption and chaos, desirable and marketable high-talent employees are likely to leave unless they feel that the response to change is in alignment with their deepest values and vision.

The intricate relationship between leadership and change will be explored in this workshop, along with discussions on how to best integrate creativity and innovation as change is taking place in your organization. As a leader in the change process, it is critical to develop the practices of foresight, discernment, and thoughtful perception.

Mel Toomey leads this session on “The Art of Leading Change,” the fourth of six workshops focused around the theme of Integrating Change. Toomey is the founder of the Center for Leadership Studies & Generative Leadership Group. He has helped to usher organizations through cultural and business changes and coached senior leaders of Fortune 500 companies. Practicing the deeper inner and outer work of leadership will enhance reflection on how you can develop the art of integrating change into your team, your company, or your life. Toomey will guide dialogues between workshop participants and reveal the possibilities that emerge when you mix the art, the science and the craft of integrating change.

• Session 1:  The Hard Realities of Change (January 13-14)
• Session 2:  The People Skills of Change Integration (March 10-11)
• Session 3:  Catalysts and Capacities for Creating and Innovating (May 24-25)
• Session 4:  The Art of Leading Change (September 13-14)
• Session 5:  The Craft of Integrating Change (November 14-15)
• Session 6:  The Science of Managing Change (January 5-6, 2012)

Integrating Change Certificate:  Completion of any four or more of these workshops will qualify you for a Certificate from the University of Arkansas in “Integrating Change.”

In Session 4, “The Art of Leading Change” you will:

• Understanding the role of leadership and its relationship to change

• Incorporating an artful mindset to integrating creativity and innovation

• Developing a sense of meaning in the work of change integration through influence, guidance, and direction

• Practicing the skills of foresight, discernment, and thoughtful perception

If you recognize yourself in several of the following statements, this series of programs on Integrating Change will be of benefit to you:

• You are, or plan to be, a change leader in your organization
• You are interested in transformational change
• You are searching for a new ideas and approaches to change leadership
• You realize there is something beyond what you are already doing in the area of change, but are not really clear on how to address it
• You are looking for new insights about the nature of change
• You are preparing yourself to be a catalyst for successful change

Mel Toomey

Toomey holds an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters for his contributions to establishing leadership as a profession. He is the principal designer for one of the first Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership programs offered as an advanced accredited degree program. He serves as scholar in Residence at the Graduate Institute in Bethany, Connecticut, where he works to advance his methodology for rapid leader development. Toomey is the founder of The Center for Leadership Studies, which provides research, development and program material for degree and certification programs. He is also the founder of Generative Leadership Group.