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Unit 4 – Collaborative Engagement to Complete Climate Adaptation Response

Overview

In this unit participants will work in teams to explore how Indigenous ways of knowing and leading can be more fully represented in policy consultation processes. Using the framework of polarity management and the following report: Seeing nature through Indigenous ‘lens’ might improve environmental decision-making. Identify the opportunities for genuine consultation and input.

Polarity management offers a strategic opportunity for re-examining our assumptions as they relate to the leadership and organizational challenges that we face. According to Johnson (1996), two questions determine whether you have a problem to solve or a polarity to manage: “Is the difficulty ongoing?” and “Are there two poles which are interdependent?” (p. 82). First determine whether the difficulty is ongoing. Typically, a problem has a solution that can be implemented over time. In the case of a polarity, Johnson 1996 offered: “Polarities to manage are sets of interdependent opposites which can’t function well independently for long. Because the two sides of a polarity are interdependent, you cannot choose one as a ‘solution’ and neglect the other. The objective of the Polarity Management perspective is to get the best of both opposites while avoiding the limits of each.” (p.xviii).

Within the leadership literature dominant narratives of leadership are being challenged in service of cultivating a “both/and” that expands leadership opportunities beyond traditional leadership narratives. As Jacob (2012) asserted, “From a critical Indigenous perspective, multiculturalism is not enough because it embraces a surface-level celebration of ‘difference’ that ultimately promotes assimilation into the dominant culture rather than taking Indigenous perspectives and forms of knowledge seriously” (pp. 181–182). Increased value of diverse perspectives would honour and celebrate the diversity reflected in the Canadian population. Young Leon (2012) noted, “Their stories and experiences challenge colonial historical narratives and highlight the need to develop a critical consciousness among Indigenous leaders, one that moves beyond the agendas of assimilation or decolonization” (p. 62). Once again, the alternative perspective in leadership literature emphasizes the limitations of the traditional heroic leadership model. All leaders are invited to contemplate what steps can be taken to cultivate a more holistic view of leadership. Polarity management is one framework to facilitate the expanded understanding of leadership within the complex arena of climate adaptation.

Activities and Assessment