Series Introduction: The Practice of Leadership in the Midst of Controversy and Conflict:
How does leadership matter in the midst of cultural conflict?
Estimated Read Time ~8 min - Image by AIDavis from Pixabay
In 2009 I set out to earn a PhD in Organizational Leadership, in part because it would give me the training, skills, and opportunity to research and study the cultural conflict over adolescent sexual and reproductive health in public schools. My interest was related to the trauma that I experienced being in the center of a Culture War controversy for several years. I had helped to develop a teen pregnancy prevention program in the early 1990s that caught the attention of the national press and then went almost immediately into national replication.
From California to New York and Minnesota to Texas I was travelling, setting up programs, training facilitators, speaking to conferences, organizations, parents, school boards, and, frankly, ducking and dodging a fair bit. Because of my work, I was verbally attacked in public meetings, stalked, threatened, and, on one occasion, physically assaulted.
My doctoral studies gave me the opportunity to understand more fully how any of that could happen. What did I learn? One sentence captures a lot of what I learned: I was just another well-intended person caught on the frontline of a culture war that had been ongoing for at least 100 years.
Of course, I learned more than that one thing. Over the next few weeks, I’m going to use this space to share four insights I gained from the research about how people who practice leadership today can help manage controversy, prevent it from exploding into conflict, and even turn down the heat in the Culture War we are experiencing today.
For the research wonks, I’ll mention that I conducted a qualitative grounded theory study, guided by Charmaz’ principles, which included semi-structured interviews with 35 leaders in organizations which have historically been at the forefront of the sex ed conflicts. Saturation was achieved at the 23rd interview. Participants were recruited through snowball sampling and represented the ideological extremes from “far left” to “far right.” I loved doing the interviews and learned so much from each person.
As I worked through the interviews and analysis, an image began to emerge that described their experience as a whole. It was a powerful mental image which has stayed with me for over a decade now as I’ve continued to think about the cycle of intractable conflict over sex ed and other Culture War issues. The image is a bit like a classic Monty Python cartoon.
So, imagine, if you will, one of those expansive, smooth-as-glass, glacial lakes surrounded by snowcapped mountains often seen in nature photography. Next, imagine seeing each of my study participants eagerly pushing out onto the lake on rubber rafts, from various points on the shoreline.
Each moves slowly to the middle of the lake, keeping a safe and respectful distance from others, so they can quietly work in their own space, enjoy the beauty of the scenery and the warmth of the sun, undisturbed. As each sit quietly and motionless in their raft reading, fishing, writing, or meditating, a hook drops down from the sky into the exact middle of the lake, yet without disturbing the waters. It begins to pull back up and attached to it is a gigantic rubber stopper from the bottom of the lake.
As the water drains, a whirlpool, or vortex, is created over the opening. The whirlpool creates a spinning motion that extends throughout the entire body of water and so all of the rafts begin to circle the lake and move closer to the eye of the whirlpool. Because of the nature of vortices, those closest to the shore and furthest from the whirlpool move in larger and slower circles toward the opening. However, as their circles tighten toward the center their speed increases. Those closest to the whirlpool spin wildly out of control until they are swallowed into the vortex and swept down the drain.
As the leaders in their rafts realize they are moving closer to the whirlpool and toward each other, they begin to paddle as hard and as fast as they can toward the shore. For those nearest the vortex, their efforts fail. For those furthest, they only maintain their distance from the center until they become fatigued and give in to the pull of the current. Eventually they all succumb to the vortex and disappear down the drain. Then, when the rain and melting snow have refilled it, they all come back with their rubber rafts and once again enjoy their space and serenity on the water. Until the plug is pulled yet again.
In a study about intractable conflict, it was ironic that this enduring image included such a peaceful, tranquil setting.
Still, it did then, and still does, pull together the findings and themes of this study in a way that is useful. It helps us make sense of the leadership experience of individuals in sexual health organizations then and, today, of leaders caught up in any one of the many culture war issues in the United States. I was able to describe that experience in this model of a repeating pattern of intractable conflict.
When I decided to undertake this study, it was with the hope of creating a model for developing more effective leaders of sexual health organizations. By "effective" I meant able to be more successful in advocating for and winning in the national dialogue over sexuality education. Among the leaders I interviewed I did not expect to find such weariness with the conflict and a universal desire to break the pattern.
While I expected to find that the intractable conflict did impact leadership in sexual health organizations, I did not expect it to be so dominant in the practice of leadership. Intractable conflicts are not easily resolved or even managed. That is their nature. They can suck the life, soul, and passion out of those practicing leadership, if unchecked.
What did I hope would come from this study? That the people practicing leadership in organizations on the frontline of the cultural conflict on sex ed, in fact, on any Culture War frontline, would find and choose a different way. I hoped they would more fully understand their motivations to lead. I hoped they would understand how their motivations and leadership actions are impacted by the contentious context in which they work. I had hoped they would be motivated to engage in a new approach.
That did not happen. Instead, we see how the intractable Culture War over sex ed has metastasized into many other areas. Today, though, the Culture War we face is more intense, more divisive, more dangerous than ever before. There is an opportunity to change course, but that window of opportunity is closing as the conflict spreads and deepens.
Next week I’ll focus on the first of four recommendations emerging from that study that could prop the window open a little longer.