An exploration of grassroots leadership development: A case study of a training program's effort to integrate theory and method.
Item
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Title
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An exploration of grassroots leadership development: A case study of a training program's effort to integrate theory and method.
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Identifier
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AAI9820596
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identifier
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9820596
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Creator
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Zachary, Eric Julian.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Michael Fabricant
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Date
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1998
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Social Work | Sociology, Public and Social Welfare | Sociology, Individual and Family Studies
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Abstract
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The breakdown of community in poor and working-class urban neighborhoods is well documented. The purpose of this study is to explore how grassroots leadership training can effectively unite philosophy and method in an effort to develop leaders who can help to rebuild their communities. An exploratory case study approach was utilized in which one grassroots leadership training program--the Parent Leadership Project in New York City--was examined in great depth. The study employs a triangulated research methodology consisting of a content analysis of the program's documents, primary and secondary analysis of quantitative outcome data, and qualitative interviews with participants in the training program.;The study found that the Parent Leadership Project was highly successful in generating statistically significant and meaningful changes in the participants' level of activity and confidence as grassroots leaders. These positive changes were found to be sustained one and two years beyond the leaders' participation in the training.;The study also found that "beginning with the end in mind" may be critical in the construction of a successful grassroots leadership training program. Specifically, it was found that the development of critically conscious group-centered leaders was the "end in mind" that best fit the contemporary grassroots neighborhood context.;This study suggests that leadership training is most powerful when its methodology reflects and reinforces its philosophy. It was found that a training methodology that seeks to develop and reflect the critically conscious group-centered approach to leadership has at its core the creation of a learning environment in which the richest source of learning lies within the group. This methodology includes the following elements: rituals of engagement; a focus on the personal dimensions of leadership; strategies that facilitate participant ownership of the training; a clear training structure that is also flexible; a culture of participation characterized by safety, respect, and high expectations; and the trainer as a model of the skilled, yet humble, leader.;This study raises questions about the culture of community organizing and the challenge of aligning grassroots leadership training with an alternative macro-level social vision.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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D.S.W.
