Greg Dorchak

Understanding Emotion in the Context of Intractable Intergroup Conflict

April 10, 2017April 10, 2017 Greg Dorchak

Special Presentation: Understanding Emotion in the Context of Intractable Intergroup Conflict
with Professor Eran Halperin of Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, Israel

Bio: Professor Eran Halperin is Dean of the School of Psychology and Professor at IDC – Herzliya. An award-winning pioneer in examining emotion processes using field experiments, Dr. Halperin’s research uses psychological and political theories to investigate causal factors driving intergroup conflicts. More specifically, his work develops new approaches for modifying the psychological roots of intolerance, exclusion and intergroup violence. The unique case of Israeli society in general, and of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in particular, motivates much of his work and, hence, most of his studies are conducted within the context of that “natural laboratory.” His laboratory currently spearheads a government sponsored project to standardize social inclusion in Israeli education.

Date: April 27, 2017 11:45 AM – 1:00 PM

Location: HKS, Belfer Building, Land Lecture Hall (Room 400)

Space is limited; RSVP by April 19 REQUIRED (Light lunch will be provided)

Presentation sponsored by the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School. Additional support provided by the Herbert C. Kelman Seminar on International Conflict at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard, the Management, Leadership, and Decision Science Area at the Harvard Kennedy School, and the Middle East Initiative of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.

Dealing with Dysfunction: Innovative Problem Solving in the Public Sector – A Book Talk with author Jorrit de Jong – April 12, 2017

April 10, 2017April 10, 2017 Greg Dorchak

Join us for a discussion on April 12th with Jorrit de Jong, Lecturer in Public Policy and Management at HKS, Faculty Director of the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative, and author of “Dealing with Dysfunction: Innovative Problem Solving in the Public Sector” (Brookings University Press).
Julie Boatright Wilson, Harry Kahn Senior Lecturer in Social Policy, HKS, and Matt R. Andrews, Senior Lecturer in Public Policy, HKS, will provide responses. Tony Saich, director of the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation and Daewoo Professor of International Affairs, will moderate.

About Dealing with Dysfunction

How can we intervene in the systemic bureaucratic dysfunction that beleaguers the public sector? De Jong examines the roots of this dysfunction and presents a novel approach to solving it. Drawing from academic literature on bureaucracy and problem solving in the public sector, and the clinical work of the Kafka Brigade — a social enterprise based in the Netherlands dedicated to diagnosing and remedying bureaucratic dysfunction in practice, this study reveals the shortcomings of conventional approaches to bureaucratic reform. The usual methods have failed to diagnose problems, distinguish symptoms, or identify root causes in a comprehensive or satisfactory way. They have also failed to engage clients, professionals, and midlevel managers in understanding and addressing the dysfunction that plagues them. This book offers conceptual frameworks, theoretical insights, and practical lessons for dealing with the problem. It sets a course for rigorous public problem solving to create governments that can be more effective, efficient, equitable, and responsive to social concerns.

De Jong argues that successfully remedying bureaucratic dysfunction depends on employing diagnostics capable of distinguishing and dissecting various kinds of dysfunction. The “Anna Karenina principle” applies here: all well-functioning bureaucracies are alike; every dysfunctional bureaucracy is dysfunctional in its own way. The author also asserts that the worst dysfunction occurs when multiple organizations share responsibility for a problem, but no single organization is primarily responsible for solving it. This points to a need for creating and reinforcing distributed problem-solving capacity focused on deep (cross-)organizational learning and revised accountability structures. Our best approach to dealing with dysfunction may therefore not be top-down regulatory reform, but rather relentless bottom-up and cross-boundary leadership and innovation. Using fourteen clinical cases of bureaucratic dysfunction investigated by the Kafka Brigade, the author demonstrates how a proper process for identifying, defining, diagnosing, and remedying the problem can produce better outcomes.

Date:

Wednesday, April 12, 2017, 4:15pm to 5:30pm

Location:

Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, Suite 200N, 124 Mt Auburn Street, Cambridge

Announcing the Social Innovation & Change Research Seminar Series

February 27, 2017February 27, 2017 Greg Dorchak

The Social Innovation and Change Research Seminar is a venue for researchers of social innovation and social change to present and receive feedback on their research. The seminar is explicitly multi-disciplinary; work may draw on fields as diverse as sociology, political science, psychology, economics, and other social science approaches.

On behalf of the recently launched Social Innovation and Change Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School, we invite you to join our inaugural research seminar.

THE FIRST SEMINAR IS TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 2017, featuring
Maureen Scully, Associate Professor of Management at the University of Massachusetts – Boston
on “Mobilizing the Wealthy: Doing “Privilege Work” and Challenging the Roots of Inequality”
Time: 12:30-2:00pm; Location: 124 Mt. Auburn, Suite 160, Room 105

Summary: Wealthy individuals stand to gain materially from economic inequality, and moreover, have shaped many organizational and societal practices that perpetuate economic
inequality to their advantage. Thus, they are unlikely allies in the effort to remedy economic inequality and indeed likely to contest systematic policies to reduce inequality. In this paper, however, we study the mobilization of a small group of wealthy activists who join allies from lower socioeconomic strata to expose and redress the root causes of wealth consolidation. They offer an instructive alternative to “philanthrocapitalism,” whereby the wealthy present their wealth accumulation as a superior qualification for addressing societal problems and do not address the root causes of how their wealth was amassed. Our study contributes to the growing literature on inequality and organizations, which are the vectors for distributing wages and investment returns, by examining how the wealthy may sometimes wrestle with the sources of their wealth. Advocacy from wealthy allies is unexpected and may jolt attention and change. We derive the concept of “privilege work” from our observations of an often awkward and fraught process that enables the wealthy to engage with their own privilege, use their insider knowledge of wealth accumulation as a lever for change, and work respectfully alongside underprivileged allies. Privilege work represents a new type of ally work along the dimension of socioeconomic class, with potential, even if limited, to disrupt escalating inequality.

We hope to see you there!

Learn more about the Social Innovation and Change Initiative (SICI ; pronounced “sigh-see”) and see listing of upcoming seminars at: http://sici-hks.org/

MLD Shopping Event – Inspiration, Thanks, and Presentation

August 30, 2016September 19, 2016 Greg Dorchak

Thanks to the over 125 students who attended last night’s MLD Area Welcome and Shopping Event. As Jim Bildner eloquently put it, “Our Theory of Change is YOU,” and you have the MLD Faculty inspired for the year ahead!

Please find below (linked for download) the presentation from the program. We welcome further questions by email to greg_dorchak@hks.harvard.edu
Continue to watch our site for updates on the many courses, programs, and initiatives introduced last night. Again, thanks and welcome!

Management, Leadership and Decision Sciences (MLD) Area Course Shopping and Welcome Event

July 22, 2016August 22, 2016 Greg Dorchak

Come and join your classmates and MLD Area faculty to learn more about course offerings in Management, Leadership, and Decision Sciences and about the MLD Certificate program. The MLD Area offers elective courses in four broad categories: Leadership; Negotiation & Decision Sciences; Strategic Management; and Organizing for Social Change. This event will be useful to students interested in how MLD coursework can assist in their public service endeavors and enhance their leadership potential.
August 29th, 6:00 to 8:00 PM
Location: HKS, Starr Auditorium, Belfer 2nd floor

(Please arrive early! Food and drinks will be provided starting at 5:45pm)

Special Presentation: Understanding Emotion in the Context of Intractable Intergroup Conflict with Professor Eran Halperin of Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, Israel