What is the Art of Participatory Leadership and
the Art of Hosting and Harvesting Conversations and Work that Matter?
the Art of Hosting and Harvesting Conversations and Work that Matter?
The Art of Hosting and Harvesting Conversations and Work that Matters is also known as the Art of Participatory Leadership (AoH and AoPL) which is a highly effective way of harnessing the collective wisdom and self-organizing capacity of groups of any size. Based on the assumption that people give their energy and lend their resources to what matters most to them – in work as in life – the AoH and AoPL blends a suite of powerful conversational processes to invite people to step in and take charge of the challenges facing them.
The Art of Participatory Leadership (AoPL) is an ancient approach to leadership that combines new integrative personal practices, dialogues, facilitation and co-creation of innovation to address complex challenges in organisations, communities and groups of any size and nature.
The key differentiator is how well the leaders are able to rise above challenges and work from the inside out. The AoPL approach plays an important role in the conflict transformation repertoire by sensitizing people to conflict causes and dynamics of environment in which they work. AoPL practices support people who work to calibrate towards a social or organisational change and constructive conflict transformation.
Groups and organizations using the AoH and AoPL as a working practice report better decision-making, more efficient and effective capacity building and greater ability to quickly respond to opportunity, challenge and change. People who experience the AoH and AoPL typically say that they walk away feeling more empowered and able to help guide the meetings and conversations they are part of move towards more effective and desirable outcomes.
In a world that is becoming increasingly complex and fragmented, true solutions and innovations lie not in one leader or one viewpoint, but in the bigger picture of our collective intelligence. The Art of Participatory Leadership is a response to this global complexity, at a time when organisations, communities and societies are seeking to find new effective and healthy patterns for organizing, innovating and interacting to create new forms that serve us all better. It is a participative approach used worldwide for leading, convening and engaging in conversations that cultivate mutual respect and create wise, long-term solutions for now and in the future
Using all the ingredients of good conversation
So why is conversation so powerful? Conversation, more than any other form of human interaction, is the place where we learn, exchange ideas, offer resources and create innovation. Not every conversation works like this, though.
Many people experience meetings that waste time, conversations that feel more like debates, and invitations to input which turn out to be something altogether different. People want to contribute, but they can’t see how. Leaders want contribution, but they don’t know how to get it.
Powerful methods to create open and meaningful conversation
The AoH and PL a blend of some of the most powerful methods to create open and meaningful conversation that leads to commitment and good results. Working with a range of collaborative methods – like Circle, World Café, Appreciative Inquiry, Open Space Technology, ProAction Café, storytelling and more – practitioners can tailor the approach to their context and purpose.
An art that takes practice and care
But this is more than a suite of methods – it is also a practice. We call it The AoH and AoPL because it is an art to become skillful at helping ourselves and others work well together, especially in these times of increasing complexity. We talk about hosting, because what is offered here is not a typical facilitation or moderated session. It gives attention and care to all aspects of people’s work together, intending to host them in being successful, just as any person welcoming guests will make sure they have everything they need to make their visit fruitful. The Art of Participatory Leadership takes into account the whole process.