Structure Without Hierarchy: Effective Leadership in Social Change Movements

Issues of power, leadership, and group conflict have been key interests of mine for decades, so I'm delighted to offer my own response to the ideas raised by both Kashtan and Eisenstein. Since the early days of the second wave of feminism back in the '70s, I've been involved in groups...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Tikkun 2015-09, Vol.30 (4), p.48-49
Main Author: STARHAWK
Format: Magazinearticle
Language:English
Subjects:
Activism
Affinity groups
Current Affairs
Decision making
Egalitarianism
Empowerment
General Interest
Leadership
Management
Meetings
Planning
Political participation
Power
Religious Studies
Skills
Social change
Working groups
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Summary:Issues of power, leadership, and group conflict have been key interests of mine for decades, so I'm delighted to offer my own response to the ideas raised by both Kashtan and Eisenstein. Since the early days of the second wave of feminism back in the '70s, I've been involved in groups that consciously defined themselves as "nonhierarchical" and have often been in the uncomfortable position of serving in leadership roles in nominally "leaderless" groups. The Occupy movement, because it sprang up so quickly and spread so rapidly, often via social media rather than direct contact, took pieces of this model but leftout some of the crucial elements - affinity groups, governance structure, agreed-upon standards of behavior, and training, to name a few - that might have allowed it to function more effectively and build the internal cohesion necessary to withstand attack.
ISSN:0887-9982
2164-0041
DOI:10.1215/08879982-3328913