I love your thinking around the need for feedback to be direct and consequential to the action, particularly linking it to natural consequences. This comes from parenting where the power differential that you mention also comes directly into play – the parent is in a more powerful position even if they are merely teaching a lesson.

The difficulty you highlight is that the power differential in this case is reversed – where the teacher is looking for a “lesson” from the learner, i.e. feedback on their performance. Or maybe they are not, or are not open to receiving it, and thus may be tempted to use their rank, power and privelege to protect themselves from the “lesson”.

I am sure that the accrediting body you are working with will be looking for greivance/disciplinary procedures to protect both faculty and student and I am wondering how this can be achieved in a way that allows the PWI approach of dealing with a conflict between people directly and that protects both parties to the conflict from real fears of being intimidated by the other’s power. The institutions I work with start with the interpersonal approach of both parties trying to work out an issue but quickly move on to some form of investigating and judicial authority – in some instances it is appropriate to go straight to the higher authority.

As a former student of PWI I like the fact that there wasn’t this emphasis on appealing to higher authority, however, I am aware that the lack of this did also limit some more critical feedback that might have been given. Also when some critical feedback was given there was a feeling that there was a lack of consequence and nowhere to take it further.

I don’t have answers to this and will give it more thought and I do love the way that you are approaching it!

Very nice….

Currently I am just finishing up a chairperson role and my mental construct about power is “I got to get more.” In reading your blog, I am struck by the physicality of power: it’s pull, the feeling of lust, the drive to possess. And, I used my power well, addressed myself as chairperson not chairman, checked in with the people on my committee, asked the distrubers to give evidence in the manual for me to press their opinion against the person in charge, etc.

Now that I have resigned, I am just struck by the physical nature of my need. In addition, I just chuckle at the mental constructs around what I am left with after exercising power well… a body wanting possession….

– your comment makes me think that we do this all the time, wanting someone to live up to our expectations. When fame and publicity is factored in, it becomes a whole new ballgame.

I wanted to respond to your comments about Nixon’s awareness (I could not
sign in for some reason, so here are my thoughts, memories really). I was 16
years old and in the Canadian wilderness having the time of my life at
Outward Bound, when Nixon resigned. When i came home, it wasn’t just small
changes i saw in my personal world that marked my absense but a big change
in the biggest entity I was connected to, the US govenment.

I have not really been a very political sort but I do recall when Nixon
wrote his autobiography years after he resigned, i read a review of it or an
interview with him. I remember being completely taken by his humility and
sense of contrition. I had very simplistic views of politics and little
appreciation for partisan politics or how they might have impacted my
opinion of him which was condemning in an adolescent sort of way. But in
just reading that article, I felt a huge sense of compassion for him and
respect for his ability to come forward in public and acknowledge his sense
of responsibility and the impact his action had had on the country.

It opened my eyes to what it meant to be a public servants and gave me
compassion for their vulnerability and culpability. It gave me a sense of
respect for them as human beings with short-comings, imperfect judgement and
also incredible courage to stand for so much and to be part of such a huge
and complex organization, finding their way through it, one career step at a
time, propelled by some mix of motives for power and for good, I think.

It is interesting, I will have to see the movie to see what other memories
it stirs. Thanks for your blog and the stroll down memory lane. Hope this
falls within the scope of what people do when they respond to a blog. It’s
my first time!

CT

A bit of this and a bit of that so i hope you won’t mind me raising a bit of something else…

Entitlement – is interesting me and I have been wondering what you might think of entitlement as a source of power

It is different (I think) to rank or status and similar as the sources are similar – social/status entitlement – gender entitlement cultural entitlement even psychological I guess (or are they all?)

With focus on difficult economic conditions I have been hearing anecdotes about benefits (entitlements?) of executive teams being untouched while employee numbers are wound back

Do you think it is a part of rank/status or a different entity

Very best
Anne