Collaborative Leadership How Citizens and Civic Leaders Can Make a Difference

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As American society becomes increasingly diverse and public issues more complex, the traditional community problem-solving methods have come up short. Working together successfully today requires a profound shift in our conception of how change is created, and an equally profound shift in our conception of leadership. Collaborative Leadership is designed to help citizens and civic leaders bring together diverse community members in efforts that lead to real, measurable change in the lives of communities. Drawing on their extensive research-which included six in-depth case studies and forty-six additional studies of successful community collaborations-as well as on the advice and guidance of the leading scholars and practitioners in the field, David D. Chrislip and Carl E. Larson provide insight and answers to the major challenges facing communities today. They tell how to deal with complex issues; how to engage frustrated and angry citizens; and how elected officials and other civic leaders can generate the civic will to break through legislative and bureaucratic gridlock. The authors describe how to design, initiate, and sustain a constructive, collaborative process. And they show that the leaders who are most effective in addressing public issues are those who have the credibility to bring together the right people to create visions and solve problems.