Staley School of Leadership

Leading Change Institutes

The Staley School of Leadership Studies launched the Leading Change Institutes in 2015 to harness creative, collaborative thinking from globally recognized leaders addressing real issues with tangible strategies for moving forward.

The Format

What makes these institutes unique and powerful is the format. Leading Change Institutes feature short gatherings where thought leaders focus time and energy on a significant issue, organizing their work, and their goal around a common theme. The institute format includes flexibility to think in large or small groups, in pairs, or individually. The intent of the Leading Change Institutes is to create space for the conversations that will yield clear and tangible impacts.

Participants come to the group with their own expertise and, the LCI format is not a forum to present formally about that expertise. Instead, individual expertise will be engaged in dialogue to develop and harness new thinking, generate connection, and seed collaboration as a collective.

Participants represent diverse perspectives from around the world, coming from applied, academic, and policy circles in the private and non-profit sectors. Institute size varies by topic with participation ranging from 10–25 people. The challenges addressed in the institutes will not be solved in one year, so some topics will be repeated on a rotation to continue the effort for change.

Funding for Leading Change Institutes will be leveraged to ensure that participants are able to join the dialogue from around the world. Participants will enjoy the experience of sustained dialogue and reflective activity away from the normal demands of their workweeks. Their travel and accommodation will be entirely covered, along with a stipend sufficient to ensure full remuneration for their time.

The week will include flexibility to think in large or small groups, in pairs, or individually. Facilitators will work to provide an open and accessible process to keep others informed of the on-going work of the cohort following the institute. The School will engage skilled facilitators and recent Truman Scholars to support work of the cohort during the institute.

Outcomes

The work produced within the institute will be disseminated widely. This may include publication in a leadership studies academic journal, but it should be more publically shared beyond academic contexts. The intent of the Leading Change Institutes is to create space for the conversations that will yield clear and tangible impact.

David and Ellie Everitt Leading Change Institutes Endowment

The Leading Change Institutes at Kansas State University are supported by the David and Ellie Everitt Endowment for the Leading Change Institutes. Learn more about the Everitts and their gift to support global connections and leading change at K-State.

Past Events