Academic Leadership

Academic Leadership: Fundamental Building Blocks

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Activity

Step 1

Identify a situation where you were involved in a conflict with either students or staff in

your role as Academic Coordinator. Use the ladder of inference to identify your

assumptions in this situation.

Are other interpretations possible? What are they?

How were your reactions based on your original assumptions?

How might they change if the other interpretations you have identified are in fact

correct?

Step 2

Identify in what other situations you might find the ladder of inference a useful tool to

review the appropriateness of your actions.

References

Dick, B., & Dalmau, T. (1999). Values in action: Applying the ideas of Argyris and Schön (2nd

ed.). Chapel Hill, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia: Interchange

Ross, R. (1994). The ladder of inference. In P. M. Senge, A. Kleiner, C. Roberts, R. B. Ross, & B.

J. Smith (Eds.), The fifth discipline fieldbook: Strategies and tools for building a learning

organization (pp. 242–246). New York: Doubleday.