Working Connections ProjectA special project at the Jean Baker Miller Training InstituteDirectors: Joyce K. Fletcher, DBA, Judith V. Jordan, Ph.D. The Working Connections Project of the Jean Baker Miller Training Institute is an exciting endeavor designed to explore, define, and develop a revolutionary approach to enhancing business practices and productivity of organizations. The work in this project is based on the relational-cultural theory of development, which proposes that growth-fostering relationships are a central human necessity and that disconnections are the source of a multitude of psychological, social, and organizational problems. Working Connections key topics: A new model of effectiveness: Relational and emotional intelligence, empathic responsiveness Strengths of relational practice: Mutual empowerment, authenticity, listening/responding, the mechanics of mutuality Having an impact: Working more effectively; shifting organizational norms; relational resistance and resilience; building a new language of competence Reframing leadership: Fluid expertise, embedded outcomes, continuous teaching Diversity: Doing things differently; considering the complexities of race, ethnicity, class and gender; building collaborative communities Decision making: Relational strategies of effective decision making Waging good conflict: Managing adversity, competition— who wins? Conditions of creativity: The dynamics of growth-in-connection, creating growth-fostering conditions within and among people |
