The Institute focuses on managing the personal and organizational implications of rabbinical transitions.

• The Nature of Transitions
• Rabbis in Transition
• Synagogues in Transition

The Nature of Transitions

Spiritual and congregational leaders who move effectively through rabbinical transitions understand how such transitions trigger reasonably predictable dynamics in both individuals and organizations. There is a body of knowledge about such transitions that, once learned and incorporated into practice, enables individuals to use transitions to change and develop themselves and their organizations. Leadership transitions offer natural opportunities for individual and organizational transformation and development. The Institute program enables participants to learn the following in order to take advantage of those opportunities:

• The theory and practice of effective leadership transitions.
  
• Stages of leaving and being left in organizations.
  
• The effective dissolving of work relationships.
  
• Stages of career and adult development.
  
• Phases of synagogue growth and development and their implications for leadership needs.
  
• Managing congregational participation in the transition process.
  
• Using leadership transitions to lay the foundation for effective relationships between spiritual and lay leaders.
  

Rabbis in Transition

Rabbis who are moving out of and into synagogues are also aided by a set of tools and insights that enable them to create and maintain effective working relationships with lay leaders, staff, and congregation members. The Institute program enables participating rabbis to learn the following:

• Managing the process of searching for the congregation that best fits with personal needs and visions.
  
• Managing the exit process wisely.
  
• Coping with emotions triggered by the transition process.
  
• Balancing work and family issues during transitions.
  
• Using the entry process to lay the foundation for effective working relationships with lay leaders.
  
• Adopting a learning stance during the transition process.
  
• Building a clergy and staff team during the entry and transition process.
  
• Clarifying and communicating an initial vision and set of values.
  
• Clarifying effective lines of authority, decision-making and communication with lay leaders and staff.
  

Synagogues in Transition

Synagogue leaders need to be able to guide their congregations through the change of rabbis, beginning with the difficult period of realizing the need for a new spiritual leader through searches and selections, and ending with the creation of an effective working alliance with new rabbis. The various aspects of this process are taught in the Institute program, which focuses on the following:

• Recognizing the need for new spiritual leaders.
  
• Navigating the process of clarifying the type of rabbi that best fits with synagogue tradition, values, and strategic needs.
  
• Managing the search and selection process.
  
• Managing the exit process of the current rabbi wisely.
  
• Coping with emotions triggered by the transition process.
  
• Involving staff and congregation members appropriately.
  
• Managing differences and conflict among lay leaders and members during the transition process.
  
• Using the entry process to lay the foundation for effective working relationships with new rabbis.
  
• Remaining open to change while representing synagogue traditions.
  
• Clarifying effective lines of authority, decision-making and communication with rabbis and staff.