1. “Phenomenological Leadership in Participatory Democracy”
Alfonso Barreto, Ph.D.
Ashford University
George Vera, Ph.D.
Barry University
2. Figure 1:
Dialectical Exercise of Awareness
Informant’s stories
(experiences)
Internal Dialog of Awareness
Researcher’s biases and
worldview
Epoché
Becoming aware of own biases
and subjectivity
Serenity
Preservation of the “phenomenological attitude” to keep clarity on research purposes and a
better understanding of the data (semi-structured interviews)
Informant’s stories
(experiences)
Researcher’s biases and
worldview
3. Figure 2:
Phenomenological Reduction
(table sample of Informant 1)
Horizons Themes
SRQ’s
SRQ 1 SRQ 2 SRQ 3
State
State of Right and Justice ■ ■ ■
Socialist state ■ ■ ■
National government ■
Insurgence ■
Interests of power ■ ■
Participatory
Democracy
Inclusion ■ ■
Commnity needs ■ ■ ■
Participation ■ ■ ■
Political power ■
Popular power (communal concils, social movements, popular assemblies,
colectivos)
■ ■ ■
Laws
Constitution of 1961 ■ ■
Constitution of 1999 ■ ■
Laws of participation ■ ■
Leadership
Liberator and guiding speech ■ ■
Ethics and morale ■ ■
Formation ■ ■
Consciousness
Media blockade (on people) ■ ■
Buying consciousness ■ ■
Ideological consciousness ■ ■ ■
Political consciousness (about laws) ■ ■
Social (socialista) consciousness ■ ■
Knowing the reality ■ ■
Raising the level of consciousness ■
Struggle
Cultural struggle (transculturization) ■ ■ ■
Economic struggle (agains the capitalist economic model) ■ ■ ■
Laboral struggle (laboral revindications) ■ ■ ■
Political struggle (regarding reaching the political power) ■ ■ ■
Social struggle (popular) ■ ■ ■
4. Figure 3:
Phenomenological Reduction
(descriptive figure sample of Informant 1)
STATE
PARTICIPATORY DEMOCRACY
POPULAR POWER
Leadership is what drives (guides) the struggles based on consciousness and legislation,
seeking the greatest role of citizens and communities. The speech is an important element to
"convince", "mobilize", "shake" and "train" citizens in the struggles. The other element is the
moral solvency of the leader.
NEEDS
(Existential)
Laboral Struggle
(Laboral revindications)
Economic Struggle
(against capitalism;
favoring socialism)
Social Struggle
(Protection of rights,
justice, and equity)
Cultural Struggle
(against
transculturazation)
Political Struggle
Laws
•Constitution (1961 and 1999)
•Laws of Popular Power
•Law of Administrative Processes
Consciousness
Set of convictions, beliefs, and
ways of thinking and living that
determine how the being
develops
Social Consciousness: knowing the reality in which people live
Political Consciousness: knowing and using the law for good
Consciousness for socialism Consciousness for capitalism
Higher participation in
developing public policies and
governmental programs
Lower participation. The state
has problems in attending
popular demands and support
the popular participation
Deactivation of the media
blockade based on
participatory experiences
Media blockade
(on the people)
InsurgenceInclusion
≠
5. Horizons Themes
SRQ’s
SRQ 1 SRQ 2 SRQ 3
Consciousness
Collective consciousness ■
Awareness ■
Historical moment ■ ■
Political moment ■ ■
Existential conditions ■ ■ ■
Point of consciousness ■ ■
Participatory Democracy
Common good ■
Commune ■
Community ■ ■
Trial and error ■ ■ ■
Participation ■ ■ ■
Public Policy ■
Public Institutions
Paternalist state ■ ■
Hindering the emersion of natural leaders ■
Useless leadership ■ ■
Laws
Ministry of communes ■
Constitution of 1999 ■ ■
Contradictory law ■ ■
Communal Council Law ■ ■
Leadership
Human capacity ■
Becoming in the practice ■ ■
Messianic leader ■ ■
Imposed leadership ■ ■
Conscious leadership ■ ■
Transformative leadership ■ ■
Human transformation ■ ■ ■
Popular Power
Disarticulation ■
Maturity (immaturity) ■ ■
Figure 4:
Phenomenological Reduction
(table sample of Informant 3)
6. POPULAR POWER
PUBLIC POLICIES
INSTITUCIONES PÚBLICAS
LEADERSHIP
CONSCIOUSNESS
Participatory Democracy in Venezuela allows the emersion of the Popular Power, an instance in which State Laws, Public Policies and Public Institutions must converge more rapidly in
accordance with a conscious, humane, transformed and transformative leadership of social bases that must seek the common good.
Consistencies with the
Popular Power
Inconsistencies with the
Popular Power
IMPROVING EXISTENTIAL
CONDITIONS
MATERIAL NEEDS
(Existential
conditions)
NATIONAL LAWS
CONSCIOUS LEADERSHIP
(TRANSFORMATIVE)
Struggles for Power
Transformative leadership; matured and protected in the
collective consciousness that is being formed and developed in
participatory practice
Historical moment featured by a “trial and error” approach
Figure 5:
Phenomenological Reduction
(descriptive figure sample of Informant 3)
PARTICIPATORY DEMOCRACY
