Adaptive Leadership in collaborations Liz Skelton Director: Collaboration for Impact & The...

Adaptive Leadership in collaborations

Liz Skelton

Director: Collaboration for Impact & The Adaptive Practice

20th October 2015

1.1.Incomplete or contradictory knowledge; Incomplete or contradictory knowledge;

2.2.Has number of people and opinions involved; Has number of people and opinions involved;

3.3.Is hard to understand or predict Is hard to understand or predict

4.4.Has long time horizons for cause and effectHas long time horizons for cause and effect; and; and

5.5.The interconnected nature of these problems with The interconnected nature of these problems with other problems.other problems.

A wicked/adaptive problem is a challenge that is difficult to solve

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Complex problems are difficult to frame

The cause and effect relationships are unclear

There are diverse stakeholders

Each experience of is unique

The characteristics & dynamics of the issue evolves

There is no obvious right or wrong set of solutions

There is no objective measure of success

Complex problems are difficult to frame

The cause and effect relationships are unclear

There are diverse stakeholders

Each experience of is unique

The characteristics & dynamics of the issue evolves

There is no obvious right or wrong set of solutions

There is no objective measure of success

How do you know if you’ve got one?

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Balcony and Dancefloor5

Adaptation

• What do we Conserve?

• What do we Discard?

• Where do we innovate?

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Purpose7

Role of Authority

We expect those in Authority to provide us with answers.

Authority provide the FUNCTIONS of

• Protection

• Direction

• Order

.Authority is not leadership

Authority is expected to maintain the status quo

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Power & authority

• POSITIONAL POWER - Formal

• INFORMAL POWER - PERSONAL

Distinguishing Technical & Adaptive challenges10

Adaptive challenge symptom: Work Avoidance

Diverting attention Displacing responsibility

• Turn down heat • Scapegoat

• Deny • Attack Authority• Proxy fight • Delegate adaptive work to those

who can’t do anything about it

• Misdiagnose and apply technical fix

• Marginalise

• Define around current expertise • Externalise

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Leadership from a position of authorityTask Technical Adaptive

Direction

Provide problem definition & solution

Identify the adaptive challenge; frame key questions & issues

Protection

Protect from external threats

Disclose external threats

Order

Orientation

Conflict

  Norms

Orient people to current roles

 Restore order

 Maintain norms

Disorient current roles; resist orienting people to new roles too quickly.

Expose conflict or let it emerge.

Challenge norms or let them be challenged.

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Mindsets & skills for adaptive leadership

Creating foundation for change and learning

Purpose

Power

Diagnosing

Working with conflict for innovation

Tolerance for risk and failure

Curiosity

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Exercising Leadership - Diagnosis

• See yourself as part of the system – spectator to participant

• Understand the challenge – is it technical or adaptive?

• Distinguish leadership from authority

• Lead with questions

• Is there readiness, urgency and capacity for change

• Use observations and interpretations to test assumptions

• Diagnose dynamics not people

• Test purpose

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Reflection questions

• What adaptive challenges are you and your stakeholders facing?  

• What needs to be conserved in your system to make progress?

• What need to be tweaked or let go of?

• Where is innovation required?

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Liz Skelton

Director Collaboration for Impact

& The Adaptive Practice

+406 066 647

liz@theadaptivepractice.com.au

@lizskelton2015

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