Submitted by Brent Sheridan on Tue, 1 Nov 2011, 10:09pm
Most change efforts fail not because they are ill conceived but because at the centre of those efforts is an implicit and unrecognised requirement that people behave in ways associated with higher levels of thinking”[1] Bob Anderson.
In these two excerpts from (the Leadership Circle's founder) Bob Anderson's keynote address at the 2011 TLC Asia Pacific Congress, he tells a few compelling stories that illustrate what an adaptive challenge is, why this is critical for business leadership today and a hint or two about what do to about it.
Business transformation requires far more than just skill development and systems/ process upgrade. It requires that leaders develop their inner operating system to be able to embody the kind of leadership that can create the envisioned outcomes.
Just like children, by and large, adults continue to develop through identifiable stages. ‘Creative/ Independent’ and ‘Integral’ stage development is required for effective leadership of complex businesses operating in our increasingly complex buisness, political, social and environmental contexts. Research suggests that about 20 - 25% of adults configure themselves at this stage of development. The earlier, and much more common 'Reactive/ Socialised' stage of adult development is where most business education and MBA training has been conceived; Anderson speaks about how this level of thinking is insufficient to solve the issues that it has created.
'Creative/ Independent' competencies are highly correlated to leadership effectiveness, which in turn has been significantly correlated with business outcomes. In these 'Creative' competencies, people are primarily focussed on creating the results that matter to them, that they have internally decided they want to achieve. ‘Reactive/ Socialised’ behaviours and styles reflect inner beliefs that limit effectiveness, authentic expression and empowering leadership. These reactive tendencies emphasise caution over results, self-protection over productive engagement and aggression over building alignment. In the 'Reactive' orientation people are primarily focussed on external factors, solving a problem or resolving an issue that is causing them stress, anxiety or inner conflict.
The creative orientation more predictably creates intended results, while the reactive orientation tends toward maintaining the current situation (i.e. 'change the game' versus 'play not to lose this game'). The reactive styles describe an earlier developmental approach to the Creative Competencies. They can best be thought of as behavioural/ thinking strategies that we developed previously that have endured past their ‘use by’ date. The ‘Reactive Styles’ can also be thought of as ‘strengths over-used’.
All of our experience in working with leaders of organisations tells us that those that actively work to tackle their adaptive challenges not only have greater business and organisational sucess, they also tend to have more fulfilling and interesting lives. it's not the easiest path, but it is a worthwhile one.
[1] sourced from The Leadership Circle’s website (ref http://www.theleadershipcircle.com/) and their proprietary material.
