leading for the future module two may / june 2013

Leading for the Future

Module Two

May / June 2013

2Leading for the Future / Adaptive Leadership Programme – Module 2

Welcome back …

What has been happening for you since module 1?

Thinking back to last time, what insights have you had about adaptive challenges?

What questions do you have? How have your own expectations of the

programme developed? Is there anything else you want to go over again or pick

up to satisfy what you wanted from the programme too?


Revisiting our aims and expectations

Breakthrough ideas for intractable problems within complex systems

Wicked and adaptive challenges Challenge and support around real

issues Practice


Leadership Development

Organisation Development

Assessing the impact of the change

Investing in learning and development for those involved

Taking initiatives to develop new ways of working (across boundaries)

Reflecting on how personal assumptions

are helping or hindering

Adapting role and behaviour

Supporting and adjusting the change process as

appropriate

A new paradigm for leadership development


Module 2: What we will cover and discover

Day 1

In the morning:• Welcome back and aims• Reviewing the adaptive

leadership theory• A case study of action planning

using the Bakens model

In the afternoon:• Re-connecting & using the U and

action planning in Action Learning• Review & check out

Day 2

In the morning:• Check in• Whole systems thinking – in

theory and practice• Skills practice – using left-hand

column (Senge)• Return to Action Learning

In the afternoon:• More Action Learning• Review of learning & check out• Previewing module 3


What is adaptive leadership?

According to Heifetz: Leadership is an activity Leadership is what individuals do in mobilising

other people, in organisations or communities, to do “adaptive work”

When you have a problem or challenge for which there is no technical remedy, a problem for which it won’t help to look to an authority for answers – the answers aren’t there – that problem is an adaptive challenge.

Reference: Heifetz & Laurie, The Work of Leadership (1997)


1. Get on the balcony

• A place from which to observe the patterns in the wider environment as well as what is over the horizon (prerequisite for the following six principles).

2. Identify the Adaptive Challenge

• A challenge for which there is no ready made technical answer.

• A challenge which requires the gap between values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviours to be addressed.

3. Create the Holding Environment

• May be a physical space in which adaptive work can be done.

• The relationship or wider social space in which adaptive work can be accomplished.

4. Cook the Conflict

5. Maintain Disciplined Attention

6. Give back the work

• Create the heat

• Sequence & pace the work

• Regulate the distress

• Work avoidance

• Use conflict positively

• Keep people focussed

• Resume responsibility

• Use their knowledge

• Support their efforts

7. Protect the voices of Leadership from below

• Ensuring everyone’s voice is heard is essential for willingness to experiment and learn.

• Leaders have to provide cover to staff who point to the internal contradictions of the organisation.

7 Principles for Leading Adaptive Change

Adapted by Irwin Turbitt from Ron Heifetz (1997; 2009)


The case: policing the Drumcree demonstrations in 2002-04

Complex history and long-standing conflict Wider national & international context Putting theory into practice:

“Restoration of law and order” (public value) “How to carry out the parade within the framework of

the law” (adaptive challenge)

Application of the 7 Principles of Adaptive Change, in particular: “Giving the work back” “Creating a safe but challenging holding place”.


Planning your initiative: Bakens

Vision

Resources

Principles

Systems

Goals / Goal Group

Tasks

Your initiative: Carriers / Experts / Formal

Adaptive Leadership - Module 1

Adapted by Malcolm Young from: the Bakens model developed by the Netherlands Pedagogical Instituut voor Oragnisatie-Ontwikkeling (NPI)


Planning your initiative: Bakens

Strategic change priorities

Resource allocation

Policies

Culture, systems and processes

Goals

Accountabilities and organisation

Leaders and their allies & experts

What is conceived

is translated by

into

What is done

Adaptive Leadership - Module 1

Adapted by Malcolm Young from: the Bakens model developed by the Netherlands Pedagogical Instituut voor Oragnisatie-Ontwikkeling (NPI)


Using Bakens for action planning: The case of Drumcree

Vision

Resources

Principles

Systems

Goals

Tasks

Your initiative Carriers / Experts / Formal

Concepts

“What’s said”

Actions

“What’s done”

What was Turbitt’s aspiration & vision?

How did Turbitt align resources to this vision?

What norms and mental models was Turbitt trying to create?

How did Turbitt follow through on creating new norms and with what success?

What were the goals & for whom?

What steps did Turbitt have to take and with what success?

Who were his allies & supporters?

What differing views did he face?

WHY HOW WHAT


Core casework skills

Observing reality (facts and feelings) with an open mind

Interacting – questioning, listening NOT discussing Suspension - avoiding imposing pre-

established frameworks or mental models


Choice

Point

Examples of the current situation

Characteristics of the current situation

Characteristics of the preferred situation

Vision – examples of the preferred situation

Mental models which underpin the current

situation

Mental models which would help create the

preferred situation

Maintenance

Problem Solving

Adaptive

A process for eliciting underpinning attitudes & assumptions

*Adapted by Malcolm Young (from work by Scharmer, Senge & others)


14

The “U Process” * as a microscope

Choice Point






situation


preferred situation

Maintenance

Problem Solving

Adaptive


What is the current situation ?

How much of a concern is it for you?

How would you describe...?

What does it feel like for you?

What assumptions have you been making ?

What beliefs and values ..?What might happen if you retain those mental models ?

What options and actions?What will you change ?

What will you bring over ?

What would we see you doing ?

What would it feel like ?

What would it look like?

How would you like it to be ?

How can I .........?


Whole systems

Thinking about “The U Process”: What issues or questions did it raise

for you? What level are you mostly working at? What learning could you take back

into your own context?

http://www.generonconsulting.com/publications/papers/pdfs/ZaidTST.pdf


Choice

Point






situation


preferred situation

Maintenance

Problem Solving

Adaptive

A process for eliciting underpinning attitudes & assumptions



4. Re-generating

Challenge

New processes

Response

Old thinking

New thinking

0. Re-acting

From Reacting to Regenerating

1 . Re-structuring

3. Re-framing

2. Re-designingOld processes

Uncovering Enacting

New structure

Old structure

*Reference: Connecting to Source, Zaid Hassan, 2005

Purpose


*Reference: Connecting to Source, Zaid Hassan, 2005


Skills practice: left hand column conversations

Working in pairs / threes. Each talk through the right-hand column of their

conversation (prepared over night). Then, work with each other to explore the left-hand

column. Key learning:

The more you can move the left-hand column stuff into the right-hand column, the more effective you will feel.


Mental models

How do you experience the “hierarchy” in mental models? Assumptions (we make) Expectations (we have) Attitudes (we hold / hold on to) Beliefs (we hold dear) Values (we hold dear)(i.e., from least to most firmly entrenched):


Review & check out…

Pre-Reading for Module 3: (links to be sent) “Followership in the NHS”, Keith Grint & Clare Holt

(www.kingsfund.org.uk) “Good Communication that Blocks Organisational

Learning”, Chris Arygris (Harvard Business Review, Jul/Aug 1994)

“Shadow Side” / Culture hand-out

…and looking ahead to Module 3

leading for the future module two may / june 2013

Documents