Adaptive Leadership and Cultures

Many constructive developmental theorists have argued that resolution of the adaptive challenges now faced by organisations, communities and globally, requires leadership from people who
have reached Loevinger’s post-conventional stages of adult psychological development.

This paper by Nicola Caroline (Niki) Vincent explores three studies that contribute to a more sophisticated understanding of the factors that may facilitate or inhibit consciousness development (particularly to post-conventional stages). Implications for the design of, and selection of participants for, leadership programs to promote such development are discussed, and future research directions are indicated.

I was invited by Ali Juma to present on the 'Inner Game of Change' podcast.  During this 45 minute podcast, we discuss a range of topics around culture, including capacity building, cultural evolution and considerations for leaders and practitioners. 

This wonderful case study explores how the Siemens Energy Services business developed and implemented a targeted roadmap for evolving its culture and enabling their transformation agenda. 

The team used the Adaptive Cultures methodology to create a shared understanding of the aspirational culture required to deliver on their strategy and to create a roadmap to bring the aspirational culture to life. 

I like the way a highly technical team were able to do and embrace real culture work. I think a strength of the Adaptive Cultures framework is that it creates a tangible connection between purpose, strategy and culture (as the capacity to deliver adapt and grow). It also drives the creation of practical solutions that can be owned by leaders. Importantly, it opens up the inner work required to build the capacity of leaders.

You can learn more about the Adaptive Cultures Framework here - https://adaptivecultures.co/about/framework/

You can also join the global community - https://adaptivecultures.co/community/

This article by Andrew Brown explores an adaptive response to issues raised by the Australian Royal Commission into
Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industry. It is a great exploration of culture and opportunities to build capacity.

“When we experience the world as too complex... there are only two ways to mend this mismatch – reduce the world’s complexity or increase our own.” – Robert Kegan 

In these three videos, Sue Borchardt with Michael Muthukrishna explore cultural evolution and how we can build the capacity to respond to the (adaptive) challenges of our time:

• Part One - Competition, cooperation and the human tendency to copy others without knowing it! Limits of competition as a driver of performance. The value of cooperation. Cultural evolution researchers seek to understand emergence resulting from our evolving biology. Social learning as a key enabler of collective intelligence. Genetic evolution through transmission of genes. Cultural evolution via transmission of tools and know how - copying others (to fit in, successful others). 
• Part Two - Game Theory and the Illusion of Explanatory Depth. Game theory puts the tensions of competition and cooperation into context. Zero vs. Positive Sum (mutually beneficial) Games. Influence of scarcity or abundance - perception, trust and reality influencing levels of cooperation/competition. The illusion of explanatory depth = tendency to overestimate our understanding of the world. Our desire to make things concrete. Copying creates taboos/traditions (application without understanding)
• Part Three - Entangled layers of organization and implications. Genes and culture evolve slowly over time via transmission, variation and selection. Convergent and divergent features, mechanisms and systems. Understanding this meta pattern might help us understand how to respond to adaptive challenges. Self organising hierarchies as 'tangled layered networks' - the messy reality. Lower levels of organising can negatively impact higher levels (i.e. cancer cells impacting a human, or corruption impacting an institution). healthy aspects of lower levels/stages must be embedded for higher stages to emerge. Disruption drives innovation and new possibilities. To flourish, we must invite others in - shared problems, diverse perspectives to open up possibilities. Sharing constantly invites rapid evolution and the solution to our biggest challenges....

A brief overview of the three conditions that enable vertical development.

I've been fortunate over the last two years to have worked closely with a leadership team. When the team formed, the Executive GM reinforced that the primary responsibility of team members was their role on the leadership team. Their job title (technical role) was secondary to the work they would do on the leadership team, being to build the capacity of the function to deliver, adapt and grow. This was a powerful platform.

Rather than a separate leadership program, we have used the work of the team, as the foundation for vertical development. Learning as part of Working. I introduced the concept of heat and the team came up with the idea of 'hard chats' as a simple way to open up tough conversations to enable/support productive discomfort and encourage multiple perspectives. I have used a range of adaptive facilitation techniques as well - Case in Point, Balcony and Dancefloor (or for the Australian/NZ context, Coach's Box and Playing Field), Immunity To Change and in the moment reflection (i.e. what did we observe in that discussion).

We certainly haven't nailed it, but it has been rewarding to see development really be the work of the team, rather than something separate/extra; developing and implementing strategy, responding to business challenges, diagnosing the culture and implementing a plan for building capacity (evolving culture). There has been a significant shift in the way the team operates.

I have also had to be conscious of how I need to show up, if, when and how to intervene and to hold the work lightly. This process has been as much about my development as it has been the team's.   

The Adaptive Cultures community have created this important guide for leaders who are grappling with emergence from crisis and navigating the complexity that will inevitably unfold through this journey. The guide takes us through these various stages, exploring the following key themes:

1. Making sense of our emerging world
• How do we best make sense of the emerging world?
• How can we build insight and capability to continue to evolve our businesses, organisations and institutions in the face of current and emerging challenges?

2. Enabling deeper learning
• How can we balance the focus on business and organisational continuity with organisational reinvention, regeneration, adaptation and evolution?
• What new community and customer needs may emerge and how can we be at the forefront to co-create new ideas and solutions?

3. Embracing disruption
• How can we lean into disruption as an opportunity for evolution and co-creation, letting go of things that no longer serve us?
• What (authentic) acts of caring and service to our clients and community and support for our suppliers at this time may generate deeper trust and more strategic partnerships into the future?

4. Evolving new patterns of leadership
• What new kind of leadership is the world calling for? What new levels of thinking and being are necessary? How has the crisis amplified this calling?
• After the crisis has peaked, how can we continue to lead from a higher level of consciousness, rather than reverting to old ways?

5. Leading from purpose
• How can we amplify our sense of purpose and use it as a guiding light?
• How could sensing into our emerging world and possible futures illuminate a more expansive purpose?

6. Overcome forces of reversion
• How can we establish new adaptive practices and processes that enable us to continually evolve?
• How can we pay attention to the forces of reversion, and recalibrate towards ongoing progress and evolution?