what happens when you look at leadership using a

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© [email protected]

© Complex Adaptive Leadership Ltd

What happens when you look atleadership using a complexity

lens…..?

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A personal journey – 30 years of usingcomplexity science thinking

• Top Secret plans

• Advising top leaders when wet behind theears but using new (and traditional) thinking

• Trying things out in “real” life

• Teaching and being nagged

• Writing up the research – Doctor Shmoctor

• Published 2010 and then set up adisorganisation late 2011

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Industry sectors:Public sectorOil and gasPulp and PaperGreen energyManufacturingAerospace/aviationDefencePackagingEducationLegal servicesPharmaceuticalInformation TechnologyTelecomsHealthBankingFinancingConsultingInsuranceTobaccoNational AuditYPO/WPOBusiness schools

A quick intro…. the company 2011 – 2014Worked with 2,500+ Execs/managers, 40+

countries 20+ industries

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Examples of qualitative results:

• “Much more focus on the ‘right things’ “• “Team members feel more valued,

trusted and are much more engaged”• “..better able to adapt to change”• “Work-family balance better”• “Better time management, less stress”• “Managed a much bigger project with

less resources”• “My management team becomes more

self-steering”• “Firmer with customers and better

communications with them”• “Increased motivation”• “My approach in leading colleagues is

markedly improved…(and they) aremore relaxed and more motivated. Alsomy Line Manager has given me moreresponsibilities..”

Follow-up measurement results 4 – 12 monthsafter CAL sessions from sample of 40 managers

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JOURNEY INTO THELEADERSHIP

QUALITIES THATTRANSFORM YOU AND

THOSE YOUINTERACT WITH IN

THE GLOBALWORKPLACE

Methodology followed – an overview -content

Contextual/strategicLeadership contextComplexity science

Organisational/operationalNetworks

Self-organisationTeam management

IndividualLeadership strategies

behaviours andattitudes

Understand WHYleadership needs to change,engage and empower more

Explore WHAT principles needto be in place for team/orgsto be self-organising and tosolve complex issues

Learn HOW to be far moreeffective with behaviourand to do more valuablethings

More empowered teams,more time for more importantthings, more results for less effort

FractalsBoidsEmergenceCynefin

UniversalityAutopoiesisButterfly effectButtons

AttractorsFlowWu wei


Time

Radical

Substantial

Incremental

Negligible

Pace and extentof change

2000 BC 1000 BC Roman times 1000 AD 2000 AD

Changing times,

Military technology

Communication technology

Transportation technologyHuman awareness

radically changed context,

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So what does it mean –It’s a VUCA world!

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Time

DiscontinuityRadical

Substantial

Incremental

Negligible

Pace and extentof change

2000 BC 1000 BC Roman times 1000 AD 2000 AD

Changing times,

Military technology

Communication technology

Transportation technologyHuman awareness

radically changed context,but stuck assumptions……

Leadership assumptions

stuck assumptions…

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So where are the solutions….??

Top

Middle

Bottom

Individually write down single number:Of 100% solutions in a large change programme/effort,what % are originally thought of by the top?

1. Average your scores2. Identify highest and lowest3. Zing the result e.g.: 3 numbers

High x% - Avg y% - Low z%

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Playing the charade is only part of it

Playing thecharade

Workingtoo hard

Fear ofletting go

Unnecessary leadership stressSub-optimal delivery and impact

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Cynefin model….

SimpleC=E

Best practiceSOPs / process

Sense – categorise - respond

ComplicatedC E

AnalysisExperts

Sense – analyse - respond

ChaoticC ≠ E

ProactivityZero predictability

Act – Sense - respond

Complex

CE

PatternsLimited predictability

Probe – sense - respond

The lineardeterministic

controllable world

The non - linearadaptive

uncontrollable world

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These 3 typicallyCO-EXIST


Mandelbrot set – Feedback loops

n+1 n2

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Simple rules can build a complex fractal pattern

Underneath complexitya few simple rules

are operating…

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A few simple rules………

• separation: steer to avoid crowding local flockmates

• alignment: steer towards the average heading of local flockmates

• cohesion: steer to move toward the average position (center of mass) of localflockmates

Purpose……..avoid predators and survive in numbers

Reynold’s Boids

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Whereyou startin acomplexstate……..

…is not as important aswhere you are heading AND

the simple rules youemploy…..

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After 6,000 roles of the dicePoint 1

Point 2Point 3

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• Underneath complexity SIMPLE RULES are operating – the trick is todiscover and understand them

• Where you start is not as important as where you want to get to and therules you employ – even a square can become a triangle!

• Just because something looks random and chaotic does not mean it is -a result can emerge

So what do fractals tell us?

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How best to organise?

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Organisation

IndividualContext

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Complexity in action……

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41QKeKQ2O3E

“Who needs leaders?”


So why did they laugh?

• “What would have happened if we had putone of you in charge?”

• Surprising conclusion re leadership andcomplexity…..

The more complex things are,the LESS “traditional” leadership and analysis

we need!

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Few simplerules

PeopleSkill & will

Definedboundaries

Freedom to act

Explicitobjectives

Underlyingpurpose

Ambiguitytolerance

Unambiguousfeedback

8 principles – 4+4 dynamic

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0%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

12%

14%

-5% -3% -1% 1% 3% 5% 7% 9%

Preliminary Findings by ERAU/CAALResearch re CAL

Above Average Revenue &EBITDA Growth

Below Average Revenue& EBITDA Growth

Source : Bloomberg, Oliver Wyman proprietary analysis,2009-2011

EBITDA Growth 2005-2011

Revenue Growth2005-2011

Company C

Company D

Company A

Company B

Company E Mean

Mean

High scoreCAL

Principles

Low scoreCAL

Principles

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CAL principles andProject Teams’ performance

© Yulia Sirazitdinova Palex;

Complex Adaptive Leadership Ltd; ICCPM CIS

Proprietary research 2013-2014

Research done in Russia onsoftware teams dealing withcomplex projects

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Phase transitions:“Buttons” example……..

Source: Ernst & Young Centre for Business Innovation

Example: Xerox engineers, Hal

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78Aggi4frb4&feature=youtu.be

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Enabling innovation and adaptiveness

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Hierarchical Org Chart is not fullreality……..

Functional boss

Sub

functional

boss

Sub

functional

boss

Sub

functional

boss

TeamBoss

TeamBoss

TeamBoss

TeamBoss

TeamBoss

TeamBoss

TeamBoss

TeamBoss

TeamBoss

Functional boss

Sub

functional

boss

Sub

functional

boss

Sub

functional

boss

TeamBoss

TeamBoss

TeamBoss

TeamBoss

TeamBoss

TeamBoss

TeamBoss

TeamBoss

TeamBoss

Functional boss

Sub

functional

boss

Sub

functional

boss

Sub

functional

boss

TeamBoss

TeamBoss

TeamBoss Team

BossTeamBoss

TeamBoss

TeamBoss

TeamBoss

TeamBoss

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Exploiting buttons and butterfly effect

Key lesson – allow variability and see it through with discipline and negotiated space

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Individual

Context Organisation


Complex Adaptive Leadership

Explicitobjectives

Ambiguitytolerance

Few simplerules

Definedboundaries

Unambiguousfeedback

PeopleSkill & will

Underlyingpurpose

Freedom to act

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Majority do not let goenough………

People

Goals

High

High

Low

LowOpportunity tohelp achieve

Opportunity tohelp developmotivate etc

Strategy 1: Tell

Average: 4Range 11 to 0

Strategy 2: Sell

Average: 3.5Range 7 to 0

Strategy 3: Involve

Average: 7Range 14 - 3

Strategy 4: Devolve

Average: 1.5Range 5 to 0

30% scored 0

Ideal score in each quadrant – 25%

n = 2,300, 43 countries, 22 industries2008 – 2014 © CAL Ltd

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An example ofa point attractor…..

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Will

Goals

LOW

LOW

HIGH

HIGH

Level in follower/team

Level inFollower/

team

Strategy 1:Tell

Strategy 2:Sell

Strategy 3:Involve

Strategy 4:Devolve

e.g.“I don’t see the need forchange”So SELL the WHY“OK – I buy the need forchange – but what do weneed to do?”TELL the WHAT“OK – I get what we need todo – how can I do it?”INVOLVE the HOW“OK – am now clear – let meget on with it then!”

DEVOLVE the executionThe point of leadership is not to lead


Pont of leadershipto devolve and enable ..…not new

….but complexity science explainsWHY and CAL explains HOW…..

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Summary

• Complexity is not a problem to solve anderadicated– it is natural and also an opportunityto understand and leverage

• Complexity science can help as a lens forleadership on a 3M approach to encouragebehaviour change

– Metaphor

– Modelling

– Manipulation

• It is not a panacea nor replaces the traditional(both/and not either/or) but extendsunderstanding for better outcomes

what happens when you look at leadership using a

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