Thinking About Adaptive Leadership – Part 3
This week wraps up our discussion of Adaptive Leadership – make sure to take a look at my last 2 posts for a more complete summary! In summary, we've sketched out some of the most important elements of adaptive leadership, including differentiation between technical and adaptive problems, differences between leadership and authority, the importance of disequilibrium, experimentation, and risk-taking, among others.
This week we conclude by taking a look at Heifetz's problem solving process – observe, interpret, intervene. This is an iterative process; that is, it is ongoing and repeatable. Let's take a look at each part individually.
'Observe' – this seems pretty straight-forward, but it is exceptionally difficult. Here, the goal is to make observation as objective as possible (or, as Heifetz states, 'getting off the dance floor and into the balcony'). This step is about gathering pertinent data and the focus is on objectivity. It is helpful to designate someone, preferably an ally or trusted source, to help you observe what is happening in your organization. This is not a 'yes man' or sycophant, but someone who can give you honest impressions of what is going on, especially if you might be hindering growth, morale, or progress.
'Interpret' – interpretation involves analyzing and synthesizing the data into hypotheses about what is happening. This involves a certain amount of risk, as those who come to different interpretations of the data can be off-put, divisive, or negative in other ways to you or your organization. The most important thing to remember here is to think before making interpretations – to know your own biases, strengths, and weaknesses well enough to blunt their force and allow a better interpretation. As Heifetz mentions: 'The idea is to make your observations as accurate as possible by considering the widest possible array of sensory information.' Two important points: 1) remember that your interpretation might be wrong, or at least not totally accurate in every way, so be willing to reassess information and update your understanding with new data; and 2) it is possible, though difficult, to hold multiple interpretations in mind at the same time, but having that flexibility can help in finding the right solution to a given problem.
'Intervene' – intervention is the final step in problem solving, and it is incredibly important. Here's Heifetz's thought: 'Well-designed interventions provide context; they connect your interpretation to the purpose or the task on the table so people can see that your perspective is relevant to their collective efforts.' If interventions are not connecting to what is actually going on, do not have buy-in from your people, and is relevant to the task at hand. It is also important to take into account organizational culture and inherent resources. Furthermore, take into account your position within your company and factor that into your proposed interventions.
I hope that this series has been useful, helpful, and informative. As always, if you have any comments or feedback please let me know. Beyond being a useful model for looking at leadership, it has had a profound impact on many leaders and organizations, so it should be helpful to understand some of it's major concepts. For further information, check out The Practice of Adaptive Leadership (2009) by Ron Heifetz and his co-authors. We'll see you next week for a new topic!
--Tyler