Skill 3: Empower to solve
Adaptive leadership requires us to be learners, not just experts
It was well intentioned, but it led to further collapses in the mine. A risk which could have been avoided by inspecting the stability of the shafts. Before exploring options around what might work, we need to take a broader and deeper view of the cause-and-effect relationships at play. This is what is meant by systems thinking. A good example of this approach is how Toyota discovered that increasing inspections on the production line actually made quality worse, not better. This insight enabled them to revolutionize quality by removing inspectors and empowering any worker to stop the line by pulling a chord. Increasing individual ownership for quality. This system thinking approach also highlights the importance of getting people to work across relevant functions in seeking to understand and solve complex issues. Avoiding the trap of trying to solve the issue within a single silo. “When facing adaptive challenges, we need to be humble enough to recognize when we don’t know what will work.”
We’ve been conditioned to associate good leadership with expert insight into how to proceed. But when facing adaptive challenges we need to be humble enough to recognize when we don’t know what will work. Amy Edmunson uses the phrase ‘situational humility’ to describe this mindset. In our experience it is a key enabler of the effective exchange of ideas we see between scientists trying to solve tough challenges like cancer. Like Sougarret, our role as leaders in the face of an adaptive challenge is to quickly assemble the best experts we can. Give clarity on the goal and create an optimal
level of urgency. Then create an environment of open dialogue to facilitate shared learning.
Avoid acting before diagnosis
One trap to watch out for, particularly under time pressure, is acting without accurate assessment of what is really going on. The pressure to act quickly and decisively can be significant. As already discussed, we do sometimes need to take quick action to buy time. But it is vital to recognize that misplaced action can often make the situation worse. Before Sougarret was appointed to lead the rescue at San Jose mine, the original team on site tried to use an old ventilation shaft as a fast access route.
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Adaptive Leadership : Building your capacity to thrive in a disruptive environment
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