Clergy Conference 2012 focused on adaptive leadership. Adaptive challenges require new learning rather than technical fixes. The presentation discussed (1) how adaptive leadership involves diagnosing problems through data collection, multiple interpretations, and developing interventions, (2) how it differs from technical problems by addressing changes in priorities and beliefs rather than just improving current systems, and (3) tools like the balcony perspective to get distance on a system and identify challenges like conflicts and work avoidance. Adaptive leadership requires experimentation, diversity, and is a long process of adapting while preserving essential functions and culture.
Genesis Group China - Leadership development keynote 2013Chris Jansen
This is a presentation that I have just made at four large HR forums in Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing and Guangshou in China. As you can see on the slides it was all translated into Mandarin as the audience of 300 were all Chinese speakers. What a wonderfully rich cultural experience!
Presentation by Dr. Zachary Gabriel Green, Professor of Practice, Leadership Studies, University of San Diego, and Executive Leadership Coach, World Bank, during the Office Depot Foundation's Weekend in Boca VIII on September 25, 2015
Description:
Leadership is traditionally thought of as being expressed through the activities of an individual the leader. Recent advances in leadership theory and practice reveal that the 21st century requires a different kind of leadership. This leadership is characterized by a recognition of the nested nature of networks as well as the importance of attending to what is most needed now. This highly interactive session will invite participants to explore, express, and activate their “now” of leadership for themselves and for their organization. Particular attention will be given to the challenges of holding as precious the deeper, often unspoken, purpose of nonprofit sector work. In the face of measurement of impact, this session will invite deep reflection on the nature and quality of what really matters, even when it feels like it is beyond words and beyond reach.
Genesis Group China - Leadership development keynote 2013Chris Jansen
This is a presentation that I have just made at four large HR forums in Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing and Guangshou in China. As you can see on the slides it was all translated into Mandarin as the audience of 300 were all Chinese speakers. What a wonderfully rich cultural experience!
Presentation by Dr. Zachary Gabriel Green, Professor of Practice, Leadership Studies, University of San Diego, and Executive Leadership Coach, World Bank, during the Office Depot Foundation's Weekend in Boca VIII on September 25, 2015
Description:
Leadership is traditionally thought of as being expressed through the activities of an individual the leader. Recent advances in leadership theory and practice reveal that the 21st century requires a different kind of leadership. This leadership is characterized by a recognition of the nested nature of networks as well as the importance of attending to what is most needed now. This highly interactive session will invite participants to explore, express, and activate their “now” of leadership for themselves and for their organization. Particular attention will be given to the challenges of holding as precious the deeper, often unspoken, purpose of nonprofit sector work. In the face of measurement of impact, this session will invite deep reflection on the nature and quality of what really matters, even when it feels like it is beyond words and beyond reach.
Chris Jansen (www.Ideacreation.org) - "Leadership concepts"Chris Jansen
This presentation was made with a group of Chinese leaders and professors from universities in China who were in New Zealand on a study tour at Canterbury University
This slideshow focuses on personal capacities required for leading in a fast changing environment. It is being presented by Christopher Baan.
Today’s complex sustainability challenges call for a new generation of leaders and a new paradigm of leadership. Sustainability leaders and change agents need to steer their way through complex change processes in an environment that is characterised by high stakes and high uncertainty. Increasingly, leaders need to be able to facilitate participatory processes and engage a wide variety of stakeholders.
In most cases, the sustainability challenge requires engaging people in profound change, an inner shift in people’s values, aspirations and behaviours guided by their mental models, as well as an outer shift in processes, strategies and practices. Sustainability and CSR managers, change agents and facilitators need to be adept at engaging individuals and groups in a collaborative and dialogical manner, unearthing the group’s collective intelligence and assisting employees to gain a whole system perspective. Facilitating this type of transformation depends first on the authentic leadership of the facilitator.
This is one of the handouts that participants of Banks International’s program, Culture Audit Interviews, receive and is one of the base documents attendees at the 21st Century Organizations can also receive.
Leading Adaptive Change: A Framework to Transform HealthcareHealth Catalyst
“I assumed if I was bold enough and pushed hard enough, others would follow,” related Dr. Val Ulstad as she recounts past efforts to drive healthcare improvements. “But, the pushing only strengthened the resistance.”
It turns out that leading change in health care is especially challenging for reasons Dr. Ulstad will discuss including conflict and resistance, culture clashes, denial, blame, and in-fighting. As a physician leader, Dr. Ulstad discovered that physician push back wasn’t a sign of disdain or rebellion, but rather a characteristic of modern medicine and often a call for help. Clinicians fear changes that might put at risk what they believe to be best practice medicine. Those worries often lead to a lack of participation in quality improvement initiatives because they don’t know how to engage in a meaningful way.
While some may perceive those non-participating members as lazy or unwilling, those behaviors may in fact be evidence of chaos, stress, burdened work loads and rapid, repeated, and high-volume change. When understood and embraced, these negative qualities can be leveraged into positive outcomes.
Join Dr. Val Ulstad, MD, MPA, MPH, FACC as she introduces the concepts, frameworks, and practices of adaptive leadership wherein she will share principles that will help healthcare professionals to work through complex health care initiatives where there is uncertainty, perceived scarcity of time and attention, and fast-paced change. These frameworks reveal what people exercising leadership can do once they have a deeper understanding of fear and the resistance to change. By applying this way of looking at human behavior, Dr. Ulstad shares with healthcare professionals how to be more effective and purposeful in their leadership work. Participants will learn how to:
Recognize the difference between technical and adaptive work.
Thoughtfully analyze stakeholder behavior in order to plan and make progress.
Effectively address resistance in others.
Participants will begin to see more clearly and act more intentionally to address the adaptive problems in healthcare.
Annuity and Life Insurance Product Update - Q1 2016Corporate Insight
This quarterly slide deck examines new product releases from annuity carriers and life insurers covered in our Annuity Monitor and Life Insurance Monitor research services. Inside, we provide a rundown of the new products introduced on the firms’ websites in the first quarter of 2016 and highlight their key features.
Corporate Insight is pleased to introduce the results of our fifth annual Life Insurance Monitor Awards. We benchmark the life insurance industry across six critical categories. Within each of these categories, we award Monitor Awards in gold, silver and bronze assessing how firms meet our criteria.
As in past years, the Gold Medal is reserved for exceptionally valuable services. We award the Silver Medal to features with similar value that lack some of the outstanding attributes and functions of the best offerings. The Bronze Medal recognizes firms with an excellent or unique service that do not meet the highest standards in the respective category.
Chris Jansen (www.Ideacreation.org) - "Leadership concepts"Chris Jansen
This presentation was made with a group of Chinese leaders and professors from universities in China who were in New Zealand on a study tour at Canterbury University
This slideshow focuses on personal capacities required for leading in a fast changing environment. It is being presented by Christopher Baan.
Today’s complex sustainability challenges call for a new generation of leaders and a new paradigm of leadership. Sustainability leaders and change agents need to steer their way through complex change processes in an environment that is characterised by high stakes and high uncertainty. Increasingly, leaders need to be able to facilitate participatory processes and engage a wide variety of stakeholders.
In most cases, the sustainability challenge requires engaging people in profound change, an inner shift in people’s values, aspirations and behaviours guided by their mental models, as well as an outer shift in processes, strategies and practices. Sustainability and CSR managers, change agents and facilitators need to be adept at engaging individuals and groups in a collaborative and dialogical manner, unearthing the group’s collective intelligence and assisting employees to gain a whole system perspective. Facilitating this type of transformation depends first on the authentic leadership of the facilitator.
This is one of the handouts that participants of Banks International’s program, Culture Audit Interviews, receive and is one of the base documents attendees at the 21st Century Organizations can also receive.
Leading Adaptive Change: A Framework to Transform HealthcareHealth Catalyst
“I assumed if I was bold enough and pushed hard enough, others would follow,” related Dr. Val Ulstad as she recounts past efforts to drive healthcare improvements. “But, the pushing only strengthened the resistance.”
It turns out that leading change in health care is especially challenging for reasons Dr. Ulstad will discuss including conflict and resistance, culture clashes, denial, blame, and in-fighting. As a physician leader, Dr. Ulstad discovered that physician push back wasn’t a sign of disdain or rebellion, but rather a characteristic of modern medicine and often a call for help. Clinicians fear changes that might put at risk what they believe to be best practice medicine. Those worries often lead to a lack of participation in quality improvement initiatives because they don’t know how to engage in a meaningful way.
While some may perceive those non-participating members as lazy or unwilling, those behaviors may in fact be evidence of chaos, stress, burdened work loads and rapid, repeated, and high-volume change. When understood and embraced, these negative qualities can be leveraged into positive outcomes.
Join Dr. Val Ulstad, MD, MPA, MPH, FACC as she introduces the concepts, frameworks, and practices of adaptive leadership wherein she will share principles that will help healthcare professionals to work through complex health care initiatives where there is uncertainty, perceived scarcity of time and attention, and fast-paced change. These frameworks reveal what people exercising leadership can do once they have a deeper understanding of fear and the resistance to change. By applying this way of looking at human behavior, Dr. Ulstad shares with healthcare professionals how to be more effective and purposeful in their leadership work. Participants will learn how to:
Recognize the difference between technical and adaptive work.
Thoughtfully analyze stakeholder behavior in order to plan and make progress.
Effectively address resistance in others.
Participants will begin to see more clearly and act more intentionally to address the adaptive problems in healthcare.
Annuity and Life Insurance Product Update - Q1 2016Corporate Insight
This quarterly slide deck examines new product releases from annuity carriers and life insurers covered in our Annuity Monitor and Life Insurance Monitor research services. Inside, we provide a rundown of the new products introduced on the firms’ websites in the first quarter of 2016 and highlight their key features.
Corporate Insight is pleased to introduce the results of our fifth annual Life Insurance Monitor Awards. We benchmark the life insurance industry across six critical categories. Within each of these categories, we award Monitor Awards in gold, silver and bronze assessing how firms meet our criteria.
As in past years, the Gold Medal is reserved for exceptionally valuable services. We award the Silver Medal to features with similar value that lack some of the outstanding attributes and functions of the best offerings. The Bronze Medal recognizes firms with an excellent or unique service that do not meet the highest standards in the respective category.
Abstract: Public Lecture Da Vinci
Dr Rica Viljoen
The theory that will underpin the public lecture deals with the complex problem of how individuals, groups, organisations and societies handle changing life conditions. Thinking systems in people, organisations and society help us to understand the adaptive capability of changing environmental conditions. These conditions in the environment study the following:
• Worldview: messaging and pattern recognition
• Degree of complexity: exiting or emerging codes of thinking
• Command and control: the inherent flexibility
• Organising Principles: the intensity of the condition
• Elaborating stream implications: the view and implications of the past, present and future time line
• Potential: the functionality or health of the ecology
Insights gained from a meta-study on leadership will be presented. These insights lead to the publication of the book Organisational Change and Development. Multi-cultural research conducted in 42 different countries, with more than 100 000 participants, will be shared. These ethnographical insights will be interwoven with the Interesting findings from various Da Vinci PhD-studies to present a rich narrative on the human condition. The purpose of the lecture is to uniquely offers the application of diversity of thought and contexual understanding in various geo-political, industry domains organisational spaces.
The stories that will be shared, was lived by leaders in multi-cultural settings. The organisational and societal development interventions that will be described, was facilitated by Rica and/or her co-researchers. One such case will deal with the successful implementation of co-determination – a unique way of partnering between workers, management and trade unions in an effort to optimise stakeholder relationships and conduct sustainable business in South Africa and other emerging economies. An effort will be made to present enough rich narratives for the participant to be triggered, inspired and even moved to action to make the world a better place for all.
The following books will be available after the lecture:
• Organisational Change and Development (Viljoen, 2015)
• Employee Engagement in a South African Context (Nienaber and Martins, 2016)
• Organisational Diagnostics (Martins, Martins and Viljoen, 2017)
Building institutions of excellence 11 april 2015 effective bureaucraciesPatrick McNamara
I just returned from India where I supported UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) and the Indian government training department in their efforts to create government “institutions of excellence” across an immense country that is the world’s third largest economy.
I was impressed by the dedicated, bright, enthusiastic Indian government and UNDP staff who were always up for a challenge. Both institutions are poised to help India move toward being a middle income country, while addressing human development and environmental sustainability (not just economic development).
I saw common themes that appear in many bureaucracies, perhaps exacerbated by cultural influences:
Waiting for others to do something rather than feeling empowered to initiate
Taking time to get “out of the box”
Wanting more support for insightful innovations
Needing to work beyond silos, but not knowing how to begin
Buried in analytics and the micro, but with intelligence to see the big picture and think critically
While these issues are typical in bureaucracies, UNDP has undergone two years of radical change and a new culture is beginning to emerge. A fresh batch of new leaders with a positive, entrepreneurial spirit have been put in key positions and are beginning to steer the UNDP ship in a new way, though many continue to live the old culture. Some staff are taking bold initiatives to make their corner of the UN more effective and responsive. What’s more: UNDP is being asked by their clients, governments around the world, to help them change in similar ways.
They have the intention to move toward excellence and increased effectiveness and they've taken a first step: looking at ways to work differently than before and to transform organizational culture. I trust that my interactive interventions made a difference to help both institutions move toward their goals. I’ve shared some of my presentation* below on building strengths, leading in challenging times and best practices, including:
Shared vision, aligned action
Networked solutions (beyond silos), strong partnerships
Thinking outside the box
Confidence to model values, be yourself and move through conflict
Listening deeply and seeing the big picture
These capacities are supplemented by the great work UNDP is doing to streamline its processes, which is another side of bureaucratic effectiveness.
What surprised me the most was how empowered the women were to speak up, to advocate and to take action in a culture where they are not always heard. I was also surprised by the intense energy, enthusiasm and drive of participants; if this is a high-leverage project to transform Indian government, it’s moving in the right direction!
The best processes are those that encourage teams to naturally do the right things at the right times. Amazing processes like this don’t happen by accident; they are specifically designed to encourage desirable behavior while discouraging harmful behaviour. By carefully choosing the process’s affordances -- practices or artifacts that direct our thinking toward a specific goal -- a team can tailor a process that makes success intuitive. The session will begin by presenting the core concepts behind affordence-driven process improvement before diving into a collaborative workshop. During the workshop teams will use information from the introduction to brainstorm practices that will help them promote those values, as you would in a team retrospective.
Adaptive Leadership: How to Prioritize and Align Emerging IssuesEric Kaufman
Adaptive leadership focuses on the adaptations required in response to changing environments, which essentially describes the role of the 21st Century Extension professional. This workshop will outline the model of adaptive leadership and introduce the leader behaviors associated with adaptive work. Participants will practice categorizing issues as either technical or adaptive challenges, and they will explore appropriate strategies for responding to both.
Christchurch - a leadership incubator? Dec 2014Chris Jansen
A presentation exploring innovative approaches to leadership, inter-agency collaboration and government - community partnership emerging in post-quake Christchurch
SOFT SKILLS WORLD takes pleasure in introducing itself as an experienced and competent conglomeration with more than 300 Training & Development professionals. This team represents key functional domains across industries.
We sincerely look forward to joining hands with your esteemed organization in our endeavour to create a mutually satisfying win-win proposition per se Organization Development interventions.
May we request you to visit us at http://www.softskillsworld.com/to have a glimpse of the bouquet of our offers .We have partnered with the best & promise you an excellent organizational capability building.
We firmly believe Hard Skills alone are not sufficient enough to enhance business success. Aligned with high performance organizational culture and given the right direction, Soft Skills is the best recipe for business success.
This set of slides, originally prepared as the Area Council Report to Diocesan Council, April 2013 and since updated, describes the richly diverse nature of the Episcopal Area of York-Credit Valley and celebrates the work taking place there.
This set of slides, prepared as the Area Council Report to Diocesan Council, April 2013, describes the richly diverse nature of the Episcopal Area of York-Credit Valley and celebrates the work taking place there.
John Bowen prepared these slides for the Reach New People workshop at Trinity College on October 27, 2012.
John Bowen is the Director of the Institute of Evangelism at Wycliffe College.
A presentation given by Bishop Philip Poole at the Anglican Diocese's of Toronto Clergy Conference 2012. The presentation focused on 10-year statistical trends in the Diocese.
Discover various methods for clearing negative entities from your space and spirit, including energy clearing techniques, spiritual rituals, and professional assistance. Gain practical knowledge on how to implement these techniques to restore peace and harmony. For more information visit here: https://www.reikihealingdistance.com/negative-entity-removal/
Exploring the Mindfulness Understanding Its Benefits.pptxMartaLoveguard
Slide 1: Title: Exploring the Mindfulness: Understanding Its Benefits
Slide 2: Introduction to Mindfulness
Mindfulness, defined as the conscious, non-judgmental observation of the present moment, has deep roots in Buddhist meditation practice but has gained significant popularity in the Western world in recent years. In today's society, filled with distractions and constant stimuli, mindfulness offers a valuable tool for regaining inner peace and reconnecting with our true selves. By cultivating mindfulness, we can develop a heightened awareness of our thoughts, feelings, and surroundings, leading to a greater sense of clarity and presence in our daily lives.
Slide 3: Benefits of Mindfulness for Mental Well-being
Practicing mindfulness can help reduce stress and anxiety levels, improving overall quality of life.
Mindfulness increases awareness of our emotions and teaches us to manage them better, leading to improved mood.
Regular mindfulness practice can improve our ability to concentrate and focus our attention on the present moment.
Slide 4: Benefits of Mindfulness for Physical Health
Research has shown that practicing mindfulness can contribute to lowering blood pressure, which is beneficial for heart health.
Regular meditation and mindfulness practice can strengthen the immune system, aiding the body in fighting infections.
Mindfulness may help reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and obesity by reducing stress and improving overall lifestyle habits.
Slide 5: Impact of Mindfulness on Relationships
Mindfulness can help us better understand others and improve communication, leading to healthier relationships.
By focusing on the present moment and being fully attentive, mindfulness helps build stronger and more authentic connections with others.
Mindfulness teaches us how to be present for others in difficult times, leading to increased compassion and understanding.
Slide 6: Mindfulness Techniques and Practices
Focusing on the breath and mindful breathing can be a simple way to enter a state of mindfulness.
Body scan meditation involves focusing on different parts of the body, paying attention to any sensations and feelings.
Practicing mindful walking and eating involves consciously focusing on each step or bite, with full attention to sensory experiences.
Slide 7: Incorporating Mindfulness into Daily Life
You can practice mindfulness in everyday activities such as washing dishes or taking a walk in the park.
Adding mindfulness practice to daily routines can help increase awareness and presence.
Mindfulness helps us become more aware of our needs and better manage our time, leading to balance and harmony in life.
Slide 8: Summary: Embracing Mindfulness for Full Living
Mindfulness can bring numerous benefits for physical and mental health.
Regular mindfulness practice can help achieve a fuller and more satisfying life.
Mindfulness has the power to change our perspective and way of perceiving the world, leading to deeper se
Why is this So? ~ Do Seek to KNOW (English & Chinese).pptxOH TEIK BIN
A PowerPoint Presentation based on the Dhamma teaching of Kamma-Vipaka (Intentional Actions-Ripening Effects).
A Presentation for developing morality, concentration and wisdom and to spur us to practice the Dhamma diligently.
The texts are in English and Chinese.
In Jude 17-23 Jude shifts from piling up examples of false teachers from the Old Testament to a series of practical exhortations that flow from apostolic instruction. He preserves for us what may well have been part of the apostolic catechism for the first generation of Christ-followers. In these instructions Jude exhorts the believer to deal with 3 different groups of people: scoffers who are "devoid of the Spirit", believers who have come under the influence of scoffers and believers who are so entrenched in false teaching that they need rescue and pose some real spiritual risk for the rescuer. In all of this Jude emphasizes Jesus' call to rescue straying sheep, leaving the 99 safely behind and pursuing the 1.
The Chakra System in our body - A Portal to Interdimensional Consciousness.pptxBharat Technology
each chakra is studied in greater detail, several steps have been included to
strengthen your personal intention to open each chakra more fully. These are designed
to draw forth the highest benefit for your spiritual growth.
2 Peter 3: Because some scriptures are hard to understand and some will force them to say things God never intended, Peter warns us to take care.
https://youtu.be/nV4kGHFsEHw
The Book of Joshua is the sixth book in the Hebrew Bible and the Old Testament, and is the first book of the Deuteronomistic history, the story of Israel from the conquest of Canaan to the Babylonian exile.
The Good News, newsletter for June 2024 is hereNoHo FUMC
Our monthly newsletter is available to read online. We hope you will join us each Sunday in person for our worship service. Make sure to subscribe and follow us on YouTube and social media.
2. Can leaders still lead when they
don’t know what to do?
YES!
IT’S CALLED
“ADAPTIVE LEADERSHIP”
2
3. This information is taken from the following material
from The Rev’d Dr. Margaret Ann (Sam) Faeth, Dr.
Mary Uhl-Bien, and Dr. Ronald Heifitz.
I’d strongly recommend that you buy and read
Heitfitz’ book:
The Practice of Adaptive leadership: Tools and
Tactics for Changing Your Organization and the World.
Ronald Heifitz, Marty Linsky, Alexander
Grashow, 2009, Harvard Business Review Press.
3
4. Adaptive Leadership
• Moses and the Hebrew slaves
– Journeying to the Promised Land and becoming
the People of God
• The Acts of the Apostles
– Leadership, membership, service:
• Who does what? Who belongs? Who decides and how
are decisions made? What’s important? What are the
priorities?
4
5. Can leaders still lead when they don’t
know what to do?
The obsession for the quick fix:
• People feel pressure to solve problems quickly
– Move to action – NOW! We’re going to die here!
• Analyzing problems by personalizing them
– If only “N.N.” were a leader (follower/
believer/scriptural/charismatic/younger/
nicer/stronger)…
• Attributing situations to interpersonal conflict
– If we could just get rid of the rector (organist/
secretary/ treasurer/ parishioner) who is
opposing/causing/doing…
5
6. Practice of Leadership
Two core processes
• DIAGNOSIS
– What is happening?
• In the church
• ACTION
• In society
– Take necessary action
• In yourself
to address the issues in
the organisation
– Take action toward self
in the context of the
challenge
6
7. The process of Diagnosis and Action
1. What? OBSERVE
Data collection and problem identification
2. Why? INTERPRET
explore multiple Interpretations of the data
3. What next? INTERVENE
develop a number of potential approaches to a
series of actions/ interventions
Re-iterate: move back and forth between
data collection, interpretation, and
action
7
9. Adaptive vs Technical
• Technical problems: known solutions, resolvable
through current structures, procedures, practised
ways of doing things
• Adaptive challenges: new situations without
known precedent – only addressed through
changes in people’s priorities, beliefs, habits, and
loyalties
– Doing old job better, longer, with more help will not
address an adaptive challenge
9
10. Type of Challenge Problem definition Solution Locus of work
Technical Clear Clear; tried and Authority (expert)
tested precedents will implement
existing structures
and roles
Technical and Less Clear: some Requires some Authority will have
adaptive learning needed to learning to consult
diagnose stakeholders
Adaptive Requires learning Requires systemic Stakeholders
adaptive learning; (shared leadership)
involving beliefs,
norms, values
10
11. examples
• Sunday liturgies and funerals are a mixture of technical
and adaptive: implementing the set liturgy and figuring
out how to communicate the lectionary-selected
gospel in a particular situation, adapting the
music, intercessions, etc to accommodate the
setting, pastoral context, resources present.
• Adaptive challenge: how do we to implement the
mission of the Anglican Church in a multi-faith, multi-
cultural community with a strong anti-institutional
predisposition and lack of common narrative?
11
12. Adaptive challenge
• Adaptive leadership is the practice of
mobilizing people to tackle tough challenges
and thrive
• Successful adaptation from nature:
– Preserves DNA essential for survival
– Discards (rearranges) DNA no longer meeting current
needs
– Creates DNA arrangements to give ability to flourish in
new ways and in new challenging environments
12
13. The obstacles to LEADERSHIP:
• Pressure to solve problem quickly
• The Quick Fix as a sign of LEADERSHIP
• Deflect the hard work
• Push to minimize diagnostic process
– Data collection
– Multiple possible interpretations
– Alternative interventions
“The single most important skill and most
undervalued capacity for exercising adaptive
leadership is diagnosis.” Heifetz, Grashow, Linsky, p. 7HE
13
15. Heifetz’ List of Work Avoidance
Behaviours
• Applying a technical fix to an adaptive problem
• Define the problem to fit the current expertise
• Inappropriate humour
• Denying the problem exists
• Create a proxy fight
• Shoot the messenger
• Identify a scapegoat
• Externalise the enemy
• Attack authority
• Delegate outside the system (outside consultants to
propose a fix – which can then be ignored)
15
16. Warning!
• Technical solutions WILL NOT solve adaptive
challenges
• they will:
– Lower anxiety temporarily
– Create the illusion of progress
– Cast the leader in the role of hero
– Reduce the motivation for systemic learning
– Stifle the capacity for creativity and growth
16
18. Balcony and Dance Floor
Metaphor for diagnosing a system and your place in it
• Diagnosing the whole system in the midst of action requires
the ability of achieve some distance from the on-the-
ground events – moving to the balcony – gain perspective
• From balcony can see patterns not evident when you are
on the floor, caught up in the dance.
• Going to the balcony requires that you observe the system
you are part of – simultaneously detached and connected –
self-differentiation
• Moving back and forth – oscillation
• Moving outside in on the system; moving inside out on
analysing yourself
18
19. Getting to the Balcony
When to go?
At planned intervals
In the moment of
Change, conflict, crisis
Transitions
When situation is puzzling
When things are going particularly well –
or very badly
19
20. • Who to go with?
– Alone (but ALWAYS with the Holy Spirit)
– With a “No BS Group”
– With someone whose
perspective, opinion, experience differs from
yours
• What to look for?
– The FOUR ARCHETYPES of ADAPTIVE CHALLENGE:
• Gap between espoused values and behaviours
• Competing commitments
• Speaking the unspeakable
• Work avoidance behaviours
20
21. The view from the Balcony
Who’s at the dance? What music is playing?
What kind of dance is it?
Who is dancing? Who is waiting to be asked?
How much energy is there? Who is just arriving?
Who is sneaking out?
Where are you on the dance floor? Who is on your
dance card?
Who is stepping on toes? Who is graceful? Are you in
time with the beat? Who is tired? Who has energy to
spare?
Does the band keep playing the same tune? Or dancers
doing the same dance?
21
22. Balcony diagnostic strategy
Look for:
STRUCTURE – how are things organised?
CULTURE – norms, values, story
DEFAULTS – the way things are done here
Then seek with others:
– Multiple possible interpretations
– Alternative interventions
Rarely is there a single interpretation of the
data or a single possible intervention
22
23. LEADERSHIP Technical Adaptive
TASK
Direction Provide problem Identify adaptive challenge;
definition & frame key questions &
solution issues
Protection Protect from Disclose external threats
external threats
Order Disorient current roles;
• Orientation Orient people to resist orienting people to
current roles new roles too quickly
• Conflict
Restore order Expose conflict or let it
emerge
•Norms Maintain norms Challenge norms or let 23
24. Pay attention to:
• Patterns
– who/what connected? Isolated?
– what repeats? Changes?
• Defaults
– what are the preferred modes of learning?
– How do the system respond to conflict?
– Where is advice sought?
– How are decisions made?
– Does the system respond predictably in
conflict, challenge or change?
• Energy
– Resilience
– Creativity
– Commitment
24
25. • Threats
– What challenges the status quo?
– What resources are stretched?
– What norms, values, behaviours protect the status
quo?
– What is identified as a threat?
– Are there unnoticed threats
(situational, organisational, environmental)?
• Opportunities
– What might we learn? How might we serve?
– How can we welcome new people?ideas?ministry?
25
26. • Yourself:
– How do you function in the system?
– How big is the circle around you?
– Are you accessible or isolated?
– Does the system protect or challenge you?
– Who has access to you? Who wants access? Who is
the gatekeeper?
– Can you hear the voices of dissent? How do you
respond?
– What are your defaults in conflict? stress? change?
fatigue? uncertainty?
– What enhances or impairs your learning?
– What must be preserved and protected?
– What losses might you have to suffer?
– What’s in it for you?
– How do you take care of yourself?
26
27. Adaptive Leadership
• Specifically about change that enables the
capacity to thrive
– Wrestle with normative questions of value, purpose
and process
– Multiple stakeholders priorities, defining
“thriving”, then moving to realise it
• Builds on the past rather than jettisons it
– Both conservative and progressive
• Occurs through experimentation
– Improvisation; rapidly produced variations; high
failure-rates; iterative 27
28. • Relies on diversity
– Each variant produces capacities different from
the rest of the population; not cloning
• New adaptations generate losses
– Displace, reconfigure, rearrange
– Creates predictable defensive responses
• Takes time
– Persistence and perseverence
– Consolidation of new norms and practices
28
30. Living into Adaptive Leadership
• Learning mode
• Self reflection and analysis of context
• Living with ambiguity and disequilibrium
• Resistance to seduction
• Discernment – what’s essential, what’s less so
• Pastoral care and compassion
• Resistance – deflection of work, defaults,
• Patience and perseverance
• Building community
• Dealing with values, purpose, hope
• Don’t do it alone; practise in life; resist leap to action; make
hard choices
• The Holy Spirit leading us into God’s mission 30
32. Prayer
O God, you have called your servants to
ventures of which we cannot see the
ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through
perils unknown.
Give us faith to go out with good courage, not
knowing where we go, but only that your
hand is leading us and your love supporting
us;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Evangelical Lutheran Worship. Evening Prayer, p. 317
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Editor's Notes
Desert, brick building, slaves, certaintyManna (old patterns don’t work), community, leadership sharing, direction unknown, trial/error, learning to be a community, new roles, lots left behindLearning as they went – discernment, prayer, attention to scripture, the Spirit, the fellowship; Matthias, the widows, deacons; prosyletising Gentiles. Role of Barnabas, as well as Peter, James, Saul/Paul
Technical problems: known solutions, resolvable through current structures, know-how, procedures, ways of doing thingsAdaptive challenges: only addressed through changes in people’s priorities, beliefs, habits, and loyalties; going beyond authoritative experise, shedding certain entrenched ways, tolerating losses, generating new capacity to thrive anew. Not a matter of doing your old job better, longer, with more help.
Sunday liturgies and funerals are a mixture of technical and adaptive: implementing the set liturgy and figuring out how to communicate the lectionary-selected gospel in a particular situation, adapting the music, intercessions, etc to accommodate the setting, pastoral context, resources present.Adaptive challenge: how to implement the mission of the Anglican Church in a multi-faith, multi-cultural community with a strong anti-institutional predisposition and lack of common narrative?
But because they are rooted in people’s deeply held beliefs, values, feelings and norms, adaptive problems always resurface
Metaphor for diagnosing a system and your place in itDiagnosing the system whole in the midst of action requires the ability of achieve some distance from the on-the-ground events – moving to the balcony – gain perspectiveFrom balcony can see pattens not evident when you are on the floor, caught up in the dance.Going to the balcony requires that you observe the system you are part of – simultaneiously detached and connected – self-differentiationMoving back and forth – oscillationMoving outside in on the system; moving inside out on analysing yourself
The adaptive purpose of parables Good Samaritan, Prodigal Son, See also Luke 4 – Jesus in Nazareth
CapacityThriveValues, purpose, processEngages all the giftsWhat is so essential it must be preserved going forward; what of all you value (note it IS valuable!) can/must you leave behind?
Both/and - does not produce uniformity, but continuity not only to survive but to thriveLosses are real; grief important; grieving process of Kubler-Ross (denial, anger, depression, bargaining, acceptance) People at different stagesNew norms: why dieting, or dealing with besetting sin so difficult
Integration of all these roles:
Don’t know it allAbility to check out hunches, name truths, help people tolerate conflict and discomfortResist quick fixes, saviour complex, rescuing, need to know it all; Honouring the pain that comes from change, lossBuilding community – shaping expectations, training, coalitions, consultation, shared understanding, calling on gifts, insights, mutual ministry
“The leader’s role is to provide the chalice that contains the community’s anxiety within safe boundaries so it can do its work productively. It is open ended, not a pressure cooker. It can spill and be lost. It can contain water that quenches thirst, or sour vinegar that embitters those who drink or good wine that lightens the spirit and creates the effervescence that enlivens a community.”