leading for the future module 1 march - april 2013

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Leading for the Future

Module 1

March - April 2013

Leading for the Future / Module 1 (March/April 2013)

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Module 1: What we will cover and discover

Day 1

In the morning:• Welcome & aims• Expectations & personal

development goals• Introducing the programme• Making sense of our context:

introducing the “Bakens Model”• Skills for adaptive change

In the afternoon:• Getting into Action Learning• Using the “U” in Action Learning• Review

Day 2

In the morning:• Welcome back & check in• Introducing adaptive

leadership• Practicing being “suspendful”• Return to Action Learning

In the afternoon:• Action Learning• Review & check out• Previewing module 2


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Roles and responsibilities

Participants:

Line managers:

Facilitators:

Lead contact in your Board:

Programme manager:

Commitment to programme – through personal / organisational goals

Participation in modules – bringing live issues to action learning

Putting theory into practice

Support / challenge Organisational sponsorship

Facilitation of modules and action learning, support & challenge

Providing access to 360º feedback On-going support Access to coaching (optional)

Master classes / development events On-line resources Evaluation


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What is the narrative?

What is the leadership context?

Who is this for?

How might it help?

Change agenda “Complex adaptive system” Increasing complexity

Leaders on the cusp between operational & strategic?

Using conceptual frameworks to understand / make sense of our context

Space for reflection Learning from and with peers


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Projected Scottish Government spending

20,000

22,000

24,000

26,000

28,000

30,000

32,000

£ M

illio

ns (

2010

-11

Pric

es)

2009-10 2025-2616 years

£42 billion


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What is the opportunity for you?

Relate the wider context to my own experiences

Make sense of my leadership role and challenges through conceptual frameworks

Do something with this understanding

Feel better able to fulfil my leadership role

Develop an action plan and see it through

Reflect and think differently

Re-frame my own experiences and dilemmas

Work with peers, hear and share different perspectives

Learn something new Build my resilience as

a leader


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Aims of the programme

Come up with breakthrough ideas in dealing with intractable problems within complex systems

Learn more about the theory in addressing wicked and adaptive challenges in the workplace

Be challenged and supported in working on a real issue

Practice with models and skills that will add value back in the workplace


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Philosophical roots

The leadership challenge in: Complex settings Emergence Systems thinking Working with competing values Discovering future possibilities Leading and learning Creating the environment Traditional versus modern thinking about

organisations


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Introducing the programme

Introducing theory and conceptual frameworks

Providing the opportunity for personal skills practice

Making the link between theory and practice

Change, complexity & emergence Adaptive leadership Systems thinking Cognitive and emotional bias Learning Public value & return on investment

Listening, questioning Suspending and re-framing Reflecting Co-coaching

Bringing live ‘case work’ Action learning Peer support & challenge Trying new things in practice and

sharing the learning


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How do the modules build?

Module 1:

Preparing the ground

“Slowing down… to go faster”

Re-framing my leadership challenges (“Bakens”)

How do I help and hinder myself?

Start action learning

Module 2:

Using Drumcree case study: theory- into-practice (Irwin Turbitt)

Reflecting on the “U process”

Understanding more about ‘defensive routines’

Building on the action learning

Module 3:

Understanding problems (Grint)

Peer support & challenge through action learning

Understanding culture

Learning (Argyris)

Sustaining & spreading our practice

Personal skills development workshops

Irwin Turbitt & Keith Grint Master Classes

360º feedback

1:1 coaching (optional)

“Consolidation Event”

(February 2014)


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Complexity

In health & social care we work in entangled organisations with inherent contradictions and tensions

We constantly strive to find innovative ideas for doing the work differently

With increased scarcity, new thinking will be even more important

This emergence of new thinking is a function of leadership, i.e., leaders are people who bring forward and embed new thinking


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Types of response to complexity

Understanding

Tu

rbu

len

ce2. Intra-preneurship

1. EmergentStrategy

Strategic Intent

3. StrategicPlanning

Adapted by Malcolm Young from Max Bosoit (1995)

High

HighLow

Low


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Cultural challenges in the NHS

Range and diversity of stakeholders

Complex ‘ownership’ & resourcing arrangements

Professional autonomy of many of its staff

Different socialisation processes across the professions

Different needs and expectations of different client groups

The different histories of different institutions

Local priorities, resource allocation and performance management

NHS is characterised by three defining features:

With many different cultures and norms arising from a number of factors:

Ref: Isles and Sutherland (2001)


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Making sense of our leadership context : “Bakens” *

WHY

Resource allocation and alignment

HOW

Arrangements for communications, information exchange, decision making

WHAT

Roles, accountabilities & organisation

Carriers / Experts / Formal

Concepts

“What is conceived”

Actions

“What is done”

Priorities (vision, purpose, strategic intent)

Principles for working with others (values, beliefs, assumptions

Outcomes (targets)

Allies and supporters

Creative & differing views

* Adapted by Malcolm Young from: the Bakens model developed by the Netherlands Pedagogical Instituut voor Oragnisatie-Ontwikkeling (NPI)


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Module 1 – “slowing down to go faster”… What is the Health & Social Care

challenge? What are my leadership challenges? –

using “Bakens” as a conceptual framework What are my current practices? – using

“Bakens” to analyse implementation So, what leadership challenge am I going to

bring to action learning (the “How can I…?” questions)


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Four types of work?

Maintenance:Business as usual is delivering required outcomes

Adaptive change:Where new thinking is required

Problem Solving/ Adding Value:The area of continuous improvement

Emergence…Link to “3rd horizon”?


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What is adaptive leadership?

Technical Problems versus Adaptive Challenges Leadership from those in authority is too often

technical and this enhances the need for adaptive leadership from those without authority

They go beyond their job descriptions and formal authorisation

Does your organisation recognise them or undermine them because they are a challenge to the formal leadership?

Can you foster the leadership needed by the situation?


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What is adaptive leadership? (2)

According to Heifetz: Leadership is an activity Leadership is what individuals do in mobilising

other people, in organisations or communities, to do “adaptive work”

When you have a problem or challenge for which there is no technical remedy, a problem for which it won’t help to look to an authority for answers – the answers aren’t there – that problem is an adaptive challenge.

References: Ronald A Heifetz & D L Laurie, The Work of Leadership, Harvard Business Review (Jan-Feb 1997), pp124-134 and Ronald Heifetz, Martin Linskey & Alexander Grashow, Practice of Adaptive Leadership: Tools and Tactics for Changing Your Organisation and the World (2009)


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Three things are required for adaptive change

1. A felt imperative to change - our source of motivation to try new behaviour

2. Insight into how our own thoughts and feelings are part of the problem

3. Taking action – trying new behaviour in order to learn


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The skills challenge

Guarding against assuming causality, halo effects, stereotyping …. (our “defensive routines”)

Striving to understand our self-limiting thoughts and feelings

Being aware of our own feelings, attitudes and beliefs

Being open minded


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Core casework skills

Observing reality (facts and feelings) with an open mind

Interacting – questioning, listening NOT discussing Suspension - avoiding imposing pre-

established frameworks or mental models


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Skills practice: Questioning

Open minded Striving to see the other’s seeing Building a picture from facts about:

where, what, who, what was said, their feelings

Not interpreting Avoiding assumptions Suspending beliefs


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Suspension….

…the ability to take everything we know,everything we’ve experienced, everything wewould normally be pre-disposed to use tointerpret and control a situation

….set it aside, and try to look and act freshly.

….allows us to be more aware of what ourhabitual thoughts are, as we simply step backand notice them.


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The “U Process” * as a microscope

Choice Point

Examples of the current situation

Characteristics of the current situation

Characteristics of the preferred situation

Vision – examples of the preferred situation

Mental models which underpin the current

situation

Mental models which would help create the

preferred situation

Maintenance

Problem Solving

Adaptive

*Adapted by Malcolm Young (from work by Scharmer, Senge & others)

What is the current situation ?

How much of a concern is it for you?

How would you describe...?

What does it feel like for you?

What assumptions have you been making ?

What beliefs and values ..? What might happen if you retain those mental models ?

What options and actions?

What will you change ?

What will you bring over ?

What would we see you doing ?

What would it feel like ?

What would it look like?

How would you like it to be ?

How can I .........?


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Action Learning - what is it?

Tool for personal and professional development

Powerful way for leaders to learn from other leaders

Structured & facilitated: questions / answers / support / challenge

Work on real problems and implement solutions


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Action Learning - why do it ?

Understanding problems Chance for support, feedback and positive

challenge Safe environment Antidote to isolation Opportunity to express feelings as well as

facts Hear and be heard Learning by doing and developing how to learn

skills Training to learning


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Leadership / Management

Leadership is an activity (not a role or position). The activity is about influencing other people to

engage in change

Management is a roleThe role is about taking responsibility for communication, co-ordination, resource allocation and problem solving to ensure effective ways of working


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Getting beyond our assumptions in:• What we pay attention to• What insight we have into ourselves• How we interpret events• How we relate to others• What we do to build shared purpose• How we take initiatives

Complex environments need leaders who will tackle wicked problems…


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Putting our values into action

Striving to achieve our vision

and by

Exploring / experimenting

Tackling intractable problems

Regulating distress

Striving to find new thinking in ourselves and others

As leaders we influence change by…


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Leading with authority in adaptive change

1. Defines both problem and solution

2. Protects from external threat

3. Orients

4. Restores order

5. Maintains the norms

1. Identifies adaptive challenge & provides a diagnosis of condition. Then produces questions about the problem definition & solutions

2. Discloses external threat

3. Dis-orients current roles, or resists orientating people to new ones quickly

4. Exposes conflict or lets it emerge

5. Challenges norms, or allows them to be challenged

In technical situations, authority:

In adaptive situations, authority:


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Leading without authority in adaptive change

1. Spark debate but can’t control the holding environment

2. Orchestrating the debate among competing factions

3. Focus on the audience for action


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1. Get on the balcony

• A place from which to observe the patterns in the wider environment as well as what is over the horizon (prerequisite for the following six principles).

2. Identify the Adaptive Challenge

• A challenge for which there is no ready made technical answer.

• A challenge which requires the gap between values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviours to be addressed.

3. Create the Holding Environment

• May be a physical space in which adaptive work can be done.

• The relationship or wider social space in which adaptive work can be accomplished.

4. Cook the Conflict

5. Maintain Disciplined Attention

6. Give back the work

• Create the heat

• Sequence & pace the work

• Regulate the distress

• Work avoidance

• Use conflict positively

• Keep people focussed

• Resume responsibility

• Use their knowledge

• Support their efforts

7. Protect the voices of Leadership from below

• Ensuring everyone’s voice is heard is essential for willingness to experiment and learn.

• Leaders have to provide cover to staff who point to the internal contradictions of the organisation.

7 Principles for Leading Adaptive Change

Adapted by Irwin Turbitt from Ron Heifetz (1997; 2009)


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Being adaptive in action

Capitalising on history without being enslaved by it

Connotations of “Transformation” Revolution inevitably fails, evolution

succeeds Experimental versus “I’ve got the answers”

mindset Appreciation of context Leadership as an activity not a role /

personality


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I take actions based on my

beliefs

I adopt beliefs about the world

I make assumptions based

on the meanings I added

I add meanings (cultural and personal)

I select data from what I observe

Observable data and experiences

The ladder of inference

A Hierarchy of InferenceWe live in a world of self-generating beliefs which remain largely untested. We adopt beliefs - based on conclusions, inferred from what we observe, plus past experience.

Our ability to achieve the results we truly desire is eroded by our feelings that:

• Our beliefs are the truth.• The truth is obvious.• Our beliefs are based on real data.• The data we select is the real data.


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I take actions based on my

beliefs


I make assumptions based

on the meanings I added




A Hierarchy of Inference

It started with Bill’s comment: “Let’s move on....”

I selected the glance and yawn ....& ignored his intent listening earlier…

I made assumption ...he was bored& concluded ...he thinks I’m incompetent

I added meaning based on culture … Bill wanted me to finish up

In fact, now I believe Bill and everyone else is opposed to me

I’m now plotting against him .......


36Examples…


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He takes actions based on his beliefs

He adopts beliefs about the world

He makes assumptions based on the meanings

he added

He adds meanings (cultural and personal)

He selects data from what he observes


U ProcessI take actions based on my

beliefs


I make assumptions based on the meanings

I added



The U processdepends on

new understanding

based on observable

data

Using the Ladder of Inference

We all add meaning or draw conclusions as a result of interactions

You can improve your communications by:• Becoming more aware of your own thinking and reasoning • Making your thinking and reasoning more visible to others• Inquiring into others' thinking and reasoning


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He takes actions based on his beliefs

He adopts beliefs about the world

He makes assumptions based on the meanings

he added

He adds meanings (cultural and personal)

He selects data from what he observes


U ProcessI take actions based on my

beliefs


I make assumptions based on the meanings

I added



The U processdepends on

new understanding

based on observable

data

leading for the future module 1 march - april 2013

Documents

future module

action learningin

action learningputting

action learningreviewday

action learningusing

action plan

adaptive change

leadership context