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Message from a Dynamical Leader 7-10
p.10 [Glenda Eoyang] I hope this wonderful book helps you recognize the ways in which you already use your adaptive capacity and offers you new ways to think and act in your complex world.
1: What's Dynamical About Leadership? 13-28
p.14 This book offers an innovative approach for discerning organizational challenges and leading in radically changing environments. Tangible, actionable, and immediate suggestions are provided for increasing responsiveness and sustainability.
p.15 The adaptive capacity model... describes the essence of a new style of leadership appropriate for today's landscape. This model is built on the belief that adaptation is the path to sustainable, healthy systems. The ability to adapt is not easily developed, however, and can only be nurtured through a heightened sensitivity to change. Sensitivity leads to an increased capacity for coherence, resilience, and fitness.
p.15 Adaptive capacity is a leader's ability to see and influence system patterns rather than discrete organizational issues, events, or actions. Adaptive describes the ability to respond to challenges and changes in ways that increase systemic fitness. Capacity goes beyond human skills and abilities and includes the degree to which the system is robust, responsive, and flexible. [JLJ - perhaps adaptive capacity is an imagined potential to confront issues which might emerge, based on a clever interpretation of the patterns in the environment and an interaction model which allows schemes of recovery or flexing to be imagined - including the schemes of others who might upset your apple-cart. However imagined, it can be inaccurate if the complexity of the environment is not creatively and thoroughly explored. Perhaps adaptive capacity is measured indirectly through "readiness" tests and other diagnostic heuristics which attempt to estimate current-capacity-stretching in response to change or challenge - including challenges as creative and flexible as the "floating harbors" of the D-Day invasion. Perhaps adaptive capacity also includes "fallback positions" and plan "B" -type approaches - an automobile has an airbag for emergency activation to protect you in an accident, which does nothing until it is needed. This imagined adaptive capacity of an organization ultimately confronts actual real-world changes and challenges, and the organization either adapts, or not. The Titanic's flawed steel hull confronted an iceberg, and failed to survive a minor impact, and sank. Better construction might have realized the adaptive capacity scheme of watertight compartments imagined by the designer, allowing the ship to survive minor impacts long enough to support rescue efforts. It turns out, sadly, that the expected adaptive capacity existed to a lesser extent, when the ship departed on its maiden voyage.]
p.16 We have created the term dynamical leadership to describe the nature of the work adaptive leaders do. People ask us where we got such a term. We believe it most closely captures the essence of what is needed to build adaptive capacity.
p.18 Dynamical change results from multiple forces acting in unpredictable ways, generating multiple surprising outcomes... Dynamical change opens the system to surprise and unpredictability... Dynamical leaders... The key to their success is in understanding how to see and influence patterns of behavior, interaction, and performance.
p.20 Generative interconnections create the individual and organizational life force that fuels the ability to listen carefully, communicate articulately, participate fully, and respond appropriately.
p.21 Patterns are important to dynamical leaders. Understanding how they emerge and have impact is at the core of leading at a systems level... As leaders become increasingly aware of existing patterns, they support those that are productive and diminish those that don't contribute to sustainability... The dynamical leader looks beyond basic patterns to see and understand the complex nature of their environment... A fundamental shift is required to understand how patterns emerge and how to influence them in complex situations. Patterns are defined as similarities, differences, and relationships that have meaning across space and time.
p.22 dynamical leaders begin to look for and encourage patterns that sustain their organization within its environment.
p.22 Dynamical leaders spend their time studying messy patterns and use them to make informed decisions that others are not able to discern because they are not focused on meaningful patterns.
p.23 Members of a complex system organize toward "fit" with the environment... Patterns will always continue to emerge, whether or not they are watched and regardless of what happens. They will always change... the "end" toward which a system self-organizes is not a single point that signals the conclusion of the search. Rather, its goal is fitness in a larger environment that is constantly shifting, making new demands, presenting new opportunities, and opening new vistas.
p.24 Tension may emerge from interactions among individuals as they negotiate to find ways to collaborate, build trust, or acknowledge fear. Tension may also emerge as the organization "bumps" up against the external environment. It is this tension that creates the momentum for movement... Greater differences create stronger patterns. At the intersection of differences, dynamical leaders find creativity necessary to bring about change, thereby reducing tension and increasing fit. The goal of adaptive capacity is not to eliminate tension, which is impossible. Rather, it is to understand the sources of inevitable tension, learn to negotiate their impact, and to move forward.
p.25 In complex systems, power is the ability to influence. [JLJ - Foucault (and his panopticon story-example) would concur] Power becomes abundant as it multiplies and cannot be regulated or codified... ...Dynamical leaders use insights about power to move their systems toward sustainability.
p.25 We believe that in order for this book to be most useful and helpful, it should support you in using the information it offers to shed light on the very real challenges you face every day.
p.28 This book... Ultimately... is for leaders who want to build adaptive capacity in their organizations.
2: How Do We Think About Complex Systems? 29-48
p.29 Dynamical leaders... recognize a call for a different way of thinking about potential and power... four concepts are critical to the complex thinking required for effective leadership in dynamical systems.
- Dynamical leaders recognize they are working in complex adaptive systems.
- Sustainability in a complex adaptive system is different from traditional approaches to sustainability.
- Providing effective leadership in complex systems depends on an ability to see and influence patterns.
- Constraints and the delicate balance of tension they provide play a critical role in influencing patterns and the performance of a complex adaptive system.
p.31 Leaders who understand their work within the context of a CAS recognize they can neither predict nor control the multitudes of interactions generating patterns of behavior and interaction. Instead, they see patterns of behavior in the interactions and identify strategies to influence organizational patterns in ways that ensure adaptation and sustainability.
p.31 Sustainability in a turbulent and changing landscape requires the system itself to respond and adapt to whatever it encounters.
p.32 sustainability is strongly linked to adaptive capacity, which requires a system to be:
- Sensitive to detect changing patterns in time to adapt,
- Flexible enough to respond to changing patterns, and
- Robust enough to withstand internal and external challenges.
Embedding and fostering a strong adaptive capacity within an organization makes sustainability possible.
p.36 Within a complex adaptive system, capacity building is directly related to increased sustainability.
p.37 Keeping the focus on patterns increases sensitivity to change, ensures flexibility, and builds a robust organization.
p.37 The key to increasing adaptive capacity - especially in uncertain times - is through the effective use of patterns... dynamical leaders are vigilant about how patterns operate in their systems.
p.38 Dynamical leaders understand how patterns emerge as a result of interactions in a CAS... The first step in learning about patterns is to build a capacity for observation.
p.39 Some patterns of interaction and activity are particularly noticeable because they repeat across time, space, and/or levels inside the system.
p.43 Complex patterns make it more difficult to assess the long-term impact of any change in the system.
3: What is the Landscape of Leadership? 49-66
p.49 We offer a different way of thinking about leadership within a complex adaptive system (CAS). To be effective, today's leaders must recognize that the environment is constantly changing
p.54 All activity is constrained in some way.
p.57 The shifting and changing landscape cannot be understood as a snapshot; it must be viewed as an ongoing movie... Constraints influence how members interact with each other and their environment.
p.59 The Self-Organizing Zone is the middle space of the Leadership Landscape, representing fewer constraints. Activities in this zone are less prescribed and predictable than activities in the Organized Zone. Often described as "emergent," or "in transition," activity in this zone may appear messy.... individuals use trial and error to explore answers and develop new insights.
4: What is Dynamical Leadership in the Organizational Zone? 67-103
p.69 Dynamical leaders... look at interdependent and massively entangled behaviors and activities, trying to see and understand all that "is developing." Their role is to influence the whole by working to influence underlying patterns.
Dynamical leaders touch, tweak, or adjust one pattern within the organization, knowing their actions can and will have unexpected and surprising effects on other patterns.
p.74 The search for coherence sharpens a leader's view of underlying dynamics that give rise to adaptive capacity.
p.76 The key for dynamical leaders is to observe and respond to patterns that build adaptive capacity.
p.81 Dynamical leaders seek to influence patterns in a CAS similar to the way a rudder influences the direction of a boat... Small adjustments are followed by periods of observation... they offer a reliable approach to seeing and influencing patterns. This process of using iterative actions based on environmental conditions and resultant patterns is how dynamical leaders move their systems forward.
p.82 Developing the ability to respond means paying attention to patterns - finding the meaning in emerging similarities, differences, or relationships.
p.88 Patterns resulting from generative interconnections act as indicators of adaptive capacity.
p.88 Ideas emerge in a coherent system because they match needs and come from shared meaning.
p.90 dynamical leaders persistently search for emerging ideas that will make a difference.
p.98
- What sort of indicators would represent the degree of coherence, identity or responsiveness?
- What sort of indicators would alert me to changing tension?
- What pattern is shifting? How does building tension let me know?
p.98 Adaptive capacity requires dynamical leaders to be skilled in the art of pattern observation.
p.99 Using the tradition that "what gets noticed is what gets rewarded and amplified," dynamical leaders focus on how well things are connected as well as what the connection accomplishes... patterns shift day-by-day. To lead their organizations successfully, dynamical leaders must move quickly, using rapid, observable, and iterative cycles of observation, analysis, and action. Iterative cycles allow for continued adjustments that can be made quickly until desired patterns emerge. Iterative adjustments can then serve to maintain the pattern.
p.100 Dynamical leaders constantly seek to understand what is happening as it is happening... The observer must be sharp to identify which patterns to establish, which to reinforce, and which to destroy. That ability begins first with skilled and non-judgmental observation of behaviors and interactions across the system.
p.103 Dynamical leaders' tool kits must now include a keen understanding of the dynamics of patterns and expanded skills of environmental observation... In the less constrained Self-Organizing Zone, patterns are the only access dynamical leaders have to see and influence their systems.
5: What is Dynamical Leadership in the Self-Organizing Zone? 104-140
p.106 Dynamical leaders help those in the organization determine appropriate responses to changes in the external and internal environments. The ability to discern this requires dynamical leaders to see their organizations as complex adaptive systems where parts are interconnected to enable the whole system to respond.
p.106 Resilience is the ability to integrate, re-calibrate, and recover quickly when challenged.
p.116 As the creative process expands, tension builds. The dynamical leader holds the tension as long as possible in order to get the most out of the creative process.
p.117 Dynamical leaders see learning as critical to increasing the capacity for resilience.
p.118 It does not matter what process is used to preserve learning, as long as it works
p.119 The relative value of innovation in an organization can only be measured as it results in increased resilience.
p.122 Dynamical leaders focus on adaptive alignment by identifying which patterns to amplify to build organizational resilience. In a complex environment, those patterns are interconnected, influencing each other in multiple and unpredictable ways.
p.129 Dynamical leaders establish key questions or concepts that help them and others monitor patterns that indicate the pace of learning.
p.133 Ron Heifetz (1994) approaches adaptive action by suggesting that the process starts with educated guesses, testing how an issue will be received, and then reassessing for appropriateness. This requires an experimental mindset.
p.133 [Ron Heifetz] In adaptive situations, where improvisation is the norm, listening and intervening go hand in hand. Each action ought to be viewed as an experiment. Improvisation demands ongoing assessment. In practice, a person who leads must intervene and then hold steady, listening for the effects of the intervention. She must move from balcony to dance floor, back and forth. She has to allow for silence. Holding steady gives the system time to react to her intervention. It also gives her time to listen. By listening, she refines her interpretation of events and takes corrective action. Based on what she hears, she intervenes again. By this approach, interventions are not simply proposed solutions; interventions are ways to test the waters and gather information to refine the strategy. [JLJ entire paragraph p.272, Leadership Without Easy Answers, Ron Heifetz]
p.134 The Adaptive Action Model... centers around three important questions: "What?" "So What?" and "Now What?"
p.134-135 Answering the "What?" Question... In this stage, individuals or groups collect data to describe the current reality... The view must also include data about patterns
p.135 Answering the "So What?" Question... During this phase, the individual or group relies on various and collective perspectives or mindsets to interpret the information. Sometimes simple questions such as these can be the most helpful:
- What is important to us?
- Why is it important?
- What would we do without it?
- What are the patterns we see?
- Which patterns do we want to keep?
- Which do we want to shift?
p.136 Answering the "Now What" Question... During this phase, one decision or one action is selected and implemented to influence underlying patterns. The intention is to watch results over time to gather the response... in the "Now What?" stage...
- Complex adaptive systems respond best to simple interventions...
- Interventions that focus on one condition will limit possible interference...
- Watch carefully after an intervention is made..
Questions that help at this stage include:
- What do we believe will happen if we take this step?
- What do we believe will happen if we don't take this step?
- What patterns do we know we will be affecting?
p.137 The Adaptive Action Model... provides a simple way to ensure the organization is learning and reflecting, especially while moving toward increased resilience in the Self-Organizing Zone. The Adaptive Action Model can be used for small projects or large ones to pay attention to patterns while moving change forward.
6: What is Dynamical Leadership in the Random Zone? 140-173
p.145 Scanning in the Random Zone means looking for blips and trends that have the potential to meet current needs or new demands.
p.151 As noted in these examples, utils can be applied to any selection process and can be especially useful when trying to determine the relative value of disparate bits of information.
p.152 Dynamical leaders explore blips and trends, asking, "What might this contribute to the fitness of my organization?" They watch similarities, differences, and relationships over time to discern meaning.
p.154 What is the most critical characteristic of dynamical leaders as they explore the Random Zone? The answer... is inquiry.
p.158 Ultimately, dynamical leaders must make sense of what they learn in the Random Zone.
p.162 Dynamical leaders stand in inquiry as they seek new possibilities in the Random Zone.
p.165 the nature of discernment... is the ability to recognize what might have meaning for the organization, calling attention to what might be difficult to describe or comprehend.
7: What are Simple Rules? 174-183
p.175 When an organization develops and uses a common set of simple rules, it offers employees effective guides for behavior and action that allow them to move the organization toward greater fitness and coherence through each choice, decision, and interaction.
p.180-181 The Adaptive Capacity Model offers three conditions necessary to system sustainability: Dynamical Leadership, Adaptive Alignment, and Generative Interconnections... The underlying principle of this model is that if leaders establish and nurture these conditions in their organizations, patterns that support coherence, resilience, and fitness will emerge. The simple rules of any system are selected and designed to reinforce the underlying conditions such that desired patterns can emerge.
p.181 These six rules used in leadership decision... offer the potential to help build adaptive capacity.
- Adapt to your environment.
- See and influence patterns.
- Know your constraints.
- Grant and generate voice.
- Be accountable.
- Teach and learn in every interaction.
The combination of these simple rules builds coherence, resilience, and fitness.
8: How Do Simple Rules Ensure Patterns? 184-205
[six rules from p.181 plus case study, DC Vote]
9: What is Next? 206-208
p.206 These six simple rules provide a solid approach to creating adaptive organizational patterns, and such brief descriptions about each simple rule cannot honestly reflect the richness of their impact on a system.
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