Facilitative Leadership and Creative Problem Solving Facilitative Leadership and Creative Problem Solving: Two Tools for High Performing Business Analysts Two Tools for High Performing Business Analysts Developed by Andy Wilkins Developed by Andy Wilkins [email protected][email protected]
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Facilitative Leadership & Creative Problem Solving
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Facilitative Leadership and Creative Problem SolvingFacilitative Leadership and Creative Problem Solving::Two Tools for High Performing Business AnalystsTwo Tools for High Performing Business Analysts
Developed by Andy WilkinsDeveloped by Andy [email protected]@perspectiv.co.uk
Some of our assumptions about the environment are thatSome of our assumptions about the environment are thatyour organisations may increasingly be required toyour organisations may increasingly be required to ……
•…be fitter and more adaptable in order to succeed•…continuously strengthen your capability to
respond quickly and imaginatively to internal andexternal changes
•…thrive at the speed of change and on the edge ofmore and more chaos & complexity
BCG and WFPMA 2010 Report:• "Improving leadership development." (Second most important factor).• "We are looking for two things: great problem-solving skills - the ability
to take a really messy problem, disaggregate it and drive to data-driven answers - and really deep business sense." (Google)
IBM CEO Report 2010:• Creativity is the most important leadership quality, according to
CEOs. Standouts practice and encourage experimentation andinnovation throughout their organizations. Creative leaders expect tomake deeper business model changes to realize their strategies. Tosucceed, they take more calculated risks, find new ideas, and keepinnovating in how they lead and communicate.
A FTSE 100 directors thoughtsA FTSE 100 directors thoughts……• It's the relationship that really matters. The 'soft stuff', if you like. We are
not selling, we are here to help.• It's also about language and having a shared language over time.• It's about how you help people get to where they want to get to.• It is about holistic - systemic - collaborative thinking.• It's about creativity and innovation and bringing insights from other
industries beyond just technology.• We have to find time to think creatively so that we can increase value.• It's about having the moral courage to challenge and push back at times.• It's about letting go.• It's about feedback - watch any high performing team - they don't hide
issues and giving each other feedback.• It's about creating an environment that fosters ideas.• It requires an inquiring and collaborative mind.
Wicked Problems are characterised byWicked Problems are characterised by ……
• Complexity - interconnectivity - scale - novelty• Unforeseen new structures• Unexpected new properties• Radical and incremental innovation• No definite formulation of the problem• Each problem is essentially unique - often has not been faced before - and is
entwined with other problems• The search for solutions never stops• Solutions are not good or bad or limited, but are judgment calls and are often
difficult to measure.
Wicked problems often crop up when organizations have to face constant change orunprecedented challenges. They occur in a social context; the greater the disagreementamong stakeholders, the more wicked the problem. In fact, it is the social complexity ofwicked problems as much as their technical difficulties that make them tough to manage.
• This session will aim to share some further thoughts and ideas to thewisdom that already exists in the business analysts community relatedto Facilitative Leadership and Creative Problem Solving –two toolsthat may help prepare business analysts to achieve their ambitions.
• Creative Problem Solving is a tried and test 50 year old method basedon people’s natural problem solving style and which integrates easilyas a complement to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge as wellas other methods such as Lean and Six Sigma.
• But as a client recently said to us: “Whilst Creative ProblemSolving, Lean, and Six Sigma are all excellent methods, they areno good if you can't bring people with you, create a productiveenvironment, and make it work in practice. This is whatFacilitative Leadership provides.”
Facilitative Leadership pays continualFacilitative Leadership pays continualattention to four areasattention to four areas• Facilitative Leadership (FL) is a type of leadership that is required when faced with
problems that have people and technical complexity (often referred to as 'wicked problems' - theyare complex and defy simple formulations and easy solutions)
• Facilitative Leadership involves taking a systems approach by paying attention tocreating a productive Climate, through an inclusive Leadership approach, and thedisciplined use of deliberate Process such as Creative Problem Solving andothers such as Lean and Six Sigma to achieve the desired Outcomes.
• The defining feature ofFacilitative Leaders is thatthey offer process andstructure rather thandirections and answers.In every situation, they knowhow to design ways that enablepeople to find their ownanswers.
This then raises an intriguing question: what are thetop 4 characteristics of leadership in order forpeople to willingly follow (you as a BA)?
One of the ways we separate leadership frommanagement is to point out that leadership isbestowed on you by your followers andmanagement is bestowed on you by your boss.
Facilitative Leadership complements and enhancesFacilitative Leadership complements and enhancesother methods such as Lean and Six Sigmaother methods such as Lean and Six Sigma
Climate
Process
People
LPI Outcomes
"FL-CPS & Lean Six Sigma work extremely well together"
If your situation includes thisIf your situation includes this……• Imperative to change. Employee survey says we are not
very good at it. Got to try and take people along thechange journey. Traditionally, we have not worried aboutthe softer issues like bringing people with us. This meanswe have to increase ENGAGEMENT.
•Also our organisation design requires us toCOLLABORATE across the business. In the Old Way,command & control worked but not if we want to be at theFrontier.
•When working on change we have to look at the HEAD(does this make sense?), HEART (how do we feel aboutthis and is it being done fairly?) & BELLY (how fired upand courageous are we to be part of it?)
……or thisor this……are you and your organisationare you and your organisationexperiencing..experiencing..
• ..'products/outcomes' that are based on the collectivewisdom of the group - or based on those that have themost verbal dexterity and the loudest voice?
•…emphasising speed too much at the expense of quality?•…not having a consistent process for solving our
organizational problems?•…a lack of clarity about roles in change?•…a need to work more collaboratively as we move
A FTSE 100 directors thoughtsA FTSE 100 directors thoughts……• It's the relationship that really matters. The 'soft stuff', if you like. We are
not selling, we are here to help.• It's also about language and having a shared language over time.• It's about how you help people get to where they want to get to.• It is about holistic - systemic - collaborative thinking.• It's about creativity and innovation and bringing insights from other
industries beyond just technology.• We have to find time to think creatively so that we can increase value.• It's about having the moral courage to challenge and push back at times.• It's about letting go.• It's about feedback - watch any high performing team - they don't hide
issues and giving each other feedback.• It's about creating an environment that fosters ideas.• It requires an inquiring and collaborative mind.
Further informationFurther informationI hope this provided some useful insights about Facilitative Leadership andCreative Problem Solving. If you would like to obtain more information ormaybe attend a course, the following resources might be of use:
Courses are available from:•www.perspectiv.co.uk•www.thinkfirstserve.com•www.thedevelopmentdifference.com
Recommended books:•Creative Approaches to Problem Solving (3rd edition). Isaksen, Dorval,
Treffinger.•Meeting the Innovation Challenge. Leadership for Transformation and
Growth. Isaksen and Tidd.
Facilitative Leadership and Creative Problem SolvingFacilitative Leadership and Creative Problem Solving::Two Capabilities for High Performance Business AnalystsTwo Capabilities for High Performance Business Analysts
Developed by Andy WilkinsDeveloped by Andy [email protected]@perspectiv.co.uk