Leading for the Future - knowledge.scot.nhs.uk module 1 - partici… · Change, complexity & emergence Adaptive leadership Systems thinking ... case study – theory into practice

Leading for the Future

Module 1Module 1

March / April 2014

Module 1: What we will cover and discover

Day 1

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

development goalsIntroducing the programme

Day 2

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

leadershipPracticing being “suspendful”

Leading for the Future / Facilitator Development (February 2013)Leading for the Future 2014 / March-April 2014

2

• Introducing the programme• Skills for adaptive change

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

• Practicing being “suspendful”• Return to Action Learning

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

What is the narrative?

� What is the leadership context?

� Change agenda� “Complex adaptive system”� Increasing complexity


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� Who is this for?

� How might it help?

� 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

Projected Scottish Government spending

28,000

30,000

32,000

£ M

illio

ns (

2010

-11

Pric

es)

2009-10 2025-2616 years

£42 billion


4

20,000

22,000

24,000

26,000

2009

/1020

10/11

2011

/1220

12/13

2013

/1420

14/15

2015

/1620

16/17

2017

/1820

18/19

2019

/2020

20/21

2021

/2220

22/23

2023

/2420

24/25

2025

/2620

26/27

£ M

illio

ns (

2010

-11

Pric

es)

Lessons from the Francis Report

� Common values� Fundamental standards� Openness, transparency and candour


� Compassionate, caring, committed nursing� Strong patient-centred healthcare leadership� Accurate, useful & relevant information� Culture change not dependent on

Government

5http://www.kingsfund.org.uk/audio-

video/robert-francis-lessons-stafford-presentation-slides

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


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� 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

Introducing the programme

� Introducing theory and conceptual frameworks

� Providing the

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

Listening, questioning


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� Providing the opportunity for personal skills practice

� Making the link between theory and practice

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

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

sharing the learning

How do the modules build?

Module 1:

Preparing the ground; “slowing down… to go faster”

Introducing

Module 2:

Using Drumcreecase study – theory into practice (Turbitt)

Re-framing my

Module 3:

Wicked problems, clumsy solutions & “followership” (Grint)

Peer support & “Consolidation

Event”


8

Introducing Adaptive Leadership (Heifetz) & understanding problems (Grint)

Start action learning

Re-framing my leadership challenges (“Bakens”)

Building on the “U process” & action learning

Peer support & challenge through action learning

Understanding culture & learning (Argyris)

Sustaining our practice

Personal skills development workshops

Irwin Turbitt & Keith Grint

Master Classes

360º feedback

1:1 coaching (optional)

Event” (February

2015)

Philosophical roots

The leadership challenge in:� Complex settings� Emergence� Systems thinking


99

� Systems thinking� Working with competing values� Discovering future possibilities� Leading and learning� Creating the environment� Traditional versus modern thinking about

organisations

Complexity

� In public services, we work in entangled organisations with inherent contradictions and tensions

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


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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

Types of response to complexity

Turb

ulen

ce

Intrapreneurship Strategic Intent

High


1111Understanding

Turb

ulen

ce

EmergentStrategy

StrategicPlanning

Adapted by Malcolm Young from Max Bosoit (1995)

HighLow

Low

Cultural challenges in the NHS

� Range and diversity of stakeholders

� Different socialisation processes across the professions

NHS is characterised by three defining features:

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


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of stakeholders� Complex ‘ownership’

& resourcing arrangements

� Professional autonomy of many of its staff

professions� Different needs and

expectations of different client groups

� The different histories of different institutions

� Local priorities, resource allocation and performance management

Ref: Isles and Sutherland (2001)

“Slowing down to go faster”…

� What are the Health & Social Care challenges?

� What are my leadership challenges?


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� What are my current practices? � So, what leadership challenge am I

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

Four types of work?

Maintenance:

Problem Solving/ Adding Value:The area of continuous improvement


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Maintenance:Business as usual is delivering required outcomes

Adaptive change:Where new thinking is required

Emergence…Link to “3rd horizon”?

“Three Horizons”

Perform

ance

Improvement

Co-production& assets


Time

Perform

ance

Performance

Improvement

3 kinds of problems*

Type of challenge:

Tame

Response required:

Management


Wicked

Critical

Leadership

Command

*Reference: Keith Grint, Wicked Problems & Clumsy Solutions, 2008

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


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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?

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”


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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)

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


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

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

The skills challenge

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


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� Striving to understand our self-limiting thoughts and feelings

� Being aware of our own feelings, attitudes and beliefs

� Being open minded

Core casework skills

� Observing reality (facts and feelings) with an open mind

� Interacting – questioning, listening


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� NOT discussing� Suspension - avoiding imposing pre-

established frameworks or mental models

Skills practice: Questioning

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

� where, what, who,


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

� Not interpreting� Avoiding assumptions� Suspending beliefs

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


2323

interpret 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.

The “U Process” * as a microscope

Examples of the current situation

Characteristics of the Characteristics of the

Vision – examples of the preferred situationMaintenance

What is the current situation ?

How would you like it to be ?

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


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Choice Point

Characteristics of the current situation

Characteristics of the preferred situation

Mental models which underpin the current

situation

Mental models which would help create the

preferred situation

Problem Solving

Adaptive

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

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?

Action Learning - what is it?

� Tool for personal and professional development

� Powerful way for leaders to learn from other leaders


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� Structured & facilitated: � questions/ answers / support / challenge

� Work on real problems and implement solutions

Action Learning - why do it ?

� Understanding problems� Chance for support, feedback and positive

challenge � Safe environment � Antidote to isolation


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� 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

Leadership / Management

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


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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

Getting beyond our assumptions in:• What we pay attention to• What insight we have into ourselves• How we interpret events

Complex environments need leaders who will tackle wicked problems…


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• How we interpret events• How we relate to others• What we do to build shared purpose• How we take initiatives

Putting our values into action

Striving to achieve our vision

and by

As leaders we influence change by…


2929

and by

Exploring / experimenting

Tackling intractable problems

Regulating distress

Striving to find new thinking in ourselves and others

Leading with authority in adaptive change

1. Defines both problem and solution

2. Protects from external threat

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

In technical situations, authority:

In adaptive situations, authority:


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threat3. Orients4. Restores order5. Maintains the norms

questions about the problem definition & solutions

2. Discloses external threat3. 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

Leading without authority in adaptive change

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

2. Orchestrating the debate among competing factions


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competing factions3. Focus on the audience for action

Being adaptive in action

� Capitalising on history without being enslaved by it

� Connotations of “Transformation”� Revolution inevitably fails, evolution


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� Revolution inevitably fails, evolution succeeds

� Experimental versus “I’ve got the answers” mindset

� Appreciation of context� Leadership as an activity not a

role/personality

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.

7 Principles for Leading Adaptive Change


33

• 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.

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

I take actions based on my

beliefs

I adopt beliefs about the world

I make assumptions based The ladder of

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.


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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 inferenceOur 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.

I take actions based on my

beliefs


I make assumptions based

A Hierarchy of Inference

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

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

I’m now plotting against him .......


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

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

& concluded ...he thinks I’m incompetent

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


36Examples…


37


38

He takes actions based on his beliefs

He adopts beliefs about the world

He makes assumptions based on the meanings

U ProcessI take actions based on my

beliefs


I make assumptions based on the meanings

The U processdepends on

new understanding

based on

Using the Ladder of Inference

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

You can improve your communications


3939

based on the meanings he added

He adds meanings (cultural and personal)

He selects data from what he observes





based on observable

data

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

He takes actions based on his beliefs

He adopts beliefs about the world

He makes assumptions based on the meanings

U ProcessI take actions based on my

beliefs


I make assumptions based on the meanings

The U processdepends on

new understanding

based on


4040

based on the meanings he added

He adds meanings (cultural and personal)

He selects data from what he observes





based on observable

data

The “U Process” * as a microscope

Examples of the current situation

Characteristics of the Characteristics of the

Vision – examples of the preferred situationMaintenance

What is the current situation ?

How would you like it to be ?

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


4141

Choice Point

Characteristics of the current situation

Characteristics of the preferred situation

Mental models which underpin the current

situation

Mental models which would help create the

preferred situation

Problem Solving

Adaptive

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

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?

Making sense of our leadership context : “Bakens” *

WHY

HOW

WHAT

Concepts“What is

conceived”

Priorities (vision, purpose, strategic intent)

Principles for working with others (values, beliefs, assumptions

Outcomes (targets)


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Resource allocation and alignment

Arrangements for communications, information exchange, decision making

WHAT

Roles, accountabilities & organisation

Your initiative Carriers / Experts / Formal

Actions“What is

done”

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)

Leading for the Future - knowledge.scot.nhs.uk module 1 - partici… · Change, complexity & emergence Adaptive leadership Systems thinking ... case study – theory into practice

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