3
In Partnership with
STEPS
For Transformational Technical Leaders
There are three primary steps for emerging leaders to adapt to the new game as they are playing it:
1 Clear 2
3
1
PERCEIVE the Context
2
The Domain of Best Practices
MAKE SENSE of the Danger Signals
3
CO-ACT the Right Approach for Your Context
1 Complicated 2
Danger Signals: • Complacency and comfort
The Domain of Good Practices
Danger Signals: • Analysis Paralysis
• Desire to make complex problems simple
• Experts overconfident in their solutions
• Entrained thinking
• Not identifying all the unknowns
• Over-reliance on best practice if context shifts
• Discounting or excluding creative solutions from the non-experts
What to Do:
3
• Create communication channels to challenge orthodoxies • Stay connected without micromanaging
What to Do: • Encourage internal and external stakeholders to challenge expert opinions • Use experiments to force thinking outside the familiar
• Don’t assume things are still simple • Recognize both the value and the limitations of best practices
DISORDER
1 Complex 2
3
The Domain of Emergent Solutions
Danger Signals: • Falling back into command-and-control mode
1 Choatic 2
The Domain of Novel Solutions
Danger Signals: • Poorly identified risks (probability/impact)
• Looking for facts, not allowing patterns to emerge
• Rely on command-and-control too long
• Desire to quickly solve the problem
• Too slow in making decisions and acting
• Insisting on a plan of action before the context is fully understood
• Missed opportunities for innovation
What to Do:
3
What to Do:
• Be patient and allow time for reflection
• Set up mechanisms to use the chaotic environment to your advantage (such as parallel teams)
• Use approaches that encourage interaction and collaboration
• Work to shift the context from chaotic to complex
• Accept failure is part of the learning process
• Encourage team to challenge your point of view, once the crisis has abated
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