Essential Traits for Navigating Change in Modern Organizations
Published by HRCap, Inc. on October 30, 2024
Adaptive leadership is a model Dr. Ronald Heifetz and Marty Linsky introduced at Harvard University. This leadership model is more of a mindset beyond the skills and is valuable in times of complexity and uncertainty. Adaptive leadership is especially valuable in navigating today’s complexity and uncertainty, particularly in fast-paced, tech-driven environments.
4 Foundational Pillars of Adaptive Leadership
The four foundational pillars of adaptive leadership are Emotional Intelligence, active listening, innovation, and integrity.
Emotional Intelligence (EI) is recognizing and managing one’s emotions and understanding others’ emotions and contributes to 58% of the success at jobs.
Active listening is essential because listening to various perspectives fosters a culture of inclusivity. Listening to these diverse voices, an adaptive leader has to take responsibility for the impact of the changes that they lead, whether positive or negative. However, only 8% of employees believe leaders are very good at active listening.
Innovation is another important pillar of adaptive leadership because it leads to continual experimentation and organizational growth. Adaptive leaders who foster a highly innovative culture that contributes to ten times faster product development and is more likely to meet customers’ needs three times.
Integrity is a crucial pillar because it forms trust between the leadership and the employees. By adhering to principles of integrity, adaptive leaders can ensure the company that they are making decisions that prioritize organizational and employee interests. 65% of employees who strongly agreed that the employer would do the right thing also trust the leadership.
3 Defining Characteristics of Adaptive Leaders
Based on the pillars of adaptive leadership, these are three defining characteristics that leaders should hone in on and develop.
Embracing Uncertainty by Cultivating a Learning Culture
An attitude welcoming uncertainty and learning encompasses the innovation portion of adaptive leadership. Adaptive leaders recognize uncertainty as a driving force for change rather than a sign of weakness. This also lets the leaders stay open-minded to experimentation and exploration. Innovation also flourishes when curiosity and desire to learn exist. To make that happen, leaders must foster a learning culture. This encourages diverse approaches to the challenge and exploration.
For example, during COVID-19, Germany’s government consulted not only health experts but also philosophers and historians to make well-rounded decisions. Boston Consulting Group took a similar approach, integrating public health insights with strategic planning to help various sectors adjust effectively.
Driving Empowerment Through Collaboration
Empowering people covers the innovation and active listening pillars of adaptive leadership. Adaptive leaders delegate authority and provide autonomy and collaboration opportunities since they know the value of collective intelligence and diverse perspectives. Utilizing collective intelligence and active listening creates innovative solutions and allows team members to feel valued and heard. Empowerment of the employees leads to more than 50% higher engagement, which turns out to higher productivity.
For example, Siemens granted employees flexibility in choosing their work environments They encouraged employees to work remotely for two or three days, giving them more ownership of their workday and work itself. Employees felt more appreciated and in control of their jobs because this strategy allowed them to work where they were most productive.
Building Resilience and Transparency
Resilience and transparency cover the emotional intelligence and integrity pillars of adaptive leadership. Adaptive leaders must understand that challenges are inevitable but support the team to build resilience by providing emotional support, tools, and resources. Empathizing with colleagues and followers enables leaders to engage with the people around them successfully. Moreover, leaders provide “why” the work is essential by revealing the vision and goals. Employees will reciprocate the trust when they perceive that the leaders genuinely care about their success and the organization’s prosperity.
For example, the hedge fund company Bridgewater Associates implemented radical transparency. Bridgewater’s policy allows anyone at the company to access anything from financial records to meeting minutes of executive meetings and strategic planning. This creates trust among employees and ties back to empowerment, which helps employees feel valued in the company.
Conclusion
Adaptive leadership is a great model for innovation and tackling uncertainty and fast-paced changes. The foundational pillars of leadership, such as emotional intelligence, active listening, innovation, integrity, and related personal qualities, enable leaders to embrace opportunities to grow and innovate. In times of crisis or need for a new strategy, companies with leaders showing adaptive leadership are likely to survive and thrive.
HRCap partners with client organizations to identify and place executive candidates who embody adaptive leadership qualities. Based on the three defining characteristics of adaptive leadership, we have created 9 HRCap STAR Transformational Leadership Traits to help coach executive leaders to add value to their organizations.
Source: Harvard Business Review, Forbes, Atlassian, Fortune, McKinsey & Co., WeForum, LinkedIn, Gallup, HR Morning, BBC, Penn State University
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