Using Vertical Development in a complex and unpredictable world

Using Vertical Development in a complex and unpredictable world

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  Developing leaders fora world of increased complexity and uncertainty www.mdvconsulting.co/research/white-papers Continuing development of an adult’s capacity to think, relate and act in more expansive, complex ways, or more popularly known as ‘Vertical Development’
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  Why vertical? Collisionof megatrends Organisations can no longer rely on ‘steady state’ realities – but much leadership development activity is based on the assumption that we know what type of leaders are needed in the future. These 5 megatrends are not new - it’s the speed with which they are colliding which is creating complexity, uncertainty and volatility. Demographic and social change Shift in global economic power Rapid urbanisation Climate change and resource scarcity Technological breakthroughs “ If we can’t predict the challenges that our leaders are going to face, what makes us think we can predict the skills they will need in order to face them?”
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  Why Vertical? Volatile.Uncertain. Complex. Ambiguous. (VUCA)
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  Are we readyto be less steady? 25% of global organisations doubted the VUCA capability of their leaders. 18% thought their leaders were very capable. DDI 2015 Global Leadership Forecast Report “Particular need is also seen .... for a new type of senior manager who will successfully steer companies through the upcoming change and disruption.” World Economic Forum Future of Jobs Report
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  Complexity and leadershippractice Chaotic No cause-effect relationship can be perceived Act-Learn-Respond Stabilize the system Novel practice The cause and effect relationship does not repeat and is unpredictable Scan-Experiment-Learn Experimenting at the edges Emergent practice Complex Unpredictableworld Cause and effect are separated in time and space and can be researched See-Analyse-Decide Deep expertise Good practice Complicated Obvious The cause-effect relationship is repeatable and predictable See-Categorize-Decide Standardised procedures, checklists Best practice Predictableworld Adapted from David Snowden Responses during complex times are counter-intuitive through a wish to try and impose order. Often challenges are miscategorised and therefore the wrong approach is applied
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  Complexity requires newcapacitiesUnpredictableworld Predictableworld Chaotic • Make sure the ‘commander’ assumes command • Conduct rapid risk assessment • Make ‘least worst’ decisions • Act to stabilize system • Provide reassurance and support • Demonstrate new ways of thinking, acting, and collaborating • Exhibit flexible thinking and actions • Support safe-to-fail experiments • Shift system dispositions rather than promise outcomes • Encourage questions, challenge and radical rethinks Complex • Get expert advice and support their work • Rely on experts to reliably predict outcomes that flow from advice • Trust that an intervention that works in one place will mostly work elsewhere Complicated Obvious • Make sure everyone agrees about what needs to be done • Use traditional ‘Vision-Strategy-Plan- Implement’ approach • Gather and organise resources • Flick a switch to implement Understanding the situation helps to assess the correct leadership response. Using approaches suitable for the predictable world in the unpredictable makes the situation worse.
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  Wiser ways foran emerging world “The ability to do business with dynamics labelled as VUCA goes beyond subject area expertise or general cleverness… to align with wise judgment.” “In theory and in practice, what people regard as wise behaviour brings together a number of elements that include cognition, emotion and practical knowhow.” “…it concerns increasing people’s capacity – taking a more fundamental approach to development…”
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  Vertical development Vertical developmentrefers to advancement in the way a person thinks, relates and acts. ‘Arising from attention to adult development theories, it concerns not just the content of our thinking – the what - but the options we have available for how we go about considering things.’ A person’s meaning making can develop over time in a predictable, coherent way – a series of stages, punctuated by (sometimes discombobulating) transitions. People at different stages of development operate differently in similar situations because the logic that underpins their action is different.
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  How vertical complementshorizontal Horizontal development = adding more knowledge, skills and competencies. (Filling the glass with more content) Vertical approaches = grows the internal capacities to think in more complex, systemic, strategic and interdependent ways. Expands an individual’s ability to handle complexity and ‘sense make’ in ambiguous and uncertain situations. (Increases the glass size or leader’s mindset) Petrie. N Vertical Leadership Development Part 1 Developing Leaders for a Complex World. Center for Creative Leadership
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  Three key underlyingcapacities Conceptual - how one relates to the world of ideas, models, frameworks as well as the contexts and systems within which they operate. Personal - how one relates to their own thoughts, feelings and internal senses of the world and their responses to the world. Interpersonal - how one relates to others’ perspectives and ways of operating as well as the wider social environment. How one’s actions affect their social environment and the results created.
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  The MDV ‘VUCAcapabilities’ – ‘enacted capacities’ • Volatility requires sudden and unexpected changes in direction and so calls for leaders who can promote inquiry and create a culture of experimentation. • Ambiguity calls for leaders who pay attention to relationships and political signals in order to surface dilemmas and work with the conflicts that arise. • Uncertainty calls for leaders can help people build relationships that connect the organisation and help disparate groups connect creatively. • Complexity calls for leaders who can notice dynamic changes and relationships in their environments and nudge systems in response. • And, because the VUCA-ness creates anxiety, frustration and overload, this calls for leaders who can continually cultivate resilience in themselves and others.
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  Underlying sense making capacities Capabilities Practices Workingwith practices to develop underlying capacities “For vertical development purposes, a practice is a consciously chosen and regular ‘habit of action’ that we select to help us build our capacity.” “We work with people where they are at, helping them deploy practices that someone later in their development might naturally use.”
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  Integrating framework The ThreeCapacities and Five Capabilities sit within MDV’s Integrating Framework. This acknowledges the extent of Predictability vs Unpredictability. “The VUCA world doesn’t eradicate the need for ‘steady state’ approaches. But it is also clear that steady state approaches have some limits to their effectiveness.”
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  VUCA practices fordaily use The concept of practices is well established as part of adult development – the view that ‘we are what we repeatedly do’. The White Paper provides five VUCA practices in a panel. The following is an example:
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  Further information Download theWhite Paper: What in the world is going on? Mapping Vertical and VUCA beyond the bandwagon http://mdvconsulting.co/whitepapers/ Read related content: http://mdvconsulting.co/experience/articles/ Get in touch: E: info@mdvconsulting.co T: +44 (0)20 7323 2104 Try capacity building exercises on your challenges: http://mdvconsulting.co/thinking/ Workshops on: 27th September 2017 24th January 2018