Not too long ago, I wrote a proposal for some relationship building for the senior leadership team of a charity, and at the interview stage I realised we were coming from such different paradigms that we could not understand each other. I was offering space to connect and deepen trust and understanding, organically responding to what’s in the group – and they were requesting the details of processes and structure and plans A, B, and C. “What if this happened, what would you do?” I would deal with it if and when it came up, I have a whole toolkit of facilitation and conflict tools to draw on, but fundamentally it’s about being in dialogue, being present, listening to what’s there and exploring it together. I could tell that my answer did not satisfy. It felt like we were speaking different languages.
There are many such conversations I’m in, and events I attend, where the fundamental challenge boils down to trying to control and manage a complex problem.
I talk about Complicated vs Complex a lot. There are a bunch of sources to point towards: Dave Snowden‘s Cynefin framework, with a super clear and helpful explanation here, based on the work of Ralph Stacey. In fact my consultancy and project support work is generally in complexity.
In very, very broad strokes: complicated problems need to be planned for and managed; but complex systems need to be explored, and solutions co-designed and prototyped. What stands out to me is people dealing with complex challenges taking a complicated approach, and trying to manage and control the actors and the outcomes.
In the work of the Decelerator (as discussed in some of their reflection events), as in co-production conversations, people are asking for answers and solutions, guidance about what exactly to do. And generally we can’t offer a simple complete solution because, infuriatingly but truly, IT DEPENDS. We can offer thinking tools and reflective spaces and guidance as people engage with the process, but there is no off-the-shelf option that they can just roll out.
BUT operating in complexity means operating in a high degree of uncertainty, and that’s tough. You’re always second guessing yourself, because this hasn’t been done exactly this way before. It all hinges on relationships and sometimes these can be hard work. You may be dealing with complex challenges within a complicated system, a hierarchical organisation with command-and-control culture, where there are expectations of performance. And there is no magic solution with a certain outcome.
So off-the-shelf solutions are off the table, and therefore support is even more crucial: guidance, mentoring, enabling, support for reflection and learning. For practitioners as well as for leaders – a different kind of leadership is necessary to set the tone, and create the permissions and the encouragement to operate “as if” we’re in complexity (which we are).
I have more thoughts about leadership, which I’m mulling over and will come back to share here sometime.
Photo by Peter Robbins on Unsplash