{"id":630,"date":"2013-11-20T08:34:58","date_gmt":"2013-11-20T07:34:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.druckerforum.org\/blog\/?p=630"},"modified":"2013-11-20T08:34:58","modified_gmt":"2013-11-20T07:34:58","slug":"developing-leaders-for-a-complex-world-by-tamara-j-erickson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.druckerforum.org\/blog\/developing-leaders-for-a-complex-world-by-tamara-j-erickson\/","title":{"rendered":"Developing Leaders for a Complex World
by Tamara J. Erickson"},"content":{"rendered":"

Presentation to the 5th<\/sup> Global Drucker Forum 2013<\/p>\n

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The complex and ambiguous conditions of this century are unlikely to respond to the old school of leadership. Old norms were honed in a different environment \u2013 one in which it was perhaps easier to view one position as right and the other wrong, easier to predict, to forecast, to control. \u00a0But despite today\u2019s complexities, many notions of leadership remain deeply embedded in the conditions and assumptions of the last century.<\/p>\n

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What perspectives and skills are needed to lead organizations today? \u00a0How do we help future leaders develop?<\/p>\n

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The answers require recognition of a shift that is occurring at three levels:\u00a0 in the nature of work \u2013 role of leaders \u2013 as well as in the process of development itself.<\/p>\n

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All three of these spheres are moving from a requirement to perform to an external standard to one of tapping into an internal reservoir \u2013 from executing against plan to creating in the midst of complexity.<\/p>\n

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Consider first the nature of work.<\/p>\n

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We come from a world in which there was a best practice, an optimum way of getting the work done.\u00a0 Leaders needed to define that path and communicate it clearly, to cascade the message. Leaders helped individuals understand the rules and gain the skills necessary to execute at maximum effectiveness.\u00a0 Through standardized execution and performance to plan, we achieved scale, quality, and cost.<\/p>\n

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Today, much of our work depends upon discovery \u2013 our ability to form insight, to make connections, to sense and understand emerging needs.\u00a0 There is no explicit path, only a goal.\u00a0 As individuals, we are challenged to invent as we go \u2013 to develop new approaches \u2013 to interpret and respond complex signals.<\/p>\n

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In this new work, the role of a leader shifts.<\/p>\n

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In the past a leader needed to articulate the course ahead and hold individual employees responsible for completing quality work on time. This was done through various forms of direction and measurements, and assessed execution against standards at annual performance reviews.<\/p>\n

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Now individuals hold themselves accountable for their part on the project, and communicate with other team members to ensure work is done well and delivered in the right timeframe.\u00a0 The role of a leader becomes contextual \u2013 creating the environment in which this work can best be performed \u2013 assembling the conditions for success.<\/p>\n

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Through my research, I have defined four key roles of a contextual leader in complex times:<\/p>\n