Adaptive Leadership: Change and Survival in Complex Systems

To lead is to live with danger. Although it may be exciting to think of leadership as inspiration, decisive action, and powerful rewards it often requires putting yourself on the line, disturbing the status quo, and working with organizational and political conflicts. Those who choose to lead take the risks and sometimes are neutralized for doing so. 

This masterclass in adaptive leadership draws on the work of Prof. Ron Heifetz of Harvard University. We will provide opportunities for experiential learning using the system created by the participants as a case in point for learning about the challenges and opportunities of leadership in complex systems.

Learning objectives

  • Explore the difference between leadership and authority and the implications for your work and your organization.
  • Develop your capacity for distinguishing between ‘technical’ and ‘adaptive’ work.
  • Explore and apply a variety of tools, techniques and approaches to enable you to more effectively make progress of adaptive challenges and thrive.

"The most common leadership failure stems from attempting to apply technical solutions to adaptive challenges.”
Ron Heifetz