Stepping Into Complexity
Digby Scott
Master Facilitator | Leadership Development | Change Expert | Podcast Host | Author
Over the past two weeks, I’ve been fortunate enough to work with some talented managers in both London and Shanghai. They’re all facing a major business change in the form of a system implementation which will significantly alter their core business processes and keep them competitive. Think of it like when banks moved to online banking – it’s a similar magnitude, in the shift in both mindset and process. It’s big, complex and potentially messy.
This won’t all happen overnight, particularly as they’re charged with keeping business-as-usual running smoothly while preparing to take themselves, and their teams, successfully through the change. Sound familiar?
Our work together was about helping them to begin to make sense of the changes ahead, to understand their role in it all, and to build the confidence and capability to navigate it successfully.
In each location, we spent three days together. After initial presentations by senior leaders on the ‘why’ and ‘what’ of the changes, there were many questions from the managers about the details of how things were going to work. When would X and Y be rolled out? What can and can’t we do? What if Z happens? What will we do then? Understandable questions, to be sure.
For most of these questions, the answer from the senior leaders was “We don’t know. We need you to help us figure it all out.”
“We don’t know.”
Not words you’d expect from a senior leader. Don’t they have it all worked out? Isn’t that why they’re paid the big bucks? What do you mean, they don’t know? Where’s the plan?
Of course, with the organisation moving into brand new territory and addressing a challenge like this, no-one has all the answers or even half of them. It’s an example of what Dave Snowden calls a ‘complex challenge’ , rather than a ‘complicated’ one (with ‘complicated’, there’s a right answer – just find an expert to help you). With complex challenges, the answers emerge through trying things out and learning from what happens.
It was refreshing to hear those words: “We don’t know.” They were authentic, honest, and they gave permission for a new mindset to emerge.
Here’s the beautiful thing. On the morning of the third day, the managers had got it. To quote one of them:
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“I came in with a huge list of questions I needed answered. Now I know I don’t need all the answers. I’m OK with working it out as we go along. I’m going to lead my team to try some new things, see what works, and learn from our experiences. I’m on board.”
Hallelujah.
It’s a common challenge. Most managers are being asked to embrace and lead in ambiguity and complexity these days. What helped these managers ‘get it’? I think there were a few factors at play:
What’s your approach when you’re faced with big, complex and potentially messy changes? How do you help your people to ‘get’ the nature of the challenge and to step into the role they need to play?
Try some of these ideas and see what emerges…
For more on this idea, check out:
Service Design Manager | Product Management | Human-Centered Design Thinking | Agile Innovation | Creating value, delivering organisational efficiency, and enhanced customer experiences.
2 个月Good leaders ask the right questions.
Helping social impact catalysts do their best work through crafting next-gen brand onboarding experiences.
2 个月Not knowing is an opportunity to empower your team. Even if you do know it can be valuable to allow your team to go through the process of working it out for themselves. Lead by showing how to ask good questions instead of always providing the answers. Ask them how they would go about it and what questions that it would be good to ask. You can decisively ask questions or follow a process of discovery without jumping straight to a decision. There are times to be directive including sometimes when that is what the team wants. Sometimes a directive approach is good where there is time pressure and when the how isn't too import to the team members but getting it right is. It is good to show and empower them to make more of those decisions as there often is not a right answer. Instead it is more about the process of discovery and improvement over time.
Leadership Expert | Operations & Change Consultant | Working with leaders and managers who want to make a difference in how they deliver their services.
2 个月Have to provide the context and the vision, and be honest about not knowing what you don't know. Leaders don't have to have all the answers, that is why we build amazing teams with diverse experience and expertise. There is something in here also about just that.... it becomes hard to lead through change and ambiguity if you have a team of mini me's.