Naked Emperors: Last Desperate Acts of those to Whom Change WILL Come..

In an exchange on Twitter last night (and you can find me there as @complexified), I was discussing the failures of "command and control" management (I can not call it "leadership") in organizations. My conversation was with Valdis Krebs, the well-known pioneer in social network analysis. Valdis referred to such behaviors as "ossification," and noted that in time (sooner rather than later, we think), such management will shatter and collapse.

This follows on a recent IBM report, in which many CEOs indicate their concern for being able to cope with increasing complexity in the world.

Totally understandable. For too long, too many have acted in what I'd call the "as if..." mode of problem-solving. Such managers have failed to note and understand (much less, apply) the ideas of thinkers/teachers such as Harvard's Ron Heifetz, or the UK's David Snowden. Ron has written and taught for years about the distinction between what he calls "technical" and "adaptive" problems in organizations. Dave Snowden has crafted his "Cynefin" model which posits a dynamic set of related problem domains: simple; complicated; complex; and chaotic. In each domain, Dave offers an optimal leadership strategy for assessing and responding to the challenge at hand.

I see the Cynefin framework as a further logical expansion of Heifetz' ideas. The Simple and Complicated relate to "technical" problems - those that can generally be solved with the right mix of knowledge and resources. The Complex and Chaotic domains seem to relate to Heifetz' "adaptive" challenges- those that require people to change what they think, believe, and do.

Over the years, I have observed managers treating complex/adaptive problems AS IF they were complicated/technical. I believe there is always some level of the former in the latter (see the recent Toyota problems, for example).

Most recently, I have been involved in fascinating but often disturbing conflicts within a global non-profit organization. The leaders are the "Naked Emperors" to whom I have referred on Twitter and on this blog. They seek to exercise strict command and control over vast and various networks of volunteer member-leaders. Well, oops. Treating people AS IF they were machines on a factory floor just does not work. Treating people AS IF you and not they have all the answers to making things work, isn't happening either.

Today's leaders need to admit that command & control will not succeed in a complex organizational and world environment. Instead, they need to develop adaptive capacities, that enhance communication, engagement, trust, and satisfaction. In this way, organizations will become more agile, more innovative, and better able to respond to changes in their environment (Darwin's actual quote). Those who cling to the old C&C ways, will find their options and success diminishing, and in time, their authority and prerogative will blow away like so much dust in the wind.