How Leaders Deal With Problems

Now, the typical leadership response to a technical problem is to define the problem and the solution. They make sure the right people do the work that needs to be done in order to create order and predictability where a problem may be creating some degree of chaos. In essence, they focus on maintaining already established norms, and using already established systems and processes. 

On the other hand, the typical leadership response to an adaptive challenge is to identify the adaptive challenge and to frame up the key questions and issues related to it. These same leaders resist having certain people in their existing roles be the only ones involved in solving the problem. They recognize that new voices and new perspectives may need to be involved to solve the adaptive challenge. The outcome of this leadership choice is that it may expose conflicts within the company or certain departments or teams. It also may result in more disruption to certain company norms, processes, or systems. In short, the process to find a solution to an adaptive challenge may cause numerous other problems to surface compounding the original challenge. 

With these differences in mind, we must again remember that a wicked problem is multidimensional and extremely complex. It also is filled with incomplete and contradictory information that is constantly changing. First, as I noted earlier this week in this blog, people, who have worked on these kinds of problems before us, break down the big wicked problem into multiple smaller problems, defining which ones are technical and which ones are adaptive. Next, they establish a structure for the problem-solving process, which includes defining time frames, decision architecture, and clear role assignments. Furthermore, they slow down the process of challenging certain company norms, processes, or systems in order to reduce the feeling and amount of internal organizational chaos. Finally, they implement multiple solutions at the exact same time, hoping that the aggregate of the solutions will itself achieve a degree of solution focused, accelerated convergence within the company, generating something that will transform the wicked problem. 

FYI: To be continued on Thursday. 

Geery Howe, M.A. Executive Coach in Leadership, Strategic Planning, and Organizational Change Morning Star Associates 319 - 643 - 2257