Emerging Leaders

Programme

Workshop 4

Leading Across

Boundaries

1

Contents Systems Leadership 2

A model for systems leadership 3

Barriers to Systems Leadership: 6

Understanding the context and political drivers 6

Creating the right culture 7

Being organisationally savvy 11

Managing Conflict 13

Wicked Problems 33

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Fundamental 1

Systems Leadership

“…the collaborative leadership of a network of people in different places and at

different levels in the system, creating a shared endeavour and co-operating to make

a significant change.”

With squeezed healthcare budgets and pressure to work together to “do more with

less”, healthcare leaders are increasingly having to think of their leadership spanning

beyond their immediate team or organisation.

Systems leadership is required when you need to influence across organisations but

may not have immediate authority over others, may not have all the facts and are

working in a complex situation with multiple stakeholders. There may also be

additional conflicting factors making it harder to influence as you normally would, for

example a lack of resources. Further to this, the number influencing across

organisations can also be difficult if there are competing values or a lack of shared

purpose.

Management vs. Leadership

Perhaps the most useful differentiation here is that between system management and

leadership (Welbourn, Warwick, Carnall, & Fathers, 2012)

Managers Leaders Set a clear purpose and direction in order to provide clear instruction for what must be achieved

Set a compelling vision which attracts followers and inspires them to share that same vision

Managers develop resource plans that show how the goals will be achieved

Must establish credibility to attract followers

Should define the values of their organisation in order to set the norms of what is expected

Will openly live-out a set of values that attract followers sharing similar values It is these lived values which create an empathic bond between leader and follower

“The business of management is to strengthen the system as it is” (Oshry 1999)

“The challenge of leadership is to create what else the system can be” (Oshry, 1999)

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A model for systems leadership

The East Midlands Leadership Academy has conducted research into the behaviours

needed for effective systems leadership and has created the following useful model.

The model outlines four key areas needed for effective leadership that works across

organisational boundaries. These are, relationships and connectivity, learning and

capacity building, individual effectiveness and innovation and improvement.

Relationships and Connectivity:

Leaders who effectively display this competency are skilled at:

• Developing relationships

• Creating the environment for collaboration

• Connecting people (e.g. through the use of social networks)

• Developing strong, honest relationships

• Managing conflict

• Empowering others

Individual Effectiveness:

Leaders who effectively display this competency are skilled at:

• Persistence and resilience

• Focusing on patients, quality and performance simultaneously

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• Holding people to account

• Being aware of their own style and abilities

• Understanding the principles of OD (change)

Improvement and Innovation:

Leaders who effectively display this competency are skilled at:

• Implementing improvement science

• Insatiable curiosity

• Looks for continuous improvement

• Encourages creativity

• Role models innovative thinking

Learning and Capacity Building:

Leaders who effectively display this competency are skilled at:

• Share, champion and disseminate learning

• Understands different environments and the political drivers

• Investment in learning & sharing

• Self-discovery and personal capacity

What are my barriers for effective systems leadership?

Which elements of the programme might support me to further develop the four areas;

relationships and connectivity, learning and capacity building, individual effectiveness and

innovation and improvement?

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Systems Leadership Notes:

6

Fundamental 2:

Barriers to Systems Leadership:

Understanding the context and political drivers

Notes:

7

Creating the right culture

Impact of Culture

According to Edgar Schein culture can be defined as “a pattern of shared basic

assumptions learned by a group as it solved its problems of external adaptation and

internal integration”.

Schein defines four categories of culture: Macrocultures (nations, occupations that

exist globally), Organisational Cultures, subcultures (groups within organisations, and

microcultures (microsystems with or within organisations).

Schein identifies 3 levels of culture: artefacts (visible), espoused beliefs and values

and basic underlying assumptions. The latter being the more important since as

Schein puts it “Human minds needs cognitive stability and any challenge of a basic

assumption will release anxiety and defensiveness”. Many change programs fails for

that very reason.

Culture affects how everything is done within your workplace

Interpersonal relationships

Performance

Decision making

Communication

Teamwork

Handling conflict

Change and Innovation

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Levels of Culture

Edgar Schein defines 3 levels of culture:

Surface values

- What you see if you visit an organisation. Those aspects which

can be easily discerned (e.g. dress) yet are often hard to

understand.

Adopted values

- Things you start to do when you join an organisation. These are

often conscious strategies, goals and philosophies.

Deep assumptions

- The things that are never discussed (unwritten rules) and exist at

a largely unconscious level. They often provide the key to

understanding why things happen the way they do.

Unwritten Rules

If you really want to understand your workplace culture, check the “unwritten rules.” You won’t find

them published anywhere but they can be the most powerful determinants of how people work

together and the results they produce. Unwritten rules:

Are not often openly discussed - usually confined to coffee rooms and nights

out

Hence are rarely questioned or challenged

Are usually shared by most, if not all, the people who work within the team

Often have a powerful influence on how people behave at work, (sometimes

without them realising it)

Here are some common unwritten rules that can have a profound impact on performance:

Employee safety is touted as a top priority, while output and budget seem to get the most emphasis.

Respect is listed as a core value, yet there’s obvious tolerance for jokes and comments that demean people.

“Families first” is what new employees are told, but managers don’t think twice about ordering someone to postpone or even cancel a holiday to accommodate a work project.

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How do you understand your organisation’s culture?

1. Find out about values your team holds

2. Identify as many surface values as you can

3. Compare stated values and surface values

4. Search for unwritten rules

5. Decide which unwritten rules matter

6. Understand background to unwritten rules

What are your core values?

The organisation’s essential and enduring beliefs

Which are not compromised for financial gain

Should only have a few (3-6)

Should remain unchanged regardless of changes in the environment

You should mean it!

• What is the culture of your organisation/team?

• How does this support systems leadership?

• How does it not?

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Checklist for changing your culture

Culture change is notoriously difficult to achieve and this is often because virtually no-

one defines what they mean by culture and what the changes is they are trying to

affect. A useful checklist is as follows:

1. Think about your core values

2. Decide what needs to change and what needs to stay the same

3. Describe what it means to achieve new ways of doing things

4. Define the new way of doing things in terms of practice

5. Decide what needs to happen in order to build an ‘improved’ culture

6. Test out new ways of working

Changing your culture: key messages

Other points to remember when communicating in a culture change situation include:

1. A successful culture can only be built, not managed or controlled

2. Actions speak louder than words

3. Make sure you have the right people to deliver the required changes

4. People live what they have helped to create

5. Think carefully about unwritten rules and say what is not said

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Being organisationally savvy “Informal, unofficial, and sometimes behind the scenes influence efforts to sell ideas, win support, increase power, impact the organisation, or achieve your targeted ends.” Survival of the Savvy,

Dr. Rick Brandon, and Mary Seldman

Despite excellent intentions, many employees, managers, and executives are too

narrowly focused on their own facts, logic and analysis. Assuming our results will

speak for themselves, we may become the victims of other behind-the-scenes forces

operating in our organisations. We may not build enough support for our ideas, or be

blind to hidden agendas, power relationships, and the politics with which decisions are

sometimes made. We could be short-changing ourselves out of career opportunities

or diminishing our influence and impact. We may not receive proper credit or

recognition, and may even be vulnerable to sabotage by other more power-driven

colleagues or bosses.

Organisational savvy is closely linked to Organisational Politics and learning how to

navigate the political landscape. Some factors associate with being more or less

political are listed below. More information can be found on these factors here:

https://www.iiba.org/Learning-

Development/Webinars/WebinarsInfo/2013/prework-sept17-webinar.aspx

Less Political

Substance power

Feedback/learning

Highlights integrity

More open agendas

Meritocracy-based

Results / ideas speak for themselves

More Political

Position power

Image/perceptions

Highlights success

More private agendas

Relationship-based

Decent Self-promotion

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Top Tips to become more ‘organisational savvy’

1. Master language to sell your ideas – think back to concepts from previous

masterclasses such as spheres of influence.

2. Get credit for your great ideas – don’t be afraid to promote yourself and your

ideas with decent boldness

3. Promote yourself with decent boldness

4. Don’t be underestimated or pigeon holed – if you feel pigeon holed, find ways

to promote the different skills and experience you have to offer

5. Build powerful networks – find those powerful influencers who can influence on

your behalf, also notice what you can learn from them.

6. Manage your image and perceptions – think back to earlier masterclass content

on ‘impact intended versus impact felt’, Johari’s window and emotional

intelligence.

7. Uncover the hidden success criteria - observe those who you consider to be

successful; is there a consistent way for people to ‘operate’ or navigate the

organisation for success?

8. Just do it!

How can you get the best of both ostrich and shark?

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Managing Conflict

Introducing ‘Conflict’

“A conflict exists when two people wish to carry out acts which are mutually

inconsistent…a conflict is resolved when some mutually compatible set of actions is

worked out”

(M. Nicholson: Rationality and the Analysis of International Conflict. 1992:11)

When we consider the word conflict, many of the words, ideas, and phrases that we

associate with this term tend to be negative. In other words, we tend to hold mostly

negative associations with conflict. For this reason, many of us will tend to avoid conflict

situations or indeed situations which may have the potential to lead to conflict. Yet

conflicts are part of normal everyday life and in many ways central to good decision

making. Research has consistently shown that teams where everyone quickly agrees

make worse decisions whereas in those teams where conflict is managed effectively

the results are positive. If left unaddressed, conflict can lead to serious problems

including time off caused by the stress of having to suppress our emotions.

It is important for us to recognise that conflict itself is not negative; it is how we deal with

conflict that will lead to either positive or negative outcomes. This section will look at

conflict in more detail, and also look at how we approach conflict, our own conflict styles,

skills for handling conflict, and how to resolve conflict issues effectively.

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Types of Conflict

Conflict can be either positive or negative.

Conflict is Positive when it:

Helps to open up discussion of an issue

Leads to problems being solved

Increases individual involvement and commitment to an issue

Improves communication between people

Allows emotions to be channelled constructively

Helps people to develop their abilities

Conflict situations that are positive and likely to result in positive outcomes should be

encouraged, but in a controlled way to prevent potential negative outcomes.

Conflict is Negative when it:

Diverts people away from dealing with important issues

Drains energy

Creates feelings of dissatisfaction amongst those involved

Leads to individuals and groups becoming insular and uncooperative

Conflict can be negative, therefore the key is to recognise potential conflict situations

and address them in a timely and appropriate manner, so as to prevent them if possible,

or resolve them in an appropriate manner.

So how do we approach conflict? As we grow up we all develop ways in which we

attempt to prevent or resolve conflicts. Most of you as leaders will have developed a

number of approaches, based on your own experiences.

An effective leader is able to draw on a range of approaches and is able to apply them

to a conflict situation that they fully understand. Understanding the nature and causes

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of conflict and being able to use the right approach to prevent and resolve conflict is

important for anyone in a management or leadership role.

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What Causes Conflict?

Conflict situations are nearly always caused by people having different points of view or

by people trying to achieve what they want at the expense of others.

A recent survey revealed that the most common causes of conflict at work are:

Misunderstandings

Personality clashes

Differences in goals

Sub-standard performance

Differences over methods/approach

Problems relating to areas of responsibility/authority

Lack of cooperation

Frustration

Competition for limited resources

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Causes of Conflict

Consider the causes of conflict at work, listed above.

- Do you recognise any of these in your work/role?

- How do you currently seek to address these (or do you avoid them!)?

- Are you effective in managing these conflict situations?

Notes:

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Thomas & Kilmann Conflict Model: Two Behavioural

Dimensions

Conflict situations are situations in which the concerns of two people appear to be

incompatible. In such situations, we can describe the individuals’ behaviour along two

different dimensions, according to the model developed by Kenneth Thomas and Ralph

Kilmann (1974): Competitiveness and Cooperativeness – either being concerned only

about satisfying your own needs, or being concerned to satisfy the needs of others:

Competitiveness: the extent to which the individual attempts to satisfy his/her

own concerns

Cooperativeness: the extent to which the individual attempts to satisfy the other

person's concerns

These two basic dimensions of behaviour can be used to define five specific methods

or styles of dealing with conflict.

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The model consists of a matrix with Competitiveness as the dimension on the X axis

(concern for self/achievement of goals) and Cooperativeness as the dimension on the

y axis (concern for others/relationships).

Everyone will have one (or perhaps more than one) preferred style to approach conflict,

which you will tend to naturally adopt. This tends to reflect your overall personality and

your general approach to life. It does not mean you cannot ‘do’ any other style (it is

about preference, not ability); indeed you may be effective in several or even all of these

styles, depending on the conflict situation you are faced with.

The five styles are explained in more detail below.

The Five Conflict-Handling Modes

COMPETING

The Competing mode is where an individual pursues his/her own concerns at the other

person's expense. This is a power-oriented mode, in which one uses whatever power

seems appropriate to win one's own position - one's ability to argue, one's rank,

economic sanctions. Competing might mean "standing up for your rights", defending a

position which you believe is correct, or simply trying to win.

Uses:

1. When quick, decisive action is vital - e.g. emergencies.

2. On important issues where unpopular courses of action need implementing - e.g.

cost-cutting, enforcing unpopular rules, discipline.

3. On issues vital to staff welfare when you know you're right.

4. To protect yourself against people who take advantage of non-competitive

behaviour.

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ACCOMMODATING

Accommodating is the opposite of competing. When accommodating, an individual

neglects his/her own concerns to satisfy the concerns of the other person; there is an

element of self-sacrifice in this mode. Accommodating might take the form of selfless

generosity or charity, obeying another person's order when one would prefer not to, or

yielding to another's point of view.

Uses:

1. When you realise that you are wrong - to allow a better position to be heard, to

learn from others, and to show that you are reasonable.

2. When the issue is much more important to the other person than to

yourself

3. Satisfy the needs of others and as a goodwill gesture to help maintain a

cooperative relationship.

4. To build up social credits for later issues which are important to you?

5. When continued competition would only damage your cause

6. When you are outmatched and losing.

7. When preserving harmony and avoiding disruption are especially important.

8. To aid in the managerial development of subordinates by allowing them to

experiment and learn from their own mistakes.

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AVOIDING

Avoiding is where the individual does not immediately pursue his/her own concerns or

those of the other person. He/she does not address the conflict. Avoiding might take

the form of diplomatically sidestepping an issue, postponing an issue until a better time

or simply withdrawing from a threatening situation.

Uses:

1. When an issue is trivial, of only passing importance, or when other more important

issues are pressing.

2. When you perceive no chance of satisfying your concerns e.g. when you have low

power or you are frustrated by something which would be very difficult to change

(national policies, someone's personality structure, etc.)

3. When the potential damage of confronting and conflict outweighs the benefits of

its resolution.

4. To let people cool down - to reduce tensions to a productive level and to regain

perspective and composure.

5. When gathering more information outweighs the advantages of an immediate

decision.

6. When others can resolve the conflict more effectively.

7. When the issue seems tangential or symptomatic of another more basic issue.

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COLLABORATING

Collaborating is the opposite of avoiding. Collaborating involves an attempt to work with

the other person to find some solution which fully satisfies the concerns of both persons.

It means digging into an issue to identify the underlying concerns of the two individuals

and to find an alternative which meets both sets of concerns. Collaborating between

two persons might take the form of exploring a disagreement to learn from each other's

insights, concluding to resolve some condition which would otherwise have them

competing for resources, or confronting and trying to find a creative solution to an

interpersonal problem.

Uses:

1. To find an integrative solution when both sets of concerns are too important to be

compromised.

2. When your objective is to learn - e.g. testing your own assumptions, understanding

the views of others.

3. To merge, insights from people with different perspectives on a problem.

4. To gain commitment by incorporating others' concerns into a consensual decision.

5. To work through hard feelings which have been interfering with an interpersonal

relationship

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COMPROMISING

Compromising is where the objective is to find some expedient, mutually acceptable

solution which partially satisfies both parties. It falls on a middle ground between

competing and accommodating. Compromising gives up more than competing but less

than accommodating. Likewise, it addresses an issue more directly than avoiding, but

doesn't explore it in as much depth as collaborating. Compromising might mean splitting

the difference, exchanging concessions, or seeking a quick middle-ground position.

Uses:

1. When goals are moderately important, but not worth the effort or potential

disruption of more assertive modes.

2. When two opponents with equal power are strongly committed to mutually

exclusive goals - as in labour-management bargaining.

3. To achieve temporary settlements to complex issues.

4. To arrive at expedient solutions under time pressure.

5. As a backup mode when collaboration or competition fails to be successful

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Thomas & Kilmann Conflict Model: Scoring your Questionnaire

For each question circle the letter that corresponds to your answer

(9/1) (9/9) (5/5) (1/1) (1/9)

1. A B

2. B A

3. A B

4. A B

5. A B

6. B A

7. B A

8. A B

9. B A

10. A B

11. A B

12. B A

13. B A

14. B A

15. B A

16. B A

17. A B

18. B A

19. A B

20. A B

21. B A

22. B A

23. A B

24. B A

25. A B

26. B A

27. A B

28. A B

29. A B

30. B A

Total the number of items circled in each column:

____________ ____________ ____________ ____________ ___________

(9/1) (9/9) (5/5) (1/1) (1/9)

Competing Collaborating Compromising Avoiding Accommodating

Record your results in the matrix below by circling the style with the highest score and

then drawing an arrow to the style with the next highest score, and so on until you finish

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all five styles. Next, subtract the difference of scores between succeeding styles and

mark the difference close to the arrow separating the two styles.

Interpreting your results

It is important to remember that there are no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answers. When it comes

to handling conflict, all five modes are useful in some situations – each represents a set

of useful social skills. The effectiveness of a given conflict handling mode depends on

the requirements of the specific context and situation, and the skills with which the mode

is applied.

Your “dominant” conflict management style is predicted by the style with the highest

score. The “strength” of your preference (that is, your willingness to stay or move from

one style to the next) is predicted by the difference between the scores of the styles. If

the difference is high, resistance is high. If the difference is low, you may move from

one style to the other with ease.

Accommodating (1/9) – Win/Lose Assumption

If your dominant style is accommodating, you dislike the impact that differences between

people may have on their relationships and believe that self-sacrifice and placing the

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importance of continued relationship above one’s own goals is necessary for solving

conflict. From this point of view, it is better to ignore differences than to risk open combat

by being over-sensitive. If your accommodating score is HIGH compared with other

styles, it reflects a need for affiliation and acceptance, and an interest in appeasing

others. Since personal objectives are set aside by the user, the cost of this style lends

itself to exploitation and can become incredibly burdensome in the long term. If

accommodation is followed or follows avoidance as your two top scores, you should

consider your dominant style one of avoidance-accommodation (see avoidance).

Competing (9/1) – Win/Lose Assumption

If your dominant style is competing, you see differences among people as reflecting

their skills: some people have skills, others have none, and some are right and some

are wrong. Ultimately, right prevails and this is the central issue in conflict. We owe it

to ourselves and those who rely on our judgment to prevail in conflicts with others whose

opinions and goals are in doubt. If your competing score is HIGH compared with others,

you believe that persuasion, power and force are acceptable tools for achieving conflict

resolution and most people expect them to be employed. You believe that conflict is a

competition for status that will be won by the person demonstrating more competence.

Avoiding (1/1) – Win/Lose Assumption

If your dominant style is avoidance, it is likely that you had bad experiences with either

accommodation or competing or you see conflict as the results of people’s preferences

and aspirations and as such, beyond anybody’s influence. So, conflict is seen as a

necessary evil that we must either accept or withdraw from human contact. If your

avoidance score is HIGH, it shows a sense of hopelessness and withdrawal since

conflict is perceived as a no-win alternative.

Compromising (5/5) – Win/Lose Assumption

If your dominant style is compromising, you believe that differences between people

should be treated in light of the common good and that party’s need to “win a little, lose

a little”. This style tries to soften and make more tolerable the effects of losing by limiting

the gains. Both ends are played against the middle in an attempt to serve the “common

good”. If your accommodating score is HIGH, you believe that, although everyone

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should have an opportunity to air personal views and feelings, these should not be

allowed to block progress. It is never realistic for everyone to be satisfied and those

who insist in such unrealistic goals should be shown their error.

Collaborating (9/9) – Win/Win Assumption

If your dominant style is collaborating, you believe that conflict itself is neither good nor

bad, but usually a symptom of tensions in relationships and should be treated

accordingly. When properly interpreted, differences may be resolved and serve to

strengthen relationships rather than divide. Conflict cannot be ignored and requires

problem-solving often of the type that goes beyond the superficial issues. Trust is the

result of solving conflicts successfully and to the satisfaction of people. In this respect,

past successes in finding creative solutions to conflict serve to promote future

successes, creating a win-win cycle. A HIGH collaboration score shows implicit faith in

the process of conflict resolution and the assumption that working through differences

will lead to creative and effective solutions that everyone will support.

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Conflict Styles Questionnaire

Take a few minutes to score and review your Conflict Styles

self-assessment questionnaire.

Read the related text for your preferred style or mode (above).

Any thoughts/comments? Does this reflect your typical approach to conflict?

Notes:

Consider a time when you have had to deal with a conflict situation at work

recently. Did your approach match the preferred style the questionnaire has

indicated for you?

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Using the Thomas & Kilmann Model to Manage Conflict

It is important to be aware of your preferred style(s), as the natural tendency is to adopt

this approach when you encounter a conflict situation, even if this might not be the best

approach. You may also try to avoid those styles that feel less comfortable for you, even

if the situation demands it.

It is important to be able to match your style or approach to the particular conflict

situation you are faced with. As an effective leader, you need to be able to recognise

the nature and reasons for conflict and take account of the individual context when

considering your approach, and ensure you take the right approach. For example, you

may disagree with a member of staff over the next steps required in a patient’s care.

You should discuss this with the member of staff; if after discussion you still feel your

way is right, you may need to exert your authority to resolve the matter, however, the

important thing is to listen to the views of the other person first. A colleague of equal

status may need to be handled differently; here a consensus or compromise may need

to be sought to resolve the problem.

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Conflict Skills

There are a set of skills relating to each of the five conflict modes defined in the Thomas

& Kilmann model. When preparing to confront a conflict situation and deciding upon the

right style or mode to adopt, it will help to review these skills and ensure you apply them

effectively. In this way you can ensure that you truly exert the right approach and

achieve the desired outcomes (for you, the other person and the organisation).

Competing Skills

Arguing or debating

Using rank or influence

Asserting your opinions and feelings

Stating your position clearly

Accommodating Skills

Forgetting your desires

Ability to yield

Selflessness

Following direction

Obeying rules

Collaborating Skills

Active Listening

Identifying concerns

Non-threatening confrontation

Analysing Input

Avoiding Skills

Ability to withdraw

Ability to leave things unresolved

Ability to side step issues

Sense of timing

Compromising Skills

Negotiating

Finding a middle ground

Assessing value

Making concessions

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Preparing to Manage Conflict

In preparing to manage a conflict situation, it is useful to prepare yourself. Working

through the following questions will help ensure you are prepared for the situation and

take the right approach.

What do you want the outcome to be (for you, your colleagues, the organisation)?

Why is the issue important (to you/others)?

What other options are there?

What approach is the other person likely to take and how will they react to your

approach?

How would you respond if you were in their shoes?

1. preparation

Conflict Resolution Process

2. state problem 3. Listen & respond 4. agree problem 5. solution

evidence/facts

anticipatereaction

determine theirperspective

AID

opening line

expectedoutcome

where, when?

I talk 100%

describe the observedproblem

express how you feel

specify differenceyou would like to see

outline consequence ofthem changing their behaviour

(for you and them)

Use ‘I’

they talk 100%

active listening

acknowledgement

empathy

questioning

joint problem

AID

benefit of changing

actions

summarise

resources

joint agreement

experience

ownership

positive reinforcements

review & measure progress

1. preparation

Conflict Resolution Process

2. state problem 3. Listen & respond 4. agree problem 5. solution

evidence/facts

anticipatereaction

determine theirperspective

AID

opening line

expectedoutcome

where, when?

I talk 100%

describe the observedproblem

express how you feel

specify differenceyou would like to see

outline consequence ofthem changing their behaviour

(for you and them)

Use ‘I’

they talk 100%

active listening

acknowledgement

empathy

questioning

joint problem

AID

benefit of changing

actions

summarise

resources

joint agreement

experience

ownership

positive reinforcements

review & measure progress

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Preparing to Manage Conflict

Take a few minutes to reflect on your preferred conflict style(s), the conflict skills

related to those styles, and the questions above that can be used to help you prepare

to manage conflict situations.

Consider any current conflict issue at work, or ones that you have encountered in the

past.

- How could this new information on conflict help you to manage the situation

successfully?

- What conflict style or styles do you think you need to work on developing or

improving?

- Which conflict skills could help you to adopt these non-preferred styles more

effectively?

- What can you do to help develop your conflict style flexibility and conflict skills?

Notes:

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Fundamental 3:

Wicked Problems

Different types of problems require different types of response. A critical issues, where

this is an immediate and obvious crisis often requires a commander type role to take

control and, often without discussion, give orders to rectify the situation. On the other

hand, tame issues may need less of an immediate response, and may be similar to

issues previously faced by a team. As such they usually require technical problem

solving but it is often fairly clear what the appropriate course of action may be.

Wicked issues however are complex – they cannot be solved in isolation, as they sit

outside of a single hierarchy and across multiple organisations. Unlike tame issues,

it’s also much harder to define when the problem has been solved; often it is not a

case of right or wrong, but an aim to make progress and see improvements. Wicked

issues are open to a degree of uncertainty and it’s far harder to define responsibility.

A leader’s role in the situation is not to provide an answer (as it might be for critical

issues) but to ask the appropriate question and engage collaboration with others to

make better developments.

How would you use your system leadership skills to influence change on issues like

this?

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Notes

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Action Planning

• How am I going to demonstrate systems leadership going forwards?

• What are the skills I have and those that I need to further develop?

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