copyright © pma 2002 polarity map ™ 0 leadership: an important role for today’s economic...

Copyright © PMA 2002 Polarity Map ™ 1

Leadership: An Important Role for Today’s Economic Development Professional

APPA Community & Economic Development Conference

Margaret Seidler

July 30, 2007

This material is based on work by Barry Johnson and Polarity Management Associates www.polaritymanagement.com


Session Objectives

Understand differences in leadership styles See how people get in conflict over points of

viewExpand your viewpoint to facilitate

consensusPredict and deal with resistance to change


Meet AND Connect

1. Find the person at your table that you know the least who you would like to work with as your partner today

2. Switch seats to sit together, if needed

3. Conduct your best 5 minute interview

4. Switch roles

5. At your table, share one item of interest about your new partner


Leadership Alternatives

Instructions: In your handout, notice that the two

columns are related. The items in the left column are

related to the corresponding item in the right column.

For example, activity and rest are related. Please

indicate which of these two items you prefer. So, in

general, do you prefer rest or activity?

Circle the alternative you prefer. Left or right.


Who is right?

How many preferred Task?

How many preferred Relationships?

Is the right answer Task or Relationship?


What does this mean?

Effective leaders are focused on BOTH productivity, results and accomplishment of the mission AND are concerned with

the needs and interests of the people doing the work.

It is a BALANCE!


Leader Complexities

Task AND RelationshipCandor AND Tact

Feet on Ground AND VisionaryGuidance & EmergenceConfidence & Humility

Critical (Objective) Analysis & EncouragementControl & EmpowermentStructure AND Flexibility

Logic AND CreativityIndividual Work AND Team Work

Planning AND ImplementationSwift AND Mindful Decision Making


Polarities

Polarities are interdependent opposites that need each other over time to create synergy.

They are connected to each other by the natural pressure and flow of energy from one to the

other.


Genius of the AND

In Built to Last and Good to Great, a key element in understanding the messages of the

author is learning about the “Genius of the AND” as a way of creating, managing and

sustaining greatness.


Advantage of AND Thinking

Allows leaders to embrace both extremes on a number of dimensions at the same time and

consider more possibilities

Raises your capacity to think more strategically


Polarity Maps

Provide the context for effectively addressing "unsolvable problems". They provide leaders with the insight and methodology to influence

many important issues in organizations and communities today.


Life

Death

Too much Carbon Dioxide

Too little Oxygen

Clean out Carbon Dioxide

Get Oxygen

ExhaleInhale and


1.

2.

3.

4.

1.

2.

3.

4.

1.

2.

3.

4.

1.

2.

3.

4.

Negative Results of Over-focusing on this pole

to the Neglect of the right pole

Neutral Name of Left Pole

Positive Results of Focusing on

this pole

Why?

Guide to Polarity Map Content

Negative Results of Over-focusing on this pole to the Neglect of the left pole

Neutral Name of Right Pole

Positive Results of Focusing on this pole

Higher Purpose

Deeper Concern

*

* Thanks to John Scherer, Center for Work and the Human Spirit

and Neutral PoleNeutral Pole


RelationshipTask

Positive Results of Relationship

Negative Results of neglecting Relationship

Negative Results of neglecting Task

Positive Results of Task

Effective Leader

Failure as a Leader


Effective Leader

Failure as a Leader

RelationshipTask

FEARS

• Low productivity – little work is done

• Staff lacks sense of accomplishment

• Customers don’t get needs met

VALUES

• Staff feel appreciated and important

• Staff feel competent and capable

• Atmosphere is upbeat and positive

FEARS

• Staff feel unappreciated, unimportant

• Staff are intimidated and pressured

• Atmosphere is tense and negative

VALUES

• High Productivity

• Staff has a sense of accomplishment

• Needs of customers met

and


Higher Purpose = Why Balance This Polarity?

Deeper Fear from Lack of Balance?

Basic Action Steps to Manage a Polarity Well Over Time

* Thanks to John Scherer, Center for Work and the Human Spirit ** Thanks to The Strategy Academy, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

*** Thanks to Todd Johnson, Rivertown Consultants

*

**

Action StepsHow will we gain or maintain the positive

results from focusing on this right pole? What? Who? By When? Measures?

1.

Action StepsHow will we gain or maintain the positive results

from focusing on this left pole? What? Who? By When? Measures?

1.

Early Warnings***

Measurable indicators (something you can count) that you are getting the downsides of this left pole. Who will know?

Early WarningsMeasurable indicators (something you can

count) that you are getting the downsides of this right pole. Who will know?

and

How will we gain or maintain the positive results from

focusing on each pole? What Action Steps will

be taken? Who will be accountable? When? by date or

frequency Measures of improvement?

What will be observable / measurable Early Warning

indicators that will let you know you are in the downside of each

pole? Who will know?


Effective Leader

Failure as a Leader

RelationshipTask



*

**

Positive Results of

Task focus

Positive Results of

Relationship focus

Negative results of

over-focus on Task

to neglect of

Relationship

Negative results of

over-focus on

Relationship to

neglect of Task

Actions Steps

Action steps to gain or maintain the positiveresults of Relationship.

1. 2.3.

Action Steps

Action steps to gain ormaintain the positive resultsof Task.

1. 2.3.

Early Warnings***

Indicators that will let you know that you are gettinginto the downside of Task.

1.2.3.

Early Warnings

Indicators that will let youknow that you are gettinginto the downside ofRelationship.

1.2.3.


Leadership Preferences

On your Leadership list, pick two VERY important preferences you circled that really define you as a leader. You deeply value this in your leadership style.

1. ___________________

2. ___________________


Concerns related to Preferences

Find the negative opposite for those two preferences:

Words that would likely throw you off-center when either you or others act this way or are presumed to be acting this way


Negatives to your Preferences

Leadership Preferences

• _____________

• _____________

Negatives to Avoid

1. ____________

2. ____________


Effective Leader

Failure as a Leader

Close-minded

FlexibilityStructure and

Chaos


Your Leadership Preferences

Answer these with your Partner:

Think of people you work with inside your organization or in the community

Have you been or seen conflict over this different point of view?

What was the situation?How could you gain effectiveness by using the

Polarity Map™?


11 Important Organizational PolaritiesFrom Polarity Management Associates

Centralized Coordination AND Decentralized Initiatives

Recognize the Individual AND Recognize the Team

Reduce Cost AND Improve Quality

Competing with Others AND Collaborating with Others

Stability AND Change

Celebrating Our Differences AND Celebrating Our Commonalities

Care for My Part of the Organization AND Care for the Whole Organization

Showing Respect for Every Person AND Showing Respect Based on Performance

Getting the Job Done (task) AND Building Relationships

Taking Care of the Organization AND Taking Care of the Customer

Work AND Home


Effective City Government

Failed City Government

IntegratedDepartments

AutonomousDepartments

Problem 1

2 Solution

• Integration of units

• Collaboration and mutual support

• Equality and mutuality

• Efficiencies of coordination

• Silos – isolation of the units

• Excess competition

• Inequality between the units

• Redundancies

FEARS• Bureaucracy and red tape

• Lack of creativity

• Excess conformity

• Lack of unit recognition

VALUES

• Entrepreneurial Initiative

• Creativity

• Freedom

• Unit recognition

Strateg

y

Gap3


Effective City Government

Failed City Government

IntegratedDepartments

AutonomousDepartments

FEARS

• Bureaucracy and red tape

• Lack of creativity

• Excess conformity

• Lack of unit recognition

VALUES

• Integration of units

• Collaboration and mutual support

• Equality and mutuality

• Efficiencies of coordination

FEARS

• Silos – isolation of the units

• Excess competition

• Inequality between the units

• Redundancies

VALUES

• Entrepreneurial Initiative

• Creativity

• Freedom

• Unit recognition

and


Things that keep you up at night

With your partner, create a list of 2-3 work issues:

That seem to go on and on and on; never seem really get solved

Or, maybe one solution creates another problem over-time

These are issues that really get your “goat!”


Commiserate

With your table group:

Share your issues1. Select the top two (2)

In common Most significant


Your Issues

Take top 2 IssuesDivide into 2 GroupsPlace problem in lower left hand quadrantPlace your solution in upper right hand

quadrantFill in other 2 quadrantsName the 2 poles of the polarity


Problem

Solution

Higher Purpose

Deeper Concern

Pole: Neutral namePole: Neutral name

4

1 3

2


Sustainable Change

Unsustainable Change


All change efforts are more effectively seen as part of a polarity map and process.

• Tying your change effort to a polarity increases sustainability because polarities are indestructible.

•Because polarities are unavoidable, unsolvable and indestructible, any polarity that you identify will be relevant for the rest of the organization’s life and will have been managed in some form since the organization began.


Competitive Advantage

Can’t Compete

ChangeStability

Well Managed Polarity

StagnationLoss of energyMissed opportunities

New energy and directionCreativityTap new wisdom

Lose continuityLose core valuesFoolish risk

ContinuityCore ValuesTap past and present wisdom

and



Can’t Compete

ChangeStability

Overemphasis on Stability





and



Can’t Compete

ChangeStability

Overemphasis on Change





and


Resistance!

Problem

Higher Purpose

Deeper Fear

ChangeStability

Solution


Resistance

What are some typical things that people resist in your work world?


Getting Unstuck






Can’t Compete

ChangeStability

1 3

2

4

5


Higher Purpose

Deeper Concern



*

**

Positive Results Positive Results

Negative results of

over-focus

Negative results of

over-focus

Actions Steps

Action steps to gain or maintain the positiveresults of this pole

1. 2.3.

Action Steps

Action steps to gain ormaintain the positive resultsof this pole

1. 2.3.

Early Warnings***

Indicators that will let you know that you are into the downside of this pole1.2.3.

Early Warnings

Indicators that will let youknow that you are gettinginto the downside of this pole

1.2.3.

copyright © pma 2002 polarity map ™ 0 leadership: an important role for today’s economic...

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