igcp national symposium august 23, 2008 · complex perspectives. great leaders: 1. take multiple...
TRANSCRIPT
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IGCP National SymposiumAugust 23, 2008
Developing leaders or Informing them?The positive psychology of leadership development.
Dr Michael Cavanagh PhD
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Overview:
1. What’s our experience of change?2. A new look at leadership.3. How do we grow flourishing leaders?4. What is the role of coaching and mentoring?
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What has changed you……
• Think of the events in your life when you havechanged most?– Big events– Small events– Positive events– Negative events
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One person’s story…
• Paradox
• Picking up the pieces.
• What changed?
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The person’s view of the world.
• Skill sets remained the same• Relationships shifted• Meaning shifted• What to do changed.
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Two types of development
Vertical Development
Horizontal development
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Two types of development
Vertical Development
Accommodation– our perspective needs tochange to accommodatenew information
Horizontal development
Assimilation– integrate into existing knowledgeframeworks.
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Developing or informing leaders?
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We tell leaders what outcomes they should have…
Transformational leadership model (Bass and Avolio).The Five I’s:
1. Idealized Attributes• Encourage follower trust in leader
2. Idealized Behaviours• Encourage common vision and goals
3. Inspirational motivation• Motivate with vision and encourage team spirit
4. Intellectual stimulation• Encourage innovation and creativity
5. Individualized consideration• Attend to the person and act as coach
But how does a leader do this?
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We tell them what skills they should have…
An almost endless list…..• Exceptional communication skills• Self-management skills• Strategic decision making• Conflict resolution skills• Delegation skills…..
And we train them in how to do it.…
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But is that what development is all about?
Do we come back to the workplace and find everythingpretty much where we left it?
Or are we changed by our learning?
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Developing in both directions
• Horizontal development needs time to learn skills– Both new skills and better ways of implementing old
skills.
• Vertical development requires three things1. Challenge to our current paradigm2. A bigger perspective that meets the challenge3. Support in making the shift.
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Developing leaders - upwards and outwards
Mindfulness Purpose
PTC
Positivity
The Four Factor model of leadership focuses on the leader's ability to managecomplex perspectives.
Great leaders:1. Take multiple perspectives on what is happening2. Are mindful - they are able to stay calm in the face of stress and tension.3. Have purpose - they are going somewhere.4. Create positive “emotional spaces” that bring
out the best in others
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5 Research threads in Positive Psychology.
• Coaching
• Broaden and build (Fredrickson)
• Complexity theory (Losada, Gleick ….)
• Mindfulness (Kabat Zinn, Langer …..)
• Cognitive developmental theory(Piaget, Kegan, Commons …..)
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Perspective Taking Capacity (PTC):
• An ability to take a perspective that make sense of what is going on:– In oneself– In others– In the system
• Develops across the lifespan• A Meta skill set
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Perspective Taking Capacity (PTC)
– “A leader’s capacity to understand, critically consider and integratemultiple competing perspectives to guide their actions” (Cavanagh, Atkins, Grant, Spence, 2006)
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Perspective taking capacity
– Kegan’s “Orders of Mind”• Ability to make “object” that to which we were previously subject.• Increasing complexity of perspective• Incorporates and transforms lower levels of understanding
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Kegan’s levels of perspective taking
• Stage 1: unreflective• Perception
• Stage 2: Needs driven• Other perspectives matter only in as much as they have
consequences for me
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Stage 3: Other-authored
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• Task of adolescence, becoming socialised• Meaning comes from valued others• Subject to externally sourced meanings.• Loss of external approval = loss of self.
Stage 3: Other-authored
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Stage 4: Self authored
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• Task of adulthood• Make external authority object• Develop my own meaning making• Able to be autonomous and work with other autonomous
individuals
Stage 4: Self authored
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Stage 5: Self-transforming
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Stage 5: Self-transforming
• Development of wisdom.• Able to be aware of and make object one’s own own historical
construction of self• Able to let go of historically constructed self without losing sense of
self.• Able to make multiple meanings and choice multiple paths with
others• Recognition of importance of process not just results
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Increasing complexity: Include and extend
ME You You
Us Them
I/Thou Thou/Thou
We
Them
YouIndividual needsperspective
Groupperspective
Inter-dependant/systemicperspective
Meta systematicperspective
or
or or or
or or
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Which is better?
• No level of perspective taking is better than another
• The question is which is most useful in a given situation:– To maximise desired outcomes– To minimise unintended negative consequences
• Einstein - “A problem cannot be solved with the samelevel of thinking that created it.”
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• But PTC is not enough – we need to be able to regulate ourbehaviour as leaders
• Mindfulness helps us self-regulate more effectively• It is the ability to observe the present moment dispassionately• To see our own process & respond intentionally rather than
reactively• The ability to create the moment of choice
Factor 2: Mindfulness
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Factor 3: Purpose
• Leaders move towards goals they consider worthwhile.• This means their behaviour is:
– directed toward valuable goals– committed– proactive.
Where to?Where from?
Why What How
The present
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Factor 4: Positivity
FlourishingLanguishing
Pathology Languishing Maintaining Flourishing
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Creating a sustainable space to gets us there?
• Human Flourishing– characterised by exploration, creativity, use of intuition, building social
connections, enhanced coping strategies, building of environmentalknowledge , resilience……
– occurs in the context of positive emotions(Fredrickson and Losada, 2005)
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Creating a sustainable space to gets us there?
• Human Languishing– characterised by avoidance, feelings of hollowness and emptiness,
narrowing of thought-action repertoires……– occurs in the context of prolonged negative emotions
(Fredrickson and Losada, 2005)
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Flourishing and Performance
• High performing teams create dynamics that thatpromote human flourishing– Build “expansive emotional spaces”
• spaces that opens possibilities
• Low performing teams create restrictive emotionalspaces
(Losada & Heaphy, 2004)
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Quality conversations
The quality of the conversation determines thequality of the relationship …
… and the quality of the relationshipsdetermines the quality of thesystem/organisation.
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Losada Studies• 60 Business teams
– High, Medium and Low performance based on:• Profitability• Customer satisfaction• 360 degree feedback
• Yearly planning meeting taped and scored on 3 dimensions:– Positivity / Negativity (Stacey, Bales, Echeverría)– Self / Other focus (Csikszentmihaly, Buber)– Advocacy / Inquiry (Agyris, Schön, Senge)
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Losada Ratios (approx)
HighPerformance
MediumPerformance
LowPerformance
Positivity/Negativity
Inquiry/Advocacy
Other/Self
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Losada Ratios (approx)
1:1
2:3
1:30
Other/Self
HighPerformance
MediumPerformance
LowPerformance
Positivity/Negativity
Inquiry/Advocacy
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Losada Ratios (approx)
1:1
2:3
1:30
Other/Self
1:1HighPerformance
2:3Medium
Performance
1:20Low
Performance
Positivity/Negativity
Inquiry/Advocacy
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Losada Ratios (approx)
1:1
2:3
1:30
Other/Self
5:11:1HighPerformance
2:12:3Medium
Performance
1:31:20Low
Performance
Positivity/Negativity
Inquiry/Advocacy
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Team Performance Ratios
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Hi Performing teams(Losada and Heaphy 2004)
Hi performing teams display1. Balance between self/other focus2. Balance between advocacy/Inquiry3. 5:1 ratio positivity to negativity
• Critical band for flourishing is between 2.9:1 and 11:1.
But is it that simple?
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Probably not…
• Losada ratios are surface markers of deeper structure– The way we are making meaning of a situation– Therefore our way we enter into dialogue…or not!
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Losada ratios reflect how we make meaning.
• The way we talk with each other reflects how we are seeingthe situation
Seeing Thinking Feeling Listening Speaking
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The Critical Conversational Choice: Suspend or Defend…
ConversationCriticalChoice
Isaacs: Modified
Embedded Patterns of:
SeeingThinkingFeeling
Defend
Suspend ReflectiveDialogue
GenerativeDialogue
SkillfulDiscussion
Debate
DialecticCriticalChoice
CriticalChoice
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Critical choices and strategic listening• For dialogue, participants must be able to suspend their own point
of view long enough to understand the other person’s as if fromwithin.
• Most difficult aspect of dialogue, particularly when– we hold a strong view– when the other person appears to be missing a vital point,– when the other person is speaking utter nonsense!
• Paradoxically, these tensions can help us reach a new and biggerunderstanding.– Role of dialectic.
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The “or’s” push us toward debate
ME You You
Us Them
I/Thou Thou/Thou
We
Them
YouIndividual needsperspective
Groupperspective
Inter-dependant/systemicperspective
Meta systematicperspective
or
or or or
or or
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Debate vs Dialogue
It is about us!It's about me!
Discovering new, more usefuloptions rather than rushing to
closure
Seeking a conclusion or votethat ratifies one’s own position
Searching for strengths andvalues in others’ positions
Searching for flaws andweaknesses in others’ positions
DialogueDebate
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How we make meaning determines our ability to work above the line
Enquiry
Reflective DialogueGenerative Dialogue
Debate Discussion
Scharmer: Modified
Advocacy
Systemic(Doing together)
Individualistic(Doing with)
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Dialogue starts with the self !
• Leadership is more than how “leaders” create changeand influence others to change.
• It is firstly about the quality of the person’s internaldialogue
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Genuine dialogue requires a reflective process in order to identify andovercome unhelpful patterns…
Rather staying stuck in ʻcontentʼ of tough problems, we learn to ʻSee &Suspendʼ unhelpful patterns that affect the way we :
ʻSeeʼ ourselves, others and the system ʻThinkʼ about ourselves, others and the system ʻFeelʼ about ourselves, others and the system ʻListenʼ to ourselves, others and the system ʻSpeakʼ with ourselves, others and about the system
Seeing Thinking Feeling Listening Speaking
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Perspective taking: A cognitive developmental process
An adapted synthesis of Kegan, Isaacs, etc….
Reflective &GenerativeDialogue
Discussion
DebateUs vs them
I/Thou
We
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Empathising with the enemy - the heart of dialogue
• Dialogue requires understanding more than just thewords the other person utters.
• It requires an understanding of the meaning the otherperson is trying to convey.
• Understanding the other person’s point of view oftenopens possibilities– for joint action and understanding.
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In dialogue, we aim to develop a pool of sharedunderstanding…
Silence
Violence
Others
Others
Safety Zone
Pool of SharedUnderstanding
Seeing
Thinking
Feeling
Listening
Speaking
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How do we develop leaders?
• Scaffolded support• Coaching• Being the change we wish to see.
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Two types of development
Vertical Development
Accommodation– our perspective needs tochange to accommodatenew information
Horizontal development
Assimilation– integrate into existing knowledgeframeworks.
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The positive role of tension
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….. and paradox
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Scaffolded support to reach further
• Tension and paradox may create the need to change,but support creates the possibility of change
• Two types of support– Questions that highlight tension and paradox
and– Positive understanding and affirmation of the person
intentions right now!
Include and extend!
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A bridge needs support on both sides.
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Even small bridges need supporting on both sides…
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The study
• 270 participants - Lawyers and Hospital staff• 6 cohorts over three years• Conditions
1. Training alone2. Training plus coaching3. Waitlist control
• Measures pre, post, 1 year follow-up.
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Project Research Goals
1. Develop a method of enhancing engagement, retention,productivity and satisfaction in high stress workplaces
2. Develop instruments that help us identify and developleaders and staff
3. Assess the impact of coaching over and above training.
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The process for each year
Gp 2: Workshop(15 people)
Gp 3: Control(15 people)
Gp 1: Workshop(15 people)
1-1 Coaching(8-10 sessions)
4 days 12-16 weeks 1 year
Dataco
llecti
on
Dataco
llecti
on
Dataco
llecti
on
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Core Development Programme
• Workplace scenarios• Scaffolded learning Approach• Content elements
1. Examining meaning making2. Dialogue3. Solution-focused thinking4. Systems Thinking5. Communication skills6. Mindfulness practice
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Developing Perspective Taking
• Development through challenging current meaningmaking– Video-taped role plays with structured reflection and
feedback– One to one coaching
• Personal developmental goals
– Real-life dialogue• Group projects and reflection process
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Targeted Goals
Coachee’s Goals1. Personal Goal
– Coachees undertake a personal developmental goal to work on overthe 12 week timeframe
– Focus on specific area of the coachee’s performance. Reducedefensiveness, increase understanding of other team members etc.
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Targeted “Win-Win” Goals
• Team project– Team project based on valued workplace outcome that requires intra-
team and external communication.– Eg. Improving patient recovery times, reducing waiting lists,
development of business opportunities, cross-team collaboration…etc
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