GLT Characteristic #3
— Manage Increasing Complexity —
Ralph Stacey “Great leaders have a greater capacity to live with the anxiety of not knowing and not being in control while interacting creatively and productively.”
Great leadership teams grow in their ability to manage increasing complexity. They have a disciplined but agile structural foundation and a strong relational foundation that ensures that the trivial doesn’t get in the way of the important. Organizational psychologist Ralph Stacey’s definition of leadership emphasizes the skills great leaders need to embody in today’s complex, fast paced environment. He suggests that “Great leaders have a greater capacity to live with the anxiety of not knowing and not being in control while interacting creatively and productively.”[i] Strong structural and relational foundations are critical for handling complex environments.
Agile but Disciplined Structure
In order to manage greater complexity leadership teams simply cannot let poor structure get in the way. Great leadership teams have had the important and sometimes challenging discussions about how the roles of team members and their functions need to integrate. They understand that gray areas often exist, but they have experience planning for and managing these natural ambiguities. Perhaps most importantly they understand the dual roles they play as leadership team members and are committed to putting the organization’s goals and priorities ahead of those of the functions they manage.
Strong Relational Foundation
As complexity increases a leadership team’s ability to control all aspects of their environment diminishes and this can put pressure on relational dynamics. The best teams have developed a deep trust in each other’s intentions and capabilities which enables them to carry on in a productive a healthy manner. Team members might not be best friends and frustrations will still emerge but because they have been in the trenches together leadership team members have patience with each other and trust the intentions of their colleagues. The bottom line is that great leadership teams simply do not let trivial issues get in the way of what is most important which increases their collective capacity to deal with more difficult and challenging situations.
Learning and Practice
Great leadership teams deploy a well thought out management rhythm designed to reinforce learning, foster creativity and enable necessary planning and practice. To facilitate the rhythm, they hold each other accountable to a set of agreed principles which become ingrained in their day to day interactions and enable them to concentrate on what’s most important. The best leadership teams are also committed to learning and recognize that making regular adjustments is essential for handling new and more complex challenges.
[i] [i] Ralph Douglas Stacey, “The Emergence of Knowledge in Organization.” Emergence, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232992375_The_Emergence_of_Knowledge_in_Organization (March 2017).