The 10 Critical Core Competencies of High Performers
How do you stand out in the workplace? What core competencies must you have to be successful in business? Work in all sectors is increasingly dynamic, and in order to succeed, employees must have the ability to deal with complexity, identify critical information, make sound decisions, and collaborate effectively with people both inside and outside their immediate environment. The problem is, many people lack the skills that employers need to achieve their goals.
CEB, a member-based advisory company based in the US, has recently published research looking into this challenge and the results are of vital importance to employers and employees alike. As a consultant friend of mine noted ‘this is gold dust!’ If you are wanting to be hired or looking to hire people then you should be thinking about this list of core competencies.
But before the list, here is Conrad Schmidt, global research officer for CEB, who frames the problem in this way:
“Employees today have more ambiguous objectives and are working with larger groups of stakeholders, making both flexibility and the ability to collaborate ‘must-have’ competencies for companies seeking higher levels of performance. Important business decisions are also being made lower in the organization, putting an even higher premium on good judgment. Building the next generation of high-performers will require organizations to cultivate these skills within their employee base and to be keenly aware of the dramatic shifts occurring in today’s work environment.”
CEB looked at the performance of over 20,000 workers from across the globe, incorporating data gathered from more than 40 different organisations. The conclusion of the study was that there are 10 competencies that, when exhibited together, identify someone as a high performer. The core competencies are:
The Right Questions is a framework that can be used as a tool to address these core competencies. If you are seeking to improve in one of these areas then coaching can be a highly effective way to help you develop in these key areas.
Coaching, when done well, supports a client in achieving a specific personal or professional goal generally through facilitation of thinking. This creates an environment of learning for the coachee.
Coaching can be described as:
Unlocking people’s potential to maximise their own performance. (Whitmore 2009: 11)
Or
The art of facilitating the performance, learning and development of another. (Downey, 2003:21)
Research has confirmed that one-to-one coaching is the most effective and satisfying way to help people achieve their goals. This is compared to group coaching, teaching or self-coaching (Losch et al; 2016).
If you would like to find out more about coaching and how to find a coach then please do email me via our contact page.
Also, you might be interested in The Quest, which is an online virtual coaching course which leads on you a journey of self-discovery, improvement and success. Just sign up using the link below to try the first module for free:
Whitmore, J (2009) Coaching for Performance: GROWing Human Potential and Purpose: The Principles and Practice of Coaching and Leadership, 4th London: Nicholas Brealey.
Downey, M (2003) Effective Coaching: Lessons from the Coach’s Coach, 2nd London: Texere.
If you want the right answers you have to start with the right questions
About The Right Questions
The Right Questions is for people who want greater clarity, purpose and success. There is a wealth of resources to boost your effectiveness in achieving goals, your leadership of yourself and others, and your decision-making.
Wherever you are on your journey, I hope that you find information on this site to help you on the next leg of your quest. Even if that is just the inspiration to take one small step in the right direction, then that is a success. If you can take pleasure in learning and travelling as you go, then so much the better.
I love to serve people, helping them unlock their potential, empowering them as leaders, and assisting them in achieving their goals. Please get in touch and let me know how I can support you!
What Are The Right Questions to Ask Yourself and Others?
What are the right questions? Which questions do you need to ask if you want to lead yourself and others better? Why are the right questions important?
“A prudent question is one half of wisdom.” – Francis Bacon
Good questions are essential if we want to get the right information.
If we don’t ask the right questions we won’t get the answers we need. Without the necessary information, we won’t be able to make good decisions. If we don’t make good decisions we lose our direction, don’t achieve our goals, fail in our leadership, and can end up ineffective, unhappy, or worse.
I found out how important questions are early on in my career because my first role was being a Bomb Disposal Officer.
Nasty surprises
I was just savouring a coffee from my newly purchased coffeemaker when a wide-eyed and out of breath soldier stumbled into my makeshift office. My cup was poised in my hand – the aroma was fantastic – and the thought of drinking it was more alluring than anything I could imagine that this solider might interrupt me with. “This had better be good”, I thought.
“Sir! There is a suspicious package at the gates of the camp!”
I put the cup down; coffee time was over.
It was Bosnia in 2001, and I was a young Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers leading the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (bomb disposal) team in the local region. The conflict in Bosnia had died down some time ago so we were there mainly to clear up the mess that a war leaves behind, namely the mines, mortar bombs and other explosives that littered the countryside. But in the post 9/11 world, the threat of terrorist attack was at the forefront of people’s minds. In this context, an unexplained bag, right up against the front gates of a military camp, was screaming out ‘IED!’ (Improvised Explosive Device), and required immediate and serious attention.
Therefore, I went to take control of the scene and do an initial threat assessment. I met the guard commander and asked him some questions such as:
Where exactly was the package?
What did it look like?
Who had seen it first?
When had it been found?
Why was it suspicious?
How had it got there?
Very quickly a picture emerged that put my mind at ease.
One of the guards had seen an old and infirm lady dropping off the parcel. Upon questioning the local interpreters, I found out that this lady was well known to them (as she was a little eccentric) and that she had made similar deliveries before. It was more than likely that this was just a gift for the soldiers.
A short trip to visit the lady at her house confirmed that yes, she had just dropped off some biscuits for the troops. It just so happened that she thought that dropping off a ‘surprise’ in an unmarked bag, unannounced, at the front gate to a military base was a good thing to do!
After establishing all of this I was able to go back, safely deal with the package (no, I didn’t eat or blow up the biscuits), give the all-clear, and return the security levels to normal. I thanked the lady for the kind thought and gift but asked her to refrain from such ‘surprise’ generosity in the future.
So, the right question was not ‘do we cut the red or the blue wire?’ In fact, the right questions were not technical ones at all.
The importance of questions
When you consider your life is under threat then it is very important to properly assess a situation. You have to overcome the ‘fight or flight’ response and use the decision space – the gap between stimulus and response – to work out what to do. In the time given you have to make an assessment. Asking the right questions and getting the right answers is essential before launching into action.
The military, the emergency services and medical services know this and train personnel in decision making. By employing decision making processes and then applying in exercises and real-life situations, to build up experience, such people can become expert decision-makers and can make quick, effective decisions even in high risk environments.
Outside of careers that deal with life-threatening situations very few people get training in asking questions and making decisions, despite that research time and again sights such competencies to be essential to employees and particularly leaders and managers (Harrell, Barbato). The need for decision-making is often expressed in other terms such as:
The need for analysing and overcoming problems (Zenger, Folkman),
Taking the initiative (Maxwell),
Setting direction and goals (Giles),
Good prioritisation (Covey),
Having a clear vision and strategy for the team (Rumelt)
But all these things are related to or dependent upon good decision-making. And, what’s more, these things all come together in the realm of coaching and personal development. For senior executives and C-suite leaders, this is particularly true, as coaching at this level provides structured time to think and make the most important decisions for their work and life as a whole.
An Introduction to The Right Questions Coaching and Decision-Making Framework
Do we need decision making tools?
We generally take decision making for granted, after all we each make thousands of decisions every day, some conscious, some unconscious, and rarely need to apply more than our intuition to a problem. But there is a problem. Research, particularly by influential figures such as Daniel Kahneman, has demonstrated that our intuition is amazing but has limits.
Therefore understanding decision making and how to make good decisions is critical to all of us, and good decision making starts with good questions.
The problem with many processes and tools, including those used for decision making, is that they are often non-intuitive and hard to remember. That is why we should start with what we already know and structures that are already embedded.
“A problem well put is half solved.”
John Dewey
Start with the questions you already know
When I was training as a Bomb Disposal Officer we were taught a question technique called the ‘Five Ws’ which we used when we approached an incident. The ‘Five Ws’ is an interrogative style employed primarily by journalists and police officers but it is a framework that can be used by anyone to make an appreciation of a given situation.
The idea is that by asking open questionsyou are more likely to get factual answers by avoiding presuppositions. The simple idea of just having the ‘Five Ws’ of What? Where? When? Who? Why? (along with the added H of ‘How?’) provides an easy to remember checklist that is a useful starting point towards building a rounded picture of any circumstance.
Using Interrogatives
As I have done further research into question technique and applied the principles in my work I have found that it is also useful to add another ‘W’ – that of ‘which?’ – to the list. The ‘which?’ question covers the concept of selection (and therefore of options and risk) and helps to complete the cycle, particularly when we are planning for the future, not just examining an event that has already happened.
This makes seven questions in a total and creates a easily remembered framework. Its easy to recall as its based upon the most common interrogative words that we use in English and also because we find it harder to recall lists about seven or eight items (Buzan).
The application of the interrogatives provides a holistic approach to analysing a situation and making an informed decision. The use of these seven open questions is a technique I have dubbed The Right Questions.
Using The Right Questions
Seven questions? Surely that is too simple you say! Well, we will come back to that point but the simplicity is a large part of the system’s strength. But, as with any tool or model, the technique is only as good as its application and it is this application of the questions that we need to explore in more depth.
When you learn how to apply the system it is very flexible. My starting point when faced with a challenge – whether it is developing a business case, starting a project, or writing an article – will be to write down the seven Right Questions and start to brainstorm and explore my thoughts under each heading.
My experience of working as a coach and consultant has taught me that The Right Questions approach can be applied to everything from life direction and personal vision, to corporate strategy and organisational change.
I am passionate about serving individual and teams, helping them to face their challenges, achieve wonderful things and have fun while doing it. If I can serve you in this way then I will be fulfilling my goal.
In the journey of life we get to travel together with others at different points. Our paths merge, cross and diverge and we never quite know how long we will have to travel alongside people. However long we have, I hope that in our time travelling together I can assist you in refining your direction and encouraging you on to all the amazing things life has in store for you.
Bon voyage et Bon courage!
“The discerning heart seeks knowledge.”
Solomon
To find out more about applying and using The Right Questions framework click on the link below:
If you want the right answers you have to start with the right questions
About The Right Questions
The Right Questions is for people who want greater clarity, purpose and success. There is a wealth of resources to boost your effectiveness in achieving goals, your leadership of yourself and others, and your decision-making.
Wherever you are on your journey, I hope that you find information on this site to help you on the next leg of your quest. Even if that is just the inspiration to take one small step in the right direction, then that is a success. If you can take pleasure in learning and travelling as you go, then so much the better.
I love to serve people, helping them unlock their potential, empowering them as leaders, and assisting them in achieving their goals. Please get in touch and let me know how I can support you!
The GROW model is a popular problem-solving tool used in coaching. It is a simple and effective way to help people set and achieve goals.
The GROW process was developed by Sir John Whitmore, Graham Alexander and Alan Fine, and then popularised by Max Landsberg in his book The Tao of Coaching. Subsequently, it has been used extensively, particularly in corporate coaching settings and has become something of the industry-standard tool (Passmore 2010).
What does GROW stand for?
The word ‘GROW’ is an acronym for a four-stage coaching tool, but exactly what the acronym stands for does differ slightly from practitioner to practitioner. Commonly it that stands for:
Goal – The clearly defined endpoint
Reality – The present situation with is challenges and opportunities
Options (or Obstacles) – Having identified challenges and opportunities, various options can be explored to help achieve the goal and overcome obstacles
Will (or Way Forward/Wrap Up) – The Will or Way Forward step is the breaking down of the goal into achievable steps.
How to use the GROW model
How do you use the GROW process?
Here we will look at each of the stages in turn for a more detailed view on how to apply the GROW model:
Goal
The first step is used to explore the goal that the individual or team want to achieve. It is important to clearly identify the aim, define the mission and understand what success looks like.
It is worth spending time on this step as the end state needs to be properly honed. The goal is a chance to capture the vision, mission and values of a person. This in turn helps to identify a target that is inspirational, challenging and fits into the bigger picture of a coachee’s life and work.
Here are some example questions that could be used at this stage:
What do you want to discuss?
What is the issue?
Which is the most important thing you want to achieve?
What does success look like?
What is your vision for the future?
How do you really want things to work out?
Why is this goal important to you?
What would achieving this aim feel like?
How would this goal contribute to other aims?
How will you know when you have achieved your mission?
The next step in the GROW model is looking at the reality of the situation. This involves considering the present with all its challenges and opportunities.
There is an element of looking back to see what has happened in the past and how this has shaped the present. This can mean facing some uncomfortable truths or confronting the brutal facts as Jim Collins puts it in his excellent book Good to Great (Collins, J. 2001).
Here are some potential questions to use at the Reality stage:
What has happened to bring you to this point?
What is going on now?
Who is involved?
How does the present situation make you feel?
Is there anything holding you back?
What are the challenges that you are facing?
What is the cause of these challenges?
Which assumptions have you made?
At the Reality stage of the GROW model it may also be useful to apply the SWOT analysis which can help identify the key factors relating to the present situation.
Having defined the goal and explored the reality of the situation the next step is the look at various options to help achieve the goal. Sometimes the ‘O’ in the GROW model is used for ‘Obstacles’ as the options can provide different courses of action to overcome the various challenges that have been identified.
Here are some questions to consider at the Options stage:
Which alternative ways could you achieve the goal?
How can you overcome the obstacles?
What would you do if resources were not a problem?
Is there anyone who can help you?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of each course of action?
Having looked at options and identified the course of action the ‘Will’ or ‘Way Forward’ step of the GROW model is the breaking down of the goal into achievable steps that someone can commit to.
This stage helps to wrap up the session and make sure that, by the end, the coachee has committed to some concrete and achievable actions. These can be pursued and measured between sessions.
Here are some questions to help at this stage:
Which tasks need to be completed to achieve the goal?
The GROW model is designed to be task-focused and is therefore good in work and sports situations. Its simplicity is a strength but does mean that it is a less holistic model and can miss some of the broader contexts of change. For example, other tools might complement the GROW model when looking at behavioural change, life coaching and career change.
Another simple and complementary tool is the Wheel of Life, which is useful in identifying where roles and goals may be out of balance. This can provide a good starting point for specific goals that you want to explore using the GROW model or The Right Questions approach.
The GROW model, as with any process, is only as good as its application. As Sir John Whitmore stated “even dictators can use GROW!” A coach should ensure that the model is utilised in a subtle way, bringing structure to the coaching session but in an unconscious and natural way. And, as with other coaching models, active listening is critical to its successful application.
How does the GROW model compare to other tools?
The GROW model is simple and this is one of the reasons that make it very effective and popular. Even with the differing interpretations of the acronym, it provides a relatively memorable structure and does not take much knowledge or practice to apply. It can also be used to explore and plan for a large number of different goals.
The simplicity of the model does mean that it lends itself to a quick look at a problem. As mentioned previously, for more depth it is sometimes beneficial to use the GROW model in conjunction with other tools and processes.
Goals
The first two stages of the GROW model relate to the Strategic Framing steps (where what and why) of The Right Questions model. In both tools, the aim is to properly understand the problem and situation before assessing options and making a plan. This is also equivalent to the Observe and Orientate stages of the OODA loop.
Reality
Another useful tool to use at the Reality stage is the SWOT methodology; a simple yet effective way of looking at the present situation.
Obstacles and Options
‘Obstacles and Options’ in the GROW process is covered by ‘Which’ in The Right Questions that cover risk as well as courses of action. Here the aim is to look at different ways to achieve the same goal.
At the Options stage, using tools such as lateral thinking can beneficial to generate new courses of action and the Belbin Team Model can be of great use in working out who might be able to help and how.
Will or Way Forward
The ‘Will’ of the GROW method is primarily covered by the Planning Phase (the when who and how) of The Right Questions. For more complicated goals traditional Project Management processes may be useful to apply. At a simpler level, using the SMART tool helps to capture the original goal and make sure the next step is an achievable one.
Next Steps
You may want also want some help, delving deeper into these tools or identifying your goals. I have the pleasure of assisting many amazing individuals and organisations in my work. If you would like some assistance too, in person or online, then please do drop me a line. You can email me via the contact page.
If you would like to find out more about coaching and have an initial free coaching consultation then please email us using the contact page. Just click on this link:Contact Form
References
Colins, J. (2001) Good to Great. New York: Random House Business.
If you want the right answers you have to start with the right questions
About The Right Questions
The Right Questions is for people who want greater clarity, purpose and success. There is a wealth of resources to boost your effectiveness in achieving goals, your leadership of yourself and others, and your decision-making.
Wherever you are on your journey, I hope that you find information on this site to help you on the next leg of your quest. Even if that is just the inspiration to take one small step in the right direction, then that is a success. If you can take pleasure in learning and travelling as you go, then so much the better.
I love to serve people, helping them unlock their potential, empowering them as leaders, and assisting them in achieving their goals. Please get in touch and let me know how I can support you!
What is the biggest problem that you or your team are facing now? How would you define that problem? Which is the best leadership approach to apply to that issue?
Maybe you have not even thought to define it, you are simply getting on with trying to solve it. But, research shows, that it is important we understand the nature of the challenge in order to bring the right solutions to bear.
As John Dewey put it:
“A problem well-defined is a problem half solved.”
Let me share some wisdom that has really helped me in problem solving.
Wicked problems and the work of Keith Grint
You may well have heard people talk about ‘wicked’ problems. This phrase comes from a useful classification of types of problems based on work by Keith Grint. He identified that there are three different types of problems: tame, critical, and wicked.
If you can work out the sort of problem you are dealing with, you can then apply the right leadership style or management approach to solve the problem. Having led teams in various contexts – in large institutions, in fast-moving crisis situations, and in small start-ups – I have found this model very helpful for steering my approach to problem-solving.
So, whether you are working on your own, in a small team or as part of a huge organisation, this thought process can be extremely beneficial. Let’s look at each type of problem in turn. I will also provide some examples to explain each one, and consider the approaches that can help you solve them.
Tame problems may be complicated, but they are challenges that have a tried and tested solution you can use. These are the sort of problems where you can clearly picture the solution and then plan by working back from that end-state.
So, to take a simple example, imagine you had a puppy. That young dog would need house-training. House training is not particularly fun and can be quite hard work, but there are lots of people out there who can give you advice on how to effectively train the dog. If you follow that expertise properly, you should successfully train your pet.
To take a personal, real-life example, when I worked as a Project Manager on The Shard (the tallest building in the UK) the challenge was complex, but the problem was actually tame by this classification. The scale and exact design of the tower were new but the technology and processes to build the structure already existed. Traditional project management was the correct way to approach the problem and the tower was constructed successfully.
Manage people, create structures, and apply tested processes
Tame does not mean easy, but it does mean you can plan in detail and start to tackle the issue. With adequate planning, you can expect success with a high degree of certainty. Therefore, tame problems require good management.
It is about choosing the right process and then implementing the plan. Traditional management tools such as Gantt Charts can work well in these circumstances. The manager can also lean on other people’s data to make rational decisions. They can also use other people’s experience and established processes to develop a plan.
Traditional organisations have been structured to deal with these sorts of problems. Specialist teams can work in their own division without much need to interact with other teams and functions. Managers must ensure effective communication at the interfaces between these teams; but if the problem is well defined and planned for, then these structures can work just fine for solving tame problems.
Critical problems are self-evident challenges that offer little time for decision making and action. They are urgent and immediate issues.
Let’s go back to the dog example. Now your dog is a bit older, and you are out on a walk. Unexpectedly, your dog attacks another dog. You now have a critical problem – something that needs to be solved fast to reduce the negative outcomes. If you do not act quickly the situation could go from bad to worse. In this instance you need to be firm, directive and – if needed – personally intervene to resolve the problem.
I faced a critical problem while climbing in the Alps with some friends. We had been on a long mountain climb and the weather had got worse as we continued to scale the peak. As we reached the summit the weather finally broke, and we found ourselves in the middle of an electrical storm. I was not the official leader of the team but when the storm hit, the person who had been leading the route became uncertain of what to do. The thunder was deafening, and I knew we had to descend as quickly and safely as possible before someone got hurt. Therefore, I immediately identified a route down, gave some quick instructions and took the lead down the mountain, setting the pace and encouraging the team as we went.
Be a ‘commander’, use the hierarchy and make decisions
Critical problems require command. In other words, they usually need a more directive leadership style to ensure timely decisions and swift action. The depth of experience of the leader will equip them to make quick intuitive decisions.
This type of directive approach can be reassuring to people in a crisis, but be aware, when used in other circumstances it can be condescending or stifling. For critical problems, hierarchical organisational structures, with clear lines of communication and decision making, work well.
What are Wicked Problems?
Wicked problems are complex problems that have no right or wrong answer. The problem might be a new one (like using artificial intelligence), or an evolving problem (like climate change) or an old problem to which there is just no good solution (such as poverty). The problem also does not have a ‘stopping rule’. In other words, you don’t really ever solve the problem, the problem just changes.
Let’s go back to the animal analogy. You would face a wicked problem if you owned a dog and a cat but could not afford to keep both. The problem is not novel (many other people have faced the same challenge) but there is no single right solution to that issue. You have various courses of action, some that might be more palatable than others. For example, finding a trusted friend to re-house one pet might be preferable to giving one to a stranger, but how do you choose which loved pet to give away? You will mourn the loss either way. And even if you do manage to re-house one pet that does not necessarily solve the underlying problem of income generation. Not being able to look after both pets was just one facet of the wicked problem of cash flow.
Recently, I was involved with a project that asked the question “what is the right amount of profit for a company”. That fascinating question pointed to a wicked problem. Even just the question itself raised a host of related questions such as: what are the ethics relating to what is ‘right’ regarding profit? How do you measure profit? Is profit purely financial or are there other types of capital? Can a company be profitable, ethical and sustainable? Trying to address these challenges required input from a breadth of academics, business leaders and pilot programmes. The leadership challenge was helping to build relationships, communication and agree on outputs to harness the creativity and facilitate the suite of projects born out of the initial question.
Wicked problems require mature and transformational leadership. A leader needs to set a clear vision, have an over-arching strategy but flexibility and the confidence to make difficult decisions, and take responsibility for those decisions. A high-performing team that can bring a diversity of thought and creativity to the problem will be your best resource. You need a coherent strategy, but you are unlikely to be able to have a long-term and detailed plan.
You will need to experiment, learn, and adapt as you go and therefore a more agile, rather than a traditional approach to management, will be much more applicable. This allows pragmatic, or so-called ‘clumsy’ solutions, that enables forward progression without having to achieve perfection.
A large organisation will suffer if it works in silos to deal with wicked problems. At the very least there needs to be a matrix of interactions across different teams and functions. Often, it is small, more cellular teams, with diverse approaches and more fluid roles, that can deal best with wicked problems. These sorts of teams are hard to manage – particularly at scale. They are more relational networks than organisations per se.
How would you define your problem now?
So, having looked at the typology how would you define your biggest problem? Is it tame, critical or wicked?
As you look for solutions remember these approaches:
Tame Problems – manage an existing process to get the best result
Critical Problems – take command and be decisive to win quick
Wicked Problems – be flexible, creative, and pragmatic
Good luck with overcoming your next challenge!
If you want the right answers you have to start with the right questions
About The Right Questions
The Right Questions is for people who want greater clarity, purpose and success. There is a wealth of resources to boost your effectiveness in achieving goals, your leadership of yourself and others, and your decision-making.
Wherever you are on your journey, I hope that you find information on this site to help you on the next leg of your quest. Even if that is just the inspiration to take one small step in the right direction, then that is a success. If you can take pleasure in learning and travelling as you go, then so much the better.
I love to serve people, helping them unlock their potential, empowering them as leaders, and assisting them in achieving their goals. Please get in touch and let me know how I can support you!
The Cynefin Framework: How to Solve The Four Main Types of Problem
Why do you need a problem typology model or framework such as Cynefin? Well, have you ever had a problem that, in trying to solve it, you have made it worse?
You thought you could fix that device, but it stayed broken. Or you stepped into an argument when the resolution seemed obvious, but your intervention just created further hostility. Or perhaps you were a bit lost, and you thought you had found a route out, but then things got worse. We have all been there, right?
When trying to solve problems we make things worse when we don’t properly understand the problem in the first place. Therefore, one critical step in decision-making is classifying the type of problem that you are trying to solve. This is important as – if you fail to categorise the nature of your challenge – you could end up applying the wrong solution or approach. This might not only fail to solve the issue, but it could also make it worse.
When things go wrong
“It’s the wrong trousers Gromit, and they’ve gone wrong!”
Wallace and Gromit
I got to see this happen on an organisational level when I was asked to help a large local government in the UK. The institution was falling into disorder but no one within the organisation could agree on why. The lower-level managers thought it was a simple problem. They knew how to deliver services; it was just that the demand had gone up and finances had gone down. All they thought they needed was more money. This mindset was pushing the institution further towards the brink of chaos and a crisis for the whole organisation.
The high-level management thought it was a complicated issue, hence bringing in consultant ‘experts’ such as me to analyse and resolve the problem. They assumed that efficiency was the biggest issue and, therefore, wanted to focus (almost exclusively) on finance. We, the outsiders, could see that it was a complex challenge. The situation was changing rapidly and was not going to reverse; the managers at all levels were looking at the problem in the wrong way. So, we introduced models to help change the way everyone – at all levels – viewed the issues and encouraged broad engagement to come up with creative solutions. It was not an easy process, but identifying the nature of the problem was the first step.
The process of identifying the problem typology is the sphere of complexity science. Understanding complexity is a growing academic field that has important implications for leadership and decision-making.
Complexity is, well, complex, but fortunately, some models and frameworks bring the concepts of complexity, leadership and choice together; to help us understand obstacles and assist in choices.
As a leader, I regularly use Keith Grint’s model that classifies problems as either tame, critical or wicked. Understanding the problem then informs the method of influence to use, be that managing tame problems, providing command for critical issues or leadership for wicked issues.
This idea of matching leadership approaches to types of problems is not confined to the Grint model. There is another model that I have also found very insightful, particularly for understanding complex challenges, which is the Cynefin framework.
“Circumstances change, however, and as they become more complex, the simplifications can fail. Good leadership is not a one-size-fits-all proposition.”
Snowden and Boone
The Cynefin framework
This other favoured model is the Cynefin framework. It was created by Dave Snowden and further developed in partnership with Mary E. Boone. The word Cynefin comes from the Welsh language and alludes to a sense of place. In other words, we need a sense of place to understand our challenges.
The framework gained acclaim and awards, particularly after the publication of A Leader’s Framework for Decision Making, in the Harvard Business Review. It has been adopted and used not only by corporations but by governments, for example by the US government in counterterrorism and the National Health Service in the UK.
This model is slightly more complex than Grint’s but the framework allows deep thought into both the classification of problems and how problems can evolve (or crash) from one domain into another, depending on how we address them.
The framework is based upon classifying the complexity of issues into the following four types of problems and five domains:
Clear
Complicated
Complex
Chaotic
Disorder (uncategorised problems)
The Cynefin Framework – wikicommons
Clear problems
The clear domain (also known as either the simple or obvious domain) refers to problems that have known solutions. Here, when it comes to information and assumptions we are in the realm of “known knowns”. Therefore, we identify (sense), categorise, and then respond to these problems with known solutions. Use best practice when the cause-and-effect relationships are obvious.
Clear problems are generally heavily process-driven. The process is clear, measurable, and therefore relatively simple to manage. Examples of these clear problems could be applying for a personal loan or mortgage or manufacturing a common item on a production line. When I worked in the construction industry, most house-building fell into this category. It is easy to get pre-made plans for homes.
The danger with clear problems is complacency. When using a known solution, it is easy to fall into that habit and apply the same practice again and again, but then fail to notice how the situation is changing. If the situation changes too much, then applying the old solution could push the problem into disorder or the chaotic realm. This was what was happening with the local government I mentioned earlier.
This can also happen when people assume a problem has a clear solution, but the known knowns turn out to be wrong assumptions. This sort of mistake is covered in How to Identify and Disarm Wrong Assumptions.
Complicated problems
Complicated problems are the domain of experts. Here the “known unknowns” are sensed but then need to be analysed before any response, because there may be multiple solutions to the given challenge. These solutions, if successful, may then go on to become best practices, and the problem moves from the complicated realm to the clear.
“Complicated” is the realm where the professionals – such as lawyers, engineers, and doctors – earn their living. A deep knowledge of first principles, coupled with the proper experience, allows specialists to find options and solutions. Again, reflecting on my experience as an engineer, house-building per-se was a simple problem but developing new sustainable construction techniques – for example reducing the amount of concrete and steel we rely upon – is a complicated problem.
The danger in this realm is that experts can be blinkered, which can stifle novel approaches. For good solutions, there should be an environment that challenges existing thinking and encourages new ideas, through a diversity of people and inputs.
Complex problems exist in environments that are constantly changing, with multiple factors at play. Here we are in the realm of “unknown unknowns” as things are in flux and there are just too many things to identify or measure. These problems can also be of the “wicked” variety where problems may need least worst solutions as there are no “good” ones.
The complex realm is the land of emergent ideas. Problems in this space require true creativity. Many entrepreneurs and start-ups naturally fall into this sphere, but even large businesses and institutions find themselves in this space due to the increasingly congested, connected and fast-changing world we live in.
Traditional top-down, command and control, management styles fall short in complex situations. Complex problems require a more experimental approach. The problem needs to be probed, then sensed to develop a new response.
New management techniques have emerged to deal with these complex situations. Eric Ries (author of The Lean Start-up) popularised the idea of developing a minimum viable product as the basis for experimentation. Agile project management has also taken over from traditional project management to address fast-changing situations.
Chaotic problems
In chaotic situations, there is no order and therefore no obvious cause and effect relationships. Here a sense of order needs to be imposed and therefore a leader needs to act carefully but decisively. These situations are like the “critical” issues of the Grint model that require a more directive, command leadership approach.
Large crises fall into the chaotic realm, such as the events of September 11, 2001. On a smaller scale, I have experienced these sorts of emergencies while on operations or even when alpine climbing. Here the approach required is to act first, then sense how things change, and then respond with appropriate next steps to lead out of the crisis.
Disorder
The realm of disorder represents the space where it is unclear where a problem exists. If you feel completely lost, then you are likely to be in this realm! Here it is likely that the problem has not been properly understood or that the challenge has aspects that sit in multiple domains.
So, the best approach when facing disorder is to gather data to better understand the issue and then break down the problem into constituent parts so that each element can be dealt with in its relevant domain.
A summary of how to apply the Cynefin framework
The world is more irrational and unpredictable than we would like to admit. It is therefore vital that we properly identify the nature of the problems we face to take the right approach to solve them. This is particularly important for leaders who are responsible for spotting challenges and then flexing their decision-making approach and management style.
Models can help us do just that and the Cynefin framework shows us that:
When the problem is clear and the solution known, find and apply best practices
If the issue is complicated, then expertise can find solutions from first principles
When the environment is complex, emergent ideas can be found through experimentation
In chaotic situations, a rapid response is needed to establish some order
When there is disorder, break down the problem further to assign each part to the realms listed above.
And remember:
“Expect problems and eat them for breakfast.” – Alfred A. Montapert
If you want the right answers you have to start with the right questions
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