Business

An adaptive leadership style is a leadership approach oriented towards tackling adaptive problems—challenges that are brought about by unexpected circumstances, that have no known solutions, and that require a fundamental change to solve. Leaders who adopt an adaptive leadership style constantly assess the landscape within which they operate and the adaptive capacity of their organization to make sure they have what it takes to adapt effectively. In this article, we’ll take a look at the three main qualities of adaptive problems, the traits of adaptive leaders, and some tips for practicing an adaptive leadership style.

Adaptive challenges are problems with unknown solutions which, by definition, require a fundamental change in order to be solved. There are two steps to solving such challenges: 1) diagnosis, and 2) treatment. In The Practice of Adaptive Leadership, Ronald Heifetz, Alexander Grashow, and Marty Linsky recommend that you start by examining your organization to determine what resources you have available and what obstacles you might anticipate. Then, examine the challenge itself. In the article below, we’ll outline their recommendations for both.

When your organization is facing changing conditions or never-before-seen challenges, the only way to survive is to adapt. Adaptive interventions are measures put in place to address “adaptive challenges”—unexpected problems with no known solutions. You can launch an adaptive intervention at any moment of tackling the adaptive challenge, whether that’s during diagnosis or while another intervention is ongoing. In The Practice of Adaptive Leadership, Ronald Heifetz, Alexander Grashow, and Marty Linsky offer practical strategies to help leaders navigate these kinds of complex challenges.