Changing Leadership

SCIRT Lunch and Learn - March 20th 2013

Chris Jansen – University of Canterbury, Idea Creation

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Speed Complexity

Uncertainty Ambiguity

Opportunities

Paradox

Unintended consequences

Lack of Control

Exponential rate of change

Information overload

Interconnectedness of systems

Dissolving of traditional organisational boundaries

Disruptive technologies

Generational values and expectations

Increased globalization

change is changing…..

The greatest challenge for future leaders is the pace of change and the complexity of the challenges faced….

….”perpetual white-water”…

“Our organisations are not equipped to cope with this complexity…” (IBM study – 1500 CEO’s)

Complexity / Change / Uncertainty / Ambiguity

Paradox / Lack of Control / Unintended consequences

Organisational capacity

adaptive, innovative, flexible, nimble, responsive, creative, resilient and self organising

…a dynamic of experimentation and innovation…

…self organising…

.

.

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Leaders vs leadership? Position of a leader vs action of leadership

Hierarchies and Networks

The Starfish and the Spider…

The unstoppable power of leaderless organisations

Machine Living organism

Hybrid?

+Efficient, reliable,

+innovative, responsive, nimble

-Inflexible, slow to respond

-messy and spontaneous

Can leaders foster self organisation?

Engaged

Gutsy

Inspired

Agile Un-precious

Connected Informal

Subtle

SCIRT is best described as an organisation that despite operating in a complex and uncertain environment has a clear sense of purpose, an outcome focus and a team of aligned and committed team members. Team members

across SCIRT have responded to the enormous challenge of reinstating the horizontal infrastructure of

an entire city by 2016.

A legacy organisation?

• legacy of infrastructure - horizontal rebuild

• legacy of changing BAU

• legacy of innovation in management

• legacy of a large scale system wide shift in leadership and organisational thinking?

“What have you learnt and experienced during your time at SCIRT that you believe would be

invaluable for your home organisation to adopt?”

• Remove 15 min timesheets – this incentivises people to use their time to help others and share knowledge

• Leverage alliance principles – partnerships between contractor, designer and client

• KPIs and KRAs drive good behaviour

• Scrap lowest prices contracting – instead build collaborative partnerships

• Modernise IT and make it more responsive

• Respect other peoples time – make meetings purposeful

• In future contracts – build in other attributes and measures in addition to the dollars

• Engagement with community has multiple pay offs in terms of public image, improving brand and building strategic relationships

• Integrate design and delivery

• Leadership is more performance based than position based

• Goal setting and individual accountability combined with a shared noble purpose is a powerful combination

• Give people a goal and empower them to reach it

• Identify what people are good at and let them go for it

• Remove boundaries and move to a flat management system – open access between all “levels of staff”

• Work on the business not just in it – the value of coaching and reflecting on experiences

Engaged

Gutsy

Inspired

Agile Un-precious

Connected Informal

Subtle

Powerpoint slides available at

www.ideacreation.org