By Craig Weber
"Honest differences are often a healthy sign of progress."
— Mahatma Gandhi
"Life is a series of problems," observed M. Scott Peck. A
more accurate statement was never made. But when it comes to solving
them it's important to realize that not all problems are created equal.
All our difficulties fall somewhere on a spectrum; at one end of this
spectrum we find routine problems, and, at the other end, adaptive
challenges. A routine problem isn't considered routine because it
happens regularly, but because we have a routine for dealing with it – a
protocol, a process, or expert on which we can depend for a reliable
fix. A routine problem may be irksome and expensive, but at least we're
in familiar territory and know what to do about it. When we're facing an
adaptive challenge, on the other hand, we're off the familiar trail in
uncharted territory where there are no proven routines, protocols,
solutions, or experts. To successfully negotiate an adaptive challenge
we must work and learn with others to navigate the alien terrain. All
the problems we face in life fall somewhere between these two distinct
poles.
It's easy to see these two types of problems in the
workplace. If our corporate computer loses connectivity, for example,
there's a clear process for getting the problem fixed. It might be
frustrating, but the problem is routine. If our corporate culture is
trashing our strategy, however, we're in highly adaptive territory,
because, unlike the computer problem, there is no simple solution, no
established process, no ready expert who can solve the problem for us.
Performing effectively in today's world is increasingly
difficult because the number of adaptive challenges we face is
snowballing. The culprits driving this trend are well known – rampant
technological, social, economic, and political upheaval, and all the
unpredictable change, surging complexity, and expanding globalization
that comes with it.
Given this shift, it's more important than ever to
recognize the distinction between routine and adaptive issues because
they each require a profoundly different problem solving approach. For a
routine problem a bias for action is appropriate. We have a routine, we
know what to do, so as Nike suggests, we should "just do it." But for
an adaptive challenge – where there is no clear routine, no proven
process, no ready expert who can save the day – a bias for learning is
essential. Why? To navigate our way over unfamiliar ground we must roll
up our cognitive sleeves and work with others to figure out the best way
forward. We must orchestrate, in other words, a process of adaptive
learning.
The key to adaptive learning is leaning into difference –
the act of seeking out and exploring conflicting ideas and views. "If
people don't engage across the divide of their differences there is no
learning," says Ron Heifetz. "People don't learn by looking in the
mirror. They learn by talking with people who have different points of
view. In a sense then, conflict is really the engine of adaptive work,
the engine of learning." And a critical competence that enables our
ability to learn from difference is something I refer to as
conversational capacity – the ability to have open, balanced,
learning-focused dialogue about tough, heated, adaptive issues. High
conversational capacity transforms how we react to people with different
perspectives and information because our strong bias for learning leads
us to see them as rich opportunities to expand our awareness and learn,
not petty nuisances to be avoided or attacked. Rather than cave in or
argue when someone has a different point of view, we get curious: "What
might their perspective teach me about how I am looking at this issue?"
This learning-focused orientation dramatically expands
our ability to make informed choices, because, as Peter Elbow explains,
"The surest way to get hold of what your present frame binds you to is
to adopt the opposite frame. A person who can live with contradiction
and exploit it – who can use conflicting models – can simply see and
think more." And when working in unfamiliar territory nothing is more
important than the ability to see and think more.
Abraham Lincoln understood this. Facing an adaptive
challenge of historic proportions – a civil war and the utter failure of
the American experiment – he did something unusual: he pulled into his
cabinet people with political agendas that clashed not only with his own
views but with each other's. He didn't create this hornets' nest of
conflicting perspectives because he yearned for comfortable cabinet
meetings, nor did he do it because he wanted to get his way all the
time. He did it because he knew a room full of contrasting points of
view would help him make wiser, more informed decisions about the
adaptive realities he was facing. The diversity of Lincoln's cabinet
helped him to see and think more.
Vistage (In Canada: TEC Canada @ www.tec-canada.com) gets this too. Vistage/TEC-Canada is a global organization
of over 17,000 CEOs, business owners, and top executives that meet in
peer advisory groups to facilitate conversation, spark insight, and spur
growth. I've spent over fourteen years working with hundreds of Vistage
groups and I'm impressed with the learning the experience generates. As
with Lincoln's cabinet, the power of a Vistage/TEC meeting isn't in the
sameness around the table – it's in the difference. The candid dialogue
and open-minded exposure to the varying personalities, organizations,
educations, cultures, and life experiences of the group members allows
each executive to see and think more about their important leadership
problems. After a CEO explores an adaptive challenge she's facing with
her Vistage/TEC group, she drives home with an expanded field of vision and
clearer set of choices precisely because she leaned into – and learned
from – the diverse views of her colleagues.
But mere exposure to difference isn't enough. Our
differences only facilitate adaptive work if we have a bias for learning
that is greater than our natural defensiveness to new and conflicting
ideas. To truly learn from different perspectives we need the
conversational capacity to balance candor and courage with curiosity and
humility, to genuinely approach conversations with people who see the
world differently as opportunities to trigger an "aha" moment – the
exhilarating experience of having a blind spot in the mental map of our
predicament unexpectedly illuminated.
Because it enables us to think smarter, faster, and
together, the adaptive learning provoked by leaning into difference is
invaluable in any organization facing tough challenges (and what
organization isn't?). So let me leave you with a few questions to
consider and discuss: What are the major issues facing your team and
organization? What aspects of those issues are predominantly routine and
which are more adaptive? When it comes to the adaptive challenges
you're up against, does your team have the appropriate bias for learning
needed to do the necessary adaptive work? If not, what can you do to
build their conversational capacity so they can engage these challenges
in a more balanced, healthy, learning-focused way?
Craig Weber is the author of the groundbreaking book, Conversational Capacity: The Key To Building Successful Teams That Perform When The Pressure Is On
(McGraw-Hill, 2013) and the founder of The Weber Consulting Group, an
alliance of experts committed to helping organizations and teams build
their capacity for engaging tough, wicked, adaptive challenges.
