Hi-lites from the Communities Collaborating Institute
I am attending the 2011 Communities Collaborating Institute hosted by the Tamarack Institute. The theme is “Leadership that Transforms Communities”. This institute builds on the teachings of Margaret Wheatley and Peter Senge, the guest speakers at our Leading the Way: Building a Sustainable Future conference in 2010.
This morning John Kania spoke on “Collective Impact”. He says that many social issues are adaptive problems, not technical problems. Technical problems are easily defined, with solutions often known beforehand, and can be addressed by a single agency or sector. Adaptive problems are complex; the issues are not easy to define, solutions are not obvious, implementing a strategy requires learning, and all aspects of the problem must be addressed together by a multi-sector team. This is spiritual work in the sense that it requires relationships of trust, learning, commitment to long term work, and mutually respectful communication.
In the afternoon workshops we talked about the elements of collaborative leadership and the four phases of collaborative change: Exploration, Development, Maturity and Creative Destruction. Every project or agency goes through these phases and they each require a different type of leadership.
Phase one, the Exploration phase, is full of possibilities and is quite unstructured and changing. Finally a decision has to be made about a direction, and your agency or project moves into the Development phase. This is a more focused time when possibilities become realities and leadership is outcome driven. The Maturity phase begins when you have a product or a pattern, and it is time to maintain and use it. Good management is needed. Eventually, though, a lack of energy emerges, and more work is required to keep things going. Now it is time to enter into the Creative Destruction phase. A creative, visionary leader can lead the group into a new mission, letting go of old patterns and preparing for new work. These phases can also be seen in one’s own development in a called situation.
In collaborative community leadership, it is important to have a flexible and contemplative attitude in order to understand where you are at and what is needed
Quotes from the day:
“You can’t put soup on the stove and then go away and come back 2 years later and expect everything to be going well.”
“Who has a strategic plan for raising a child?”
“The second mouse gets the cheese.”
More tomorrow…on the second day of the institute.
John Griffith
