Adaptive Leadership

Adaptive leadership theory as an explanation of leadership in general

Jefferies (2017) assert that the traditional general notion of leadership is that a leader should always be in front to give directions. However, from adaptive leadership, a leader should not be in front but should be amongst the members. Both members and the leader should form a unique bond. The bond allows the leader to help member adapt to changing situations and grow.  There are many behaviors that an adaptive leader should exhibit, but the most important behavior is ‘getting on the balcony' (Jefferies, 2017).This means the leader should have the ability to figure out what is happening amongst the team. The leader is expected to identify the challenges, apply a different perspective, develop reflection-in-action, and view the situation using a critical lens. To understand the situation, the leader should also develop self-awareness and social awareness in order to understand the relationship between the people in the situation, and also understand the personal strengths. After getting on the balcony and understanding the situation, an adaptive leader should give feedback, make decisions, and mentor the group. Through coaching, the team members will interact, and through interaction, the adaptive leader will give response and feedback on the situation, and communicate the need to change (Jefferies, 2017). More importantly, the leader will help the members accept the situation and adapt to the challenging environment.

 Doyle (2017) adds that the global competitive environment is causing many adaptive challenges to organizations. Therefore, organizations require adaptive leadership to adapt to the changing work environment. In times like these, adaptive leaders must have the ability to guide the members through the adaptive process and help them adapt to the complex environments.  The author asserts that due to the modern external changes, the adaptive leader should create an adaptive culture where organization members understand the situation and implement innovative solutions (Doyle, 2017). For example, the financial crises that occurred in 2007-2009 affected the global financial system and disrupted the organizational system. During this period,   adaptive leaders were required to help the organizations adapt to the financial crises.  In all challenges that arise within the organization, adaptive leaders are required to identify the situational factors that might have contributed to the problem.  For example, problems might be technical, while others might be adaptive. Thus, leaders must differentiate between these two factors so that they focus on adaptive challenges and lead people through the adaptive process (Doyle, 2017).After identifying the situational factors, adaptive leaders must implement leader actions to help the members face difficulties. Finally, adaptive leaders should respond to the problem by employing solutions. In general, adaptive leaders should have developmental skills,   management skills, problems solving skills, and strategic thinking skills for them to understand the organizational complexities and handle the challenges.

 

  Adaptive leadership theory within the criminal justice system

  Adaptability means that leaders must have the ability to identify the challenges and help the workers adapt to the changing environment. Within the criminal justice system, police officers interact with people from different socioeconomic status, different ethnicities, professionals and other areas. Law enforcement expects police officers to adapt to these different environments and bring different in people's life. For example, for business to gain competitive advantage and find a position in the competitive world, they must understand the different needs of customers, and the market environment (Heifetz et al., 2009). Likewise, for police officers to main peace in the community and meet the needs of the citizens, they must understand the people they interact with and applying the intelligence to respond to the domestic issues. Note that effective policing is achieved through adaptability. This will enable the entire criminal justice system to respond to crime changes. Police officers should protect the community from threats by identifying the underlying challenges and guide people through the adaptive process for them to handle the challenges and achieve stability.

 

 

 

References

 

Jefferies, S. S. (2017). Adaptive Leadership in a Socially Revolving World: A Symbolic

Interactionist Lens of Adaptive Leadership Theory. Performance Improvement, 56(9), 46-50.

 

Doyle, A. (2017). Adaptive Challenges Require Adaptive Leaders. Performance

Improvement, 56(9), 18-26.

 

Heifetz, R., Grashow, A., & Linsky, M. (2009). Leadership in a (permanent) crisis. Harvard

business review, 87(7/8), 62-69.