Often, complex challenges tend to fall between stools. Thus, to successfully cope with such challenges, you have to lead horizontally across internal and external boundaries.

1. Horizontal Leadership
– mastering challenges
• Why is it so, that today's challenges
increasingly fall between stools?
• How to lead horizontally across organizational
boundaries without a formal authority and
mandate?
Gunnar Westling, Ph D, Fram &
Center for Advanced Studies in Leadership, Stockholm School
of Economics
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2. 2

3. Challenges during the ”Good ol’ times”
”I believe that this nation
should commit itself to
achieving the goal, before
this decade is out, of
landing a man on the Moon
and returning him safely to Eight years later…
the Earth”
President John F. Kennedy's A
Special Address to Congress On
The Importance of Space
May 25, 1961
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4. International space station – cooperation
between 15 nations
“In some ways it was easier to go to the moon,
because we had total control,” Cabana
(Astronaut) said.
“We didn’t have to ask, ’What is your opinion on
this? How do you want to do it? You know, we
just dictated to ourselves how we are going to do
it.’ But those days are gone. (O’Brien, M. “Earthly
Woes Mount for International Space Station” CNN.com,
May 29, 2000.)
In the new era of exploring space, the biggest
challenge is on ground rather than in space.
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5. To Master Challenge – Understand Your Network
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6. “Vertical leadership”
Manage a group, unit, or function
Defined responsibility - authorization
Allocated resources
Routines + processes + problem solving
“Horizontal leadership”
Manage tasks laterally across the organization
Often challenges of great importance – unclear who is
responsible
Resource allocation based on negotiation/consent of
others
Sencemaking+ network + prototypes
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7. Cooperation and leadership across organizational barriers.
Is it a good idea?
• Overall, research recommends:
”Don’t do it, unless
you have to”
(Huxham och Vangen, 2005)
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8. More ”wicked” problems?
Type of problem
• The problem itself appears as fragmented
• The problem cannot be understood before solutions are tried out in practice
”Wicked” • Solutions often create new problems
• The problem can not reach its final solution, There is not “stop rule”
• Different stakeholder have different views and ways to understand the problem
”Tame” • Sound solutions can be worked out through analysis
• Couse-effect relationships hang together
• It is possible to organize ways to solve the problem
• Act fast and bring more resources
Crisis
Extraordinary
situation
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9. Linear ”tame” problem solving
Working on ”wicked” problems
Gather data
Problem
Analyze data
Formulate solution
Solution Implement solution
Time
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10. 1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
March 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
2003 Källa http://icasualties.org/
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11. Adoption curve
Number of ”supporters”
Typically
expected
Typically
experienced
(S-kurva)
Time
Source: Bresman, INSEAD
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12. The ant perspective
When we’re totally absorbed by the challenge
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13. Solution 1: Zoom out
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14. Solution 2 Change perspective
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15. Solution 3
Variation
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16. Conclusion - The leadership
challenge
Challenges faced by organizations are
foremost found in the hinterland
between units and organizations (rather
than falling neatly into boxes in the
organization ready to deal with them)
 It is thus as important, or more
important, to understand and manage
the social complexity of a problem as it
is to solve the problem operatively/
technically
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17. Conclusion: How to lead horizontally?
1. Big enough idea or vision and yet focused enough
to create action
2. Understand links between the challenge and the
organization’s mission and competitiveness
3. Carefully map stakeholders and their interests
4. Find a sponsor (insurance in bad times)
5. To be influenced is the best method to influence
others.
6. Variation, innovation and “language games”
7. Respectful collaboration in small groups (create a
“fellowship”
8. Early, hands-on prototypes!
9. Dare to confront
10. Endurance (”S-curve”)
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