A presentation exploring innovative approaches to leadership, inter-agency collaboration and government - community partnership emerging in post-quake Christchurch

1. Christchurch: A Leadership Incubator?”
chris@leadershiplab.co.nz 1
Canterbury Family Violence Reference Group
December 5th 2014

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Chris Jansen

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5. “if we are looking for shifts in collective impact across
communities and organisations, lets not develop leaders
within one organisation…
….lets develop leaders together from across the
network so the learning process can create the
collaboration and collective impact we are looking for….
….rather than reinforcing the silos we are in…”
An appreciative critique of Promoting Better Public Services Leadership,
Professor Brad Jackson 2012, p. 38

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9. 9www.ideacreation.org

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Hierarchies and Beauracracies
“the organisation”

11. 11www.ideacreation.org

12. Networks, movements and living systems

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Leaders vs leadership?
Position of a leader vs action of leadership
Hierarchies and Networks

14. 14www.ideacreation.org
???

15. The Starfish and the Spider…
The unstoppable power of leaderless organisations
Ori Brafman and Rod Beckstrom
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Centralised Decentralised

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17. Adaptive leadership: fostering networks of self
organisation
Conditions for self organisation Leadership role
1. an attractor - motivated by 1. Explore and articulate shared vision
threat or opportunity and values
2. independent agents 2. Proactive mentoring of individuals
3. interactions with neighbours 3. Foster interaction and shared learning
4. decentralised control 4. Distribute power + decentralise control
17www.ideacreation.org

18. Machine Living organism
Hybrid?
+Efficient, reliable, ordered +innovative, responsive, open
-Inflexible, slow to respond -messy and spontaneous
18www.ideacreation.org

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Focus on growing networks of leadership
rather than individual leaders
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Adaptive leadership: fostering networks of self
organisation

21. A hybrid?

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Social labs are platforms
for addressing complex
social challenges…
- They are social.
- They are experimental.
- They are systemic.

24. Determined
collaboration
around a
compelling
purpose ignites
possibilities

25. “How can we be sure that in 5 years, we can be
even more proud of our vibrant, diverse and
resilient communities across wider Canterbury?”
(as opposed to “Do you remember how fantastic
our communities used to be in 2013?”)

27. Mapping a polarity - impacts
• Define the challenge
• Name the poles (the two extremes)
• Brainstorm the upsides & downsides of each pole
• Upsides – benefits of focusing on this value
• Downsides – harmful effects of focusing on this value to
the neglect of its pair
• Suggested order l-, r+, r-,l+
27www.thinkbeyond.co.nz

28. Healthy, Thriving Organisation
Failing Organisation
Short-term Long-term
• Continuity
• Grounded
• Consistency
• Clear core ideology
• New directions
• Expanding
possibilities
• Freedom
• Lack of freedom
• Stagnation
• No new ideas being
generated
• No continuity
• Chaotic confusion over
what is happening
andStability Change

29. Mapping a polarity - actions
• Identify early warning signs and list these in measurable
terms
• Brainstorm all the actions you could take to stay above
the line. Identify the ones that will add most leverage
and record these as action steps
• Discuss how you will use this to manage the polarity
29www.thinkbeyond.co.nz

30. Healthy, Thriving Organisation
Failing Organisation
Short-term Long-term
• Focus on what you
do well & amplify it
• Articulate what we
stand for
• Monitor key result
areas (dashboard)
• Clear targets, plans &
accountabilities
• Complaints of “being
stifled”
• No new ideas being
researched/developed
• Try lots of stuff and
keep what works
(bullets before
cannonballs)
• Celebrate
successes
• Fail safely
• Complaints of
“mixed messages”
• Complaints of things
“falling through the
cracks”
• Projects late or not
completed at all
• Ideas created but no
targeted actions
• Continuity
• Grounded
• Consistency
• Clear core ideology
• New directions
• Expanding possibilities
• Freedom
• Lack of freedom
• Stagnation
• No new ideas being
generated
• No continuity
• Chaotic confusion over
what is happening
Action Steps Action Steps
Early WarningsEarly Warnings
andStability Change

31. EDEM682 Transforming Education in Canterbury
60 principals and teachers, scoping and designing prototypes
for co-teaching, student agency, learning re-design,
community engagement etc
“A network of passionate and talented
professionals transforming education”

32. “Connecting change catalysts across a
community centred health system”

33. “Getting our city
back on its feet”

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“Connecting, growing and unleashing agents
of social change”.

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“Building collective
capacity across
the Canterbury
NGO sector to
design and
implement
collective
projects to respond
to emergent
community needs
and
opportunities.”

36. Hybrid?
36www.ideacreation.org
Prototyping a hybrid approach
1. Shift from ‘either-or’ thinking to ‘both-and’ thinking.
2. Create space by embedding emergent mechanisms into
structure
3. Build a customised learning incubator
4. Navigate and negotiate pathways for adoption of
innovation

37. Keeping in contact….
chris.jansen@canterbury.ac.nz
www.ideacreation.org
www.leadershiplab.co.nz
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