Navigating systems change and complexity across organisations

The work environment is constantly evolving!

For many businesses, an environmental change also means a new and more nuanced set of challenges. One such challenge is the COVID-19 pandemic, which has forced leaders all over to think on their feet so their organisations can stay afloat. The disruptions caused by the pandemic have brought a unique set of complexities for all organisations. As a leader, you must learn to adapt to such changes.

To remain successful within your organisation, you must understand people and systems in general. Part of my role as an accredited Service Designer is to help leaders navigate their more complex challenges and think about the bigger picture. This is a process of engaging with different organisations, and individuals adopt a holistic view of their challenges by designing new processes, experiences and solutions.

Change normally occurs by reframing their mindset around the problems, methods for success in times of crisis that can be adapted across their ecosystems, and different models introduced across complex areas of their business to support sustainable success.

A leader’s mindset

As a leader, you’ll come across unpredictable challenges. As these challenges arise and constantly evolve, so should your way of thinking. It’s also important to consider the changes within your environment. Since you can’t always control these, you need to be aware of what you CAN control. This will help you focus on a clear vision of where you want to take your team or organisation.

There are also numerous unknown variables to factor into your decision-making. When systems change, there’s information coming in from all sides. An essential part of good leadership is understanding how to absorb and organise the information you receive. Sorting through this information will help you understand what elements of the challenge you can control so you can avoid uncertainty. It’ll help you be more decisive. You’ll be able to empower people around you to do the right thing. You’ll also become more adaptable when faced with different challenges.

Breaking down the stages of complexity

Organisational challenges often have different levels of complexity. Sometimes your issues may have a simple solution. Other times, you’ll face more nuanced problems that have no linear way of solving them. When faced with such problems, there’s always new incoming information and different aspects to consider before coming up with a solution.

Complex problems, on the other hand, are always moving. A lot of the elements involved are out of our control. Such complexities test our understanding of continuous change while simultaneously building our ability to adapt quickly. This could help us better support our teams by encouraging collaboration as we brainstorm ideas. In so doing, we will help each other to grow, largely to the benefit of the organisation.

“As a leader, can you think about a time where you have faced a complex problem which was hard to solve?”

Good leaders should surround themselves with a team that has the necessary skills to understand and adapt to the arising complexities. As leaders, we need to be open to ideas and be accepting when people challenge us. Thinking that we’re always right can hinder our success as leaders and the success of our organisations. It’s important to create an environment that relies on and supports people thinking differently.

Complex issues have several different moving pieces at a time, and there’s no one simple answer. It is always important to find moments to have a healthy environment where you can continuously have debates around the issues.

Types of intelligence key to thriving as a leader

There are six types of intelligence that each leader must possess. These are cognitive intelligence (IQ), emotional intelligence (EQ), resilience quotient (RQ), political intelligence (PQ), moral intelligence (MQ), and adaptability quotient (AQ).

Cognitive and emotional intelligence are the most popular of the six intelligence types. We need to know when to apply or merge these intelligence types. Empathy is especially essential when working with a diverse group of people who act and think differently.

As a leader, your resilience quotient is also essential. You need to think about what you stand for and manage your resilience. As you get into more senior management positions and learn to manage your resilience levels, you’ll ensure that there’s a good chance. Moreover, you’ll understand complexity over time.

When you’re in a complex environment with different structures and people reporting to each other, you also need to understand political change. If you have political intelligence, you’ll be better equipped to deal with issues involving stakeholder engagement. Sometimes, as a senior leader, you need to use your political intelligence to enable your juniors or peers to do the right things.

Moral intelligence can get quite tricky, especially when you’re involved with several stakeholders. There are so many different nuances you need to consider because everyone has a slightly different need. As a result, it can be difficult to figure out who you’re supposed to serve. The Adaptability quotient is key to developing models that can help you and your organisation succeed.

Methods to thrive in times of crisis

How do you create spaces where people can really think about how they can be their best in the workplace and their environment? And how can you show compassion for others?

When facing complex issues, different elements can impact how you solve those challenges. These issues make it necessary to understand your surroundings, as well as prevalent community challenges. To ensure this, you need to have better conversations with your community by managing your networks wisely.

Your networks are always evolving. One of the main keys to successfully managing your networks is building reciprocity. It’s about thinking of what you can give to others instead of always taking. You need to maintain a balance of empowerment within your network.

You also need to understand different organisational relationships. In so doing, you’ll be able to develop friendships where there’s mutual support. Essentially, you and your friends can invest in each other’s growth.

It’s equally important to share resources and knowledge through partnerships. Healthy relationships allow vulnerability in that the leadership can ebb and flow, and there isn’t just one leader. In this instance, you build a higher level of trust.

Models for getting past complexities

• Known Knowns — If you have a complex project, you need to think about the things that you know to be true.
• Known unknowns — You need to know which aspects of the project will require more research on your part.
• Unknown knowns — You also need to be aware of things that can be seen by external parties and learn how you can get out and access that information.
• Unknown unknowns — This model requires more detailed research into your complex project. The analysis will help you determine what you need to do to discover the right opportunities for your organisation.

How do we go through change?

Daniel advises taking a step back to frame the problem in order to understand the context, key players, and complexity of the system. He further adds these requirements for system change:

1. Framing the system — Setting the boundaries of your system in space and time and identifying the hypothetical parts and relationships.

2. Listening to the system — Listening to the experiences of people and discovering how the interactions lead to the system’s behaviour. Verifying the initial hypotheses.

3. Understanding the system — Seeing how the variables and interactions influence the dynamics and emergent behaviour. Identifying the leverage points to work with.

4. Defining the desired future — Helping the stakeholders articulate the common desired future and the intended value creation.

5. Exploring the possibility space — Exploring possible ideas for intervening on the leverage points. Empowering the ideas by working with the paradoxes in the system.

6. Designing the intervention model — Defining the engine for change and its variations. Iterating by envisioning its implementation in different contexts.

7. Fostering the transition — Defining how the interventions will mature, grow and finally be adopted in the system.

Change comes in working together rather than working by yourself. As humans, we’re wired to survive in groups. It’s a core piece of our success. So, the main key to a seamless systems change is maintaining coherence within your teams.