In today’s fast-paced and complex business environment, it’s an understatement to say that leaders face numerous challenges. In fact, leaders face something even more complex; they face wicked questions. Wicked questions are entangled challenges with no intuitively obvious right or wrong answer or solution. Questions that “bring to light paradoxical-yet-complementary forces that are constantly influencing behaviors.” They require leaders to navigate through two seemingly opposite but equally important dynamics; they powerfully articulate the tension between what might be obvious and what may be unstated. Wicked questions require leaders to delve deep into such situations’ complexity, uncertainty, and ambiguity. And navigating these questions necessitates insight, new ideas, and fresh ways of approaching challenges.
How To Begin
Models. Mental models are powerful frameworks created by organizational psychologists and consultants. Models offer a fresh lens through which leaders can perceive and tackle problems, engage their teams, foster learning, and inspire innovation. Here are a few ways you can use models.
I. Use Models to Enhance Understanding and Perspective
Models Help Us Reframe Challenges
Models provide alternative perspectives, enabling leaders to develop creative solutions and make thoughtful decisions. They offer a fresh lens through which leaders can uncover insights and observations that were previously overlooked.
Models Open Up and Extend Conversations
Models serve as frameworks that structure conversations, fostering deeper dives into specific aspects of a challenge or situation. They facilitate meaningful discussions, promote shared understanding, and encourage collaboration among team members.
Models Challenge Paradigms, Perspectives, and Beliefs
Models introduce alternative ways of thinking, questioning traditional assumptions, and inspiring teams to explore limiting beliefs and new possibilities. They enable leaders to challenge existing paradigms, foster innovation, and embrace change.
Practical Example: The SCARF Model
The SCARF Model, developed by David Rock, focuses on the social aspects of human behavior and provides insights into how leaders can effectively manage interpersonal interactions. It stands for Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness, and Fairness. By understanding and applying this model, leaders can identify and address potential triggers impacting employee engagement and collaboration. For example, leaders can create a positive work environment and improve overall team dynamics by ensuring fairness in decision-making processes or fostering a sense of relatedness among team members.
II. Use Models to Foster Growth, Development
Models Create Awareness
Models bring attention to patterns, dynamics, and interdependencies within organizations, identifying areas for improvement. They enhance awareness, enable us to make more informed decisions, and take targeted actions.
Models Can Normalize Emotional Situations:
Models help leaders to give context to and constructively navigate emotional situations. They provide a reference point and framework to navigate and address such situations effectively.
Models Can Facilitate and Encourage Reflection and Learning
Models encourage leaders to reflect on their actions, behaviors, and approaches, identifying areas for personal growth. By integrating models into their reflection practice, leaders can shift their behaviors to align with the desired culture they are trying to build. They foster a learning culture within organizations, promoting continuous improvement and the sharing of knowledge and best practices.
Practical Example: The Johari Window
The Johari Window model, developed by Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham, promotes self-awareness and improves interpersonal relationships. Leaders can use this model to facilitate individual and team feedback sessions, encouraging individuals to share their known strengths and weaknesses and uncover hidden aspects of their behavior. This promotes personal growth, enhances team dynamics, and builds trust.
III. Use Models to Navigate Uncertainty while Driving Positive Change, and Results
Models Build Trust and Confidence by Demonstrating Expertise
Sharing relevant models and their applications showcases leaders’ expertise and deep understanding of organizational dynamics. It builds trust among team members, fosters a culture of collaboration, and enhances overall team performance.
Models Help Navigate Uncertain and Ambiguous Situations
In times of uncertainty, models provide leaders with a structured framework to make sense of complex situations. They offer guidance, strategies, and options to navigate ambiguity, enabling leaders to make informed decisions and take calculated risks.
Models Can Reinforce Experiences and Changes:
Models help leaders reinforce positive organizational experiences and changes, strengthening desired outcomes. By referring back to models, leaders can remind teams of successful strategies, reinforce effective practices, and drive continuous improvement.
Practical Example: The Four Transitional Moments In A Change Journey
The 4 Transitional Moments in a Change Journey by Tricia Conyers and John Norcross highlights the four critical moments where a change journey often falters. It emphasizes the need for nurturing belief, commitment, courage, and resilience to successfully support individuals in moving through each transitional moment. By understanding and applying this model, change agents, leaders, and practitioners can design strategies and interventions that continually help the organization progress through the change journey.
In the face of wicked questions that demand navigating complex and seemingly opposing dynamics, leaders require tools and frameworks to inspire new ideas, deep thinking, and fresh experiments. This is where models come into play. These mental frameworks offer leaders a shift in perspective and can unleash insights to tackle challenges differently.
By embracing models, leaders can enhance understanding and perspective, foster growth and development, navigate uncertainty, and drive positive organizational change.
So the lingering question is this, are you a leader brave enough to let go of familiar ways of thinking and embrace the disruptive potential of models? Or do you prefer to cling to the comfort of your old paradigms? The choice is yours, but the consequences may shape the organization’s future.
For more model inspiration, check out the Every Little Model Podcast, available on Apple, Spotify, and most podcast streaming platforms.
Beyond Conventional Thinking: How Models Can Inspire Leadership Excellence was originally published in Every Little Model on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
