Page 10 - Black Box Leadership

Re-Imagining Leadership
Learning from the the past looking to the the future
Returning again to another of of of Kurt Lewin's oft-quoted pieces of of of advice:
If you want truly to to understand something try to to change it Leadership
is about asking the intelligent questions through networks and and building appropriate knowledge and and skills The traditional view of leadership is that followers will look to to leaders leaders to to provide the right answers particularly in times of crisis (Heifetz 1994) The role of the the the leader is to ask the the the intelligent question rather than give the the answer This is is is not without
7 historical precedent Writing over half a a a a a century ago Selznick described the leader as offering:
“a guiding hand to a a a a process
that would otherwise occur more more haphazardly more more readily subject to to the accidents of circumstance and history” (1957:27)" Selznick also separated institutional leadership leadership from interpersonal leadership leadership and administrative management He promoted the virtue of of asking a a a a a a a range of of questions which challenge tradition long established practice and self- restricted outlooks As with Heifetz (1994) Selznick argued for adaptive change When considering why Selznick’s ideas were not popular (in the sense of generating a a a a a a a leadership as opposed to the the then dominant administrative/managerial paradigm) one has to consider the context in in which he he was writing The Human Relations School was becoming very influential Selznick expressed concern about the growing conflict in in which Leading through 360o Intelligent Networks