No More Heroes: a Model of Distributed Leadership

1. Sensemaking – Understanding the Operational Context

Sensemaking – a term devised by organizational psychologist Karl Weick – describes our efforts to understand the world around us. For leaders this means constantly scanning the organization’s internal and external environment, identifying likely opportunities and threats, and mapping out a direction based on the organization’s goals.

While easy to describe, sensemaking is much harder to do. It requires the ability to take on board many different ideas and perspectives at once, balance changing and conflicting priorities, and to filter out irrelevant background ‘noise’.

Ancona et al. cite Andy Grove of Intel as a great sensemaker. Intel is the world’s largest semiconductor company, and has long been at the forefront of microprocessor technology. Here’s how Grove describes the process of sensemaking for him:

‘None of us have a real understanding of where we are heading. I don't. I have senses about it. But decisions don't wait; investment decisions or personal decisions don't wait for that picture to be clarified. You have to make them when you have to make them.’ [3]

Leaders who are good at making sense of the world around them tend to:

• thrive on complexity and are continually open to new possibilities
• gather information from a wide range of stakeholders
• benchmark their understanding against multiple perspectives
• test their assumptions before committing to a particular course of action

2. Relating – Building Relationships Within and Between Organizations

The traditional notion of leadership was concerned with absolute power and control. Consultation was rare, and even then would only involve the leader’s closest advisors. Fast-forward to today’s knowledge economy. As organizations become increasingly decentralized, a leader’s ability to build trusting relationships and networks is key.

Ancona et al. believe that there are three key ways to build such relationships. These are through:

• Inquiring, i.e. the leader seeks to understand issues from others’ points of view.
• Advocating, whereby the leader explains the thought processes behind their conclusions and decisions.
• Connecting, which involves building networks of people the leader can rely on to support their initiatives, help them solve problems and achieve their goals.

Leaders who are strong in relating tend to:

• show considerable empathy with others
• encourage others to voice their opinions
• strike a good balance between inquiring and advocating
• explain the reasoning behind their ideas to gain trust and buy-in from others
• have a strong support network around them

3. Visioning – Creating a Compelling Vision for the Future

Recent history gives us plenty of examples of leaders with an inspiring vision – Steve Jobs of Apple, Pierre Omidyar of eBay and Anita Roddick of The Body Shop to name but a few.

Organizations need leaders with visioning skills to create a compelling picture of the future, and help employees make sense of their day to day work.

Ancona et al. assert that ‘like sensemaking, visioning is dynamic and collaborative, a process of articulating what the members of an organization want to create together.’ [4]

Visioning was used in post-apartheid South Africa to help bring the opposing political factions and social perspectives together in order to achieve a common vision of South Africa’s future. The country’s leaders started by focusing on collective sensemaking, before using scenario planning in a year-long visioning process. Where previously the ANC, the Pan African Congress and white representatives agreed on little, this visioning process helped unearth a strong sense of collective responsibility, and a shared optimism about South Africa’s future.

Leaders with a flair for visioning are good at:

• using stories and metaphors to explain what the future will be like
• creating an air of infectious enthusiasm
• developing a shared vision that has meaning for everyone
• attracting the right people to help them deliver their vision

4. Inventing – Developing New Ways to Achieve the Vision

Without actions to back them up, visions are mere flights of fancy. That’s why great entrepreneurs often have a trusted second in command who gets less of the glory but who will make the great ideas happen. Meg Whitman of eBay is a typical case in point. Until Whitman arrived at eBay, the company, though successful, was little more than an online flea market. By addressing security issues and using its traders’ knowledge to diversify its offering, Whitman has helped Omidyar to transform eBay into the place to sell pretty much anything, from iPods to real estate.

Leaders who are strong on inventiveness are likely to:

• question ‘the way things have always been done around here’
• encourage creative approaches to problem-solving and change
• try new ways of working, e.g. establishing new processes and networks
• consistently generate and implement new ideas

A Question of Balance

Leaders need to exercise each of the four core capabilities described, although Ancona et al. believe that a typical leader will show particular strength in just one or two capabilities. By choosing key people with strengths that complement rather than mirror their own, and encouraging the distribution of knowledge and responsibility across the organization, leaders can build flexible and robust organizations.

‘It’s the leader’s responsibility to create an environment that lets people complement one another’s strengths and offset one another’s weaknesses.’ [5]

Ancona et al. believe their distributed leadership framework is equally relevant and applicable to teams and organizations as it is to individuals, and can be used to identify strengths, weaknesses and any skills gaps that may exist.

Whilst they acknowledge their framework is somewhat simplistic, they believe it broadly reflects the practical and creative skills required to lead today’s organizations.

Conclusion

‘In today’s world, the executive’s job is no longer to command and control but to cultivate and co-ordinate the actions of others at all levels of the organization.’ [6]

Organizations and the markets in which they operate have become so complex and changeable that it is impossible for their leaders to have all the answers. This in no way reflects their abilities as leaders. The leaders who will struggle are those who still buy in to the myth of the flawless leader. The organizations that will thrive will have at the top leaders who understand and focus on what they do best, and who distribute leadership throughout the organization to ensure their company has the skills it needs to take on its competitors.