This exercise was a great visual for showing how the more
complex a situation is, the less leadership and direction one really
needs. I feel like this is a concept,
that when seen visual, makes a lot of sense; however, I would have never
thought of less leadership in more complex situations until seeing this
visual. After seeing the visual and
reading about complex situations, I agree that less is more in these situations
as long as a few set principles are in place, as Obolensky notes.
Chaos theory studies the behavior of dynamic systems that
are sensitive to different conditions.
Knowing this, a situation that is sensitive to additional support could
definitely become more chaotic with the presence of more leadership. In situations like the experiment provided,
chaos works itself out faster than if there were intervention. I feel like this is true because chaos is
something that an individual cannot solve on their own faster than it solving
itself because the individual is spending more time trying to problem solve
everyone’s problem, whereas the individuals involved are all focusing on their
own problem, which in turn helps to solve the big chaotic problem faster.
In order for this scenario to play out correctly, a few set
principles need to be in place. A clear
individual objective needs to be established first and foremost. If all the individuals participating in the
experiment know what their objective is in the beginning, then each individual
is working toward the same goal, just taking a different path to get
there. Second, a few basic rules need to
be in place so that boundaries are established and the chaos in controlled in a
smaller area. Third, it is important to
establish continuous feedback. Obolensky
notes “every individual knows at any time where they are in relationship to
achieving their objective…and are able to interpret the data they see.” (Obolensky, 2010) It is important to make sure that there is a
balance between what the individual’s understanding of the process and your
expectations. Next, it is crucial that
each participant has not only the skill to participate, but also the will. Skill is necessary in that they need to be
capable of completeling the task at hand, if they are unable to, then the
experiment is not as relevant for them.
If they have the skill, but lack the will, then there will be an unwillingness
to try or care. It is also important to
allow for freedom of action. In a
chaotic environment with a few set rules, it’s important to allow the
participants to let it play out naturally.
In order to do this, the participants need to be allowed to use their
own discretion and judgment to make the decisions that they make. Having an
underlying purpose is similar to having a goal.
Making sure everyone has their own reasons for wanting to be a part of
the experiment and that they are able to achieve something from this experiment
is important because it gives them an opportunity to develop an action plan and
then play out that plan and analyze the results. Finally, allowing for ambiguity and
uncertainty is important – it allows each participant to problem solve and
think critically in their own way to help solve the overall problem at
hand. Without this, there would no
flow.
Overall, this experiment was a really fun, eye opening
experience. It’s a simple, yet complex
idea that sometimes, as a leader, it is important to let the chips fall where
they may and let it work itself out.
When indivbiduals share these principles discussed earlier, it is quite
surprising what they are capable of doing on their own in a very fast amount of
time. If one single individual attempted
to fix the chaotic situation, it would have been a struggle to problem solves
each individual’s task, underlying purpose, and goal.
Obolensky,
N. (2010). Complex adaptive leadership embracing paradox and
uncertainty. Farnham, Surrey: Gower.
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