What are the characteristics of adaptive leadership and how can they be applied to program management?
Learn from the community’s knowledge. Experts are adding insights into this AI-powered collaborative article, and you could too.
This is a new type of article that we started with the help of AI, and experts are taking it forward by sharing their thoughts directly into each section.
If you’d like to contribute, request an invite by liking or reacting to this article. Learn more
— The LinkedIn Team
Adaptive leadership is a style of leadership that enables leaders to respond effectively to complex and changing situations. It involves empowering and engaging followers, experimenting and learning, and embracing uncertainty and diversity. In this article, you will learn about the characteristics of adaptive leadership and how they can be applied to program management.
Adaptive leadership is a framework developed by Ronald Heifetz and Marty Linsky at Harvard University. It is based on the idea that leaders need to adapt their behaviors and strategies according to the context and challenges they face. Adaptive leadership is not a set of traits or skills, but a way of thinking and acting that helps leaders mobilize people to tackle tough problems and thrive.
-
Varun Anand - PfMP/PMP/ CSM /PMI-ACP
Co-founder of EduHubSpot | Building a Legacy in Project Management Education | Mastering PMP can be done anywhere, Here Practical Side of Project Management Finds Its Home
Adaptive leadership as the name states is TO ADAPT to a certain situation or scenario. It doesn't matter if you are a project or program or portfolio manager, adaptive leadership applies to everybody. Everybody have to adapt to certain situations which are good for their project/program/portfolio.
20
-
John Rosario
Creative Problem Solver | Collaborative Leader | Lifelong Learner
Adaptive leadership is a necessity in so many areas within the workplace and life in general. It’s especially vital when incorporating large scale change across an organization. We can’t advance our organizations without being bold and taking calculated risk. In order to be effective, leaders need to be able to clearly communicate that there will be unknowns and that we need to embrace the uncomfortable.
6
Program management is the process of managing multiple interrelated projects that contribute to a larger strategic goal. Program managers face many uncertainties, ambiguities, and conflicts that require them to constantly adjust their plans and expectations. They also need to coordinate and communicate with various stakeholders, teams, and sponsors who have different perspectives and interests. Adaptive leadership can help program managers navigate these complexities and foster a culture of innovation and collaboration.
-
Melanie Glennon
VP Quality & Regulatory Affairs | Enabling Innovation & Elevated Customer Success through Additive Manufacturing
Adaptive leadership is a critical lever in navigating program management. It is having the forethought that your original plan will not survive your first big battle or challenge, and to set milestones to take “tactical pauses” and do “After Action Reviews” for continuous learning and pivoting as necessary to see through to the goal. And also have the awareness for the team to be empowered to stop or pause as needed along with way. For this to work, there needs to be a foundation of trust in the team, as well a clear leadership expectations and success factors.
5
-
Michael Boyle
Giving without expectations is pure liberation!
For a Program Manager, adaptiveness and ambidexterity are indispensable skills in navigating the dynamic terrain of modern business operations. The business landscape presents constant challenges and unforeseen changes. As a Program Manager, your role is to orchestrate complex initiatives that frequently encompass diverse teams and multifaceted tasks. In addition, you must deftly juggle the pursuit of innovative ideas and the efficient use of existing resources to attain your program's objectives. By embracing these qualities, you have the ability to pivot strategies and tactics as circumstances demand, maintaining equilibrium and focus amid the chaos, and ultimately securing the triumphant execution of your projects and programs.
4
Applying adaptive leadership to program management involves four core practices: diagnose, intervene, energize, and reflect. Diagnosing the situation involves identifying the problem, stakeholders, resources, and adaptive challenges. Intervening requires designing and implementing actions to address the challenges and generate learning. Energizing involves motivating stakeholders to participate in the process and overcome resistance. Reflecting means monitoring and evaluating outcomes, learning from successes and failures, and adapting strategies accordingly. Program managers can use tools such as stakeholder analysis, SWOT analysis, prototyping, pilot testing, vision, storytelling, recognition, coaching, mentoring, delegation, feedback loops, lessons learned, after-action reviews, self-awareness, mindfulness, and emotional intelligence to carry out these practices.
-
Michael Boyle
Giving without expectations is pure liberation!
To achieve adaptiveness and ambidexterity as a Program Manager, you should: 1. Commit to continuous learning and skill development. 2. Foster clear and open communication with your team and stakeholders. 3. Embrace agile methodologies for iterative development. 4. Proactively identify and manage risks. 5. Allocate resources effectively for both exploitation and exploration. 6. Build diverse, cross-functional teams. 7. Use data and analytics to inform decisions. 8. Develop multiple scenarios for potential changes. 9. Be skilled in change management practices. 10. Cultivate a flexible mindset and adapt quickly to new information or events.
4
-
Vivek Rautela, PMP®
Program & Project Management | Leadership | Scrum | Agile | Collaborative Catalyst & CloudOps Expert
It involves staying agile, embracing change, and continuously assessing evolving project needs. Effective leaders foster a culture of flexibility, encourage open communication, and empower teams to make adaptive decisions in response to shifting priorities and challenges, ultimately ensuring program success
2
Adaptive leadership can bring many benefits for program management, such as improving the quality and effectiveness of solutions by incorporating diverse perspectives and feedback, enhancing the agility and resilience of the program by enabling faster and more flexible responses to changes and uncertainties, increasing the engagement and commitment of stakeholders by involving them in the problem-solving and decision-making process, developing the capabilities and capacities of followers and teams by fostering a learning and growth mindset, as well as creating a positive and supportive culture by promoting trust, collaboration, and innovation.
-
Terry Wilson
Sr System Administrator
The real benefits to adaptive leadership is recognizing the reward of practicing general principles and concepts of leadership styles which objectively provide a team capability for you as a Manager be able to direct a team or teams toward any designed Management objective or goal to completion with remarkable success. To me the real trick is being able to navigate the team and team dynamics, understanding all the team players and being flexible enough to know not all followers are cut from the same cutter. Each individual player on your team will react differently to your form of communication, leadership style, and actions. Your adaptive leadership skills/styles must be in tune with those you lead both directly and indirectly.
2
-
Vita Tolstikova
Founder&cwner at A.V.T. Companies group
Adaptive leadership empowers you to manage effectively. #Trust. Interaction. #Feedback. Team optimization. #Expertise. The benefits of adaptive leadership for #programmanagement.
1
Adaptive leadership can bring challenges for program management, such as having to face the risks and uncertainties of trying new solutions, dealing with conflicts and tensions from different opinions and interests, managing expectations and demands of sponsors and senior leaders who might prefer stability, balancing autonomy and accountability for followers and teams, and coping with the stress of leading in complex, changing environments.
-
Michael Boyle
Giving without expectations is pure liberation!
As a Program Manager, achieving adaptiveness and ambidexterity is crucial for success in a rapidly changing business landscape. However, there are several challenges to overcome, including resistance to change, resource constraints, complex decision-making, overemphasis on efficiency, risk management, team dynamics, scalability, competing priorities, leadership alignment, data and analytics challenges, and sustainability.
3
-
Visakh R J
PMP Trainer | Ex EY (Big 4) | PMI- PMP® ATP(Authorized Training Partner) Trainer
One time at work, I faced the challenge of integrating adaptive leadership into program management. In my experience, initiating a stakeholder analysis using PESTLE and TECOP frameworks provided clarity amid uncertainties. One thing I've found helpful is emphasizing a VUCA mindset to navigate complexities. Integrating these tools equips leaders to not only identify challenges but also turn them into opportunities for growth and success.
3
-
Michael Boyle
Giving without expectations is pure liberation!
A Program Manager needs to be adaptive and ambidextrous to effectively navigate a VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous) environment. This enables them to respond to volatility, handle uncertainty, tackle complex problems, navigate ambiguity, manage risks, foster a culture of continuous learning and improvement, plan for multiple scenarios, and establish effective communication with the team and stakeholders. These qualities are invaluable in ensuring that programs remain resilient, adaptable, and ultimately successful in the face of the unpredictable challenges posed by a VUCA environment.
5
-
Jerhmie Zacarias, MS
PMP®, PRINCE2, Senior Program Manager | Coloring in the Greys of Business and IT
Adaptive leadership in program management calls for self-awareness, navigating ambiguity, a learning mindset, building relationships, resilience, and empathy. Program managers must adapt, collaborate, and innovate while understanding their strengths and limitations. They should be agile in adjusting strategies, fostering continuous improvement, and displaying perseverance. Building strong relationships and empathizing with stakeholders fosters engagement and success in complex environments. By embodying these characteristics, program managers can effectively steer programs and drive positive outcomes.