Contemporary Theory

Adaptive Leadership

“Leadership that engagesthe environment basedon situational factors.”

– Dr. Leonard Wong

“The process that organisms follow if they are

going to survive and thrive.” “The practice of mobilizing groups of people to

tackle tough challenges and thrive.” The ability to anticipate and implement a

broad-based plan where reacting comes first followed by evaluating the results rather than gathering information then analyzing before acting.

What it is…

Several studies have described an adaptive leader as: Having strong conceptual skills Must be ready to adapt to constant change Constantly learning new skills Quick and precise in decision making Reacting to the immediate situation in an intelligent

manner understanding any risks involved Adaptive capacity measures the leader’s quality of

responding quickly and intelligently to constant change and determines their aptitude of being able to distinguish and act when opportunities are present

Characteristics…

Soldiers always need to be able to think on their feet and be ready to take action at any moment

In any scenario they must be able to respond quickly and intelligently

Ex: The troop leader sees a grenade land near them and immediately yells out to jump away and take cover. As the grenade explodes the leader tells the troop to have their weapons armed and ready before getting into formation to be prepared for an enemy assault. This shows how the troop leader uses quick thinking to adapt to the current situation.

Where it can be used…

"Adaptive Leadership." Adaptive Leadership.

Web. 27 Mar. 2013. Heifetz, Ron. "Adaptive Leadership." 23 July

2011. Web. 27 Mar. 2013. Wolinski, Steve. "The Adaptive Leadership

Theory.” 24 Oct. 2011. Web. 27 Mar. 2013. Wong, Leonard. "Adaptive Leadership Theory.”

12 July 2012. Web. 27 Mar. 2013.

Resources