Technological disruption

Social media, the internet of things (IoT), big data, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and many more technological disruptors are present in our daily lives. Shoshana Zuboff (2019)¹ talks about the emergence of ‘surveillance capitalism’: how personal data has become commoditised by mass surveillance of the internet to the extent that it, together with other elements, like AI, almost replaces human labour as the key asset of businesses. For many organisations and societies, data has become of primary importance. To paraphrase Vladimir Putin² (2017), “The nation that controls artificial intelligence will control the world.” Business ‘as usual’ is gone forever.

The availability of data and advances in AI have accelerated decision-making: sometimes taking it out of the hands of leaders.

These various technological disruptions have a continuing impact on our social and cultural lives. Values are shifting as we learn to reconnect with each other in new ways. Klaus Schwab (2017)³ of the World Economic Forum said, “the Fourth Industrial Revolution brought us to a place where we have to reconsider what it means to be human.” We add to this imperative the need to rethink the place and role of leadership, and leader’s ability to deal with paradoxes in a more agile way.

On the one hand, technology challenges how we work and live together, but on the other hand it is helping: how would we have coped during the coronavirus pandemic without the internet, social media and the IoT?

Social disruption

As well as being affected by technological disruption, social disruption has its own dynamics. A fundamental human paradox that impacts the way we work and our leadership is our human need for belonging and our need for freedom. As human beings we are social animals. We like to feel involved and be part of things and yet we have a strong need for self-expression and self-determination.

While the twentieth century will go down in history as the culmination of the age of liberation and individual expression, the twenty-first century is witnessing the return of a need for belonging and connectedness.

Hence the success of social media and the rise of what has been called Generation C – the connected generation. Information travels far and fast, boosting the development of our collective consciousness.

Another paradox is the tension between human desire for stability and continuity on the one hand, and our need for change and innovation on the other. We have a need to conserve our world, clinging to our traditions and values of the past, and on the other hand we are curious about a new future.

Natural disruption

The consumerist culture that drives the major economies of the world has had an almost irreversible impact on nature. For years we have been observing the consequences of global warming and the over-exploitation of our natural resources. According to IPCC (2014)⁴ scientists and climate change experts say that this will lead to:

• Extremely high temperatures

• Sea levels rising 1–4 feet by 2100

• Ocean acidification affecting marine organisms

• Heavier rainfall, hurricanes, storm and floods

• Melting of snow and ice caps which could release catastrophic levels of methane gases creating run away climate change

Within these crises, another paradox has become a massive focus area in the world today – how to achieve economic prosperity, whilst protecting the planet? The United Nations has rightfully urged countries and businesses of the world to follow the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to promote prosperity while protecting the planet. They recognise that ending poverty must go hand-in-hand with strategies that build economic growth and address a range of social needs including education, health, social protection and job opportunities, whilst tackling climate change and environmental protection.

However, it is not only the macro challenges that call for action, but micro phenomena like the invisible Covid-19 virus are also having a significant impact on our macro-economics. As we write, we are in lockdown isolation which makes us deeply aware of the natural disruptions that face us in the twenty-first century.

Perhaps Mother Earth is reacting to the thoughtlessness and lack of consideration of human beings?

COVID-19 has put into vivid focus the vulnerability and the capacity for innovation in our socio-cultural ecosystems. Fear of contamination has put people worldwide into isolation, and surprisingly innovative ways of connecting and working together have emerged. For example, companies that resisted staff working from home for years have changed their policies over a weekend. Now they are discovering that people are more productive working without the constant interruptions of office life. On top of that they are saving travel and accommodation costs and giving Mother Nature a chance to get her breath back! Many organisations are now sensing a need to relook at their leadership approach and competency frameworks as their assumptions about home working, empowerment, trust and collaboration are being fundamentally challenged.

Letting go of traditional recipes

In the face of the current uncertainties, most leaders will feel a level of fear – not to do so would be irresponsible. Yet in periods of uncertainty, leaders need curiosity and the confidence to seek new opportunities, explore different solutions and look for positive steps rather than resorting to allocating blame or being frozen into inaction. We describe this curiosity as ‘seeking for diamonds in the dust’ of disruption. This book is written for leaders who are curious: curiosity enables one to find these diamonds and to learn – and learning is essential to leadership.

To paraphrase Einstein,⁵ “We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”

Ego, eco and intuitive leadership intelligence

We believe people are looking for leaders who can shape the future but not get stuck in their own definitions and visions (ego intelligence). They also want leaders who can see and tune into opportunities beyond the ordinary and delight them with extraordinary ideas (intuitive intelligence). And they look for leaders who can listen to and integrate other peoples’ thoughts and ideas, valuing everyone’s contribution (eco intelligence).

Why intelligence? For us (the authors) intelligence refers to our sense-making ability or ability to create meaning and solve problems. We as humans do this differently to other mammals, machines and AI. Our intelligence is impacted by our ego needs and emotions, by our identification with the bigger ecosystems we belong to and the quantum world of which we are part. As humans, we are able to identify and connect with three fundamental ways of making sense of the world which we translate into and link to the three forms of intelligence.

First, our ego intelligence.

The ego shapes our sense of unique identity, boundaries, ethics and separation in the world or workplace (who I am as separate from you).

Our ego includes our self-esteem or self-importance. Many see the ego as selfish; however, our research found that a mature ego (when we are self-aware and able to manage it appropriately) is a good thing.

The ego brings a sense of certainty and right versus wrong, and it enables leaders to set clear boundaries of what to do and how to do it.

This allows them to shape the future and nudge their organisation into action with focus and speed. When used appropriately and constructively in complex organisations, the ego has a valuable role to play in bringing a single-mindedness for shaping the future, overcoming obstacles and ‘making things happen.’ We refer to leaders strong in ego intelligence as Shapers.

Second, our intuitive intelligence. This allows leaders to reach beyond their experience and default programmes into the unseen, non-rational, non-material realm which enables them to see new ways of solving problems. As Steve Jobs⁶ said, “Some people say, ‘Give the customers what they want.’ But that’s not my approach. Our job is to figure out (sense) what they’re going to want before they do.”

Intuitive solutions are not based on past data: they bring fresh insights based on non-linear thinking. It is a way of taking unexpected information and feeding our analytical and rational thinking with subtle creative perceptions and new ideas.

Intuition manifests itself as non-rational deep knowing, in our dreams, as flashes of insight or gut feelings that are often fresh and surprising.

The more uncertain the world of work becomes, the more leaders need to develop their own intuition, and make room for intuitive abilities of others in their organisations. It is directly linked to entrepreneurship, courage and risk taking in an organisation. Intuition enables leaders to ‘sense into’ a situation and know what is needed, but more importantly, ‘sensing beyond’ the boundaries of a situation to bring fresh perspectives and insights, and connecting the dots in new and innovative ways. We refer to leaders with a strong intuitive intelligence as Sensors.

Third, our eco intelligence. This is the ability to see ourselves in relation to and connected with others within our ecosystem – for example, leaders feeling a strong resonance and identity with the entire organisational ecosystem or planetary concerns versus their own ego needs. They have the ability to work between and across boundaries.

They apply ‘matrix’ or ‘integrative’ thinking which are the abilities to extract value from diverse ideas or models presented by diverse groups of people and technologies.

They can leverage the interdependencies to create something new from existing and often opposing ideas. They create the necessary freedom and psychological safety to stimulate honest and generative dialogue and the emergence of new thinking between stakeholders – in other words, the capacity to ‘allow things to happen.’ We refer to leaders strong in eco intelligence leaders as Integrators.

Agility is key

Way back in 2010, the IBM report⁷ Capitalizing on Complexity highlighted that leaders need to be able to deal with complexity and change continuously: they need to be agile and swift. Creativity was identified as the single most important capability. The McKinsey report of 2017⁸ ‘Jobs Lost, Jobs Gained, Workforce Transitions in a Time of Automation’ once again highlighted the need for agility. It pointed out that agility involves being dynamic and stable simultaneously. This implies holding a paradox, something that leaders with an ‘either-or’ mindset find difficult. The McKinsey report confirmed that leaders and organisational units which had embraced agile ways of functioning significantly outperformed other non-agile units on a significant number of criteria.

Our research found that the three intelligences are like interdependent strands of DNA. We suggest that effective agile leadership is a healthy integration of the three intelligences, bringing coherence between them without diluting each one’s contribution. Organisations require all three for different reasons and in different contexts.

The key to success lies in the leader’s ability to know what is called for ‘in the moment’ and then being agile enough to bring the most appropriate form of leadership.

This need for a leadership blend within an organisation highlights the importance of distributed or shared leadership. Rather than expecting a single leader to have equally strong ego, eco and intuitive capabilities, it may be more realistic to allow leaders to stay true to themselves within their stage of development and then to ensure that all three capabilities are contained within the leadership team as a whole unit.

But how does the journey to such agility unfold? What development process might an individual or organisation embark on in order to make the most of the three intelligences?

Can caterpillars fly? A journey of personal transformation

We liken the development of a leader (in the nicest possible way!) to that of a caterpillar transforming itself into a butterfly.

Metaphorically, if one asked a caterpillar to fly, it may imagine putting wings onto its little fat body. Flying, however, involves a lot more than adding some wings - it requires a process of transformation.

Leaders must be willing to accept the inevitable discomfort (and rewards) of a journey of profound learning – because learning and transformation are synonymous with leading.

Inside a caterpillar there are cells that biologists call ‘imaginal cells.’ These cells carry the DNA of the butterfly. They are regarded as enemies of the status quo: the caterpillar’s immune system fights them. They contain the DNA of the butterfly and carry a new message which they start sharing with each other. This culminates in the imaginal cells clumping together. They start to self-organise into clusters that contain the genes of the different parts of the butterfly. As the caterpillar’s immune system fails to overpower them, they grow inside the chrysalis to become a butterfly.

In every person and every organisation, we find imaginal cells containing new ways of thinking and working. At an organisational level, they may initially be regarded with amusement or suspicion, but if they keep growing, the organisation’s immune system will fight them. This prevents organisational transformation – it is the antithesis of agility. The same is true for the individual.

Leaders make choices. Some hold on to the recipes of the past success in order to preserve and protect their organisation from intruders that are misaligned with ‘the way we do things around here.’ Some try to pacify the imaginal cells, suggesting we should try to fly by adding some of their ideas as ‘wings’ to the current structures. When the wings cannot lift the body, they say, ‘I told you it would never work!’ Other leaders may consider the new ideas with genuine curiosity and wisdom, exploring the value of the imaginal cells and allowing them to clump and cluster. They monitor their growth, and when the time is right, they have the courage to release the past and embrace a new way: allowing the wings to come from within, to restructure the feet and the body and all the other organs required to relate to the world.

This is also true in individuals. We all need to be open to challenge our own assumptions and beliefs in order to learn, develop and transform ourselves. Fear, arrogance and an absence of curiosity stop us learning fully. ‘Busyness’ is a great way to avoid asking ourselves challenging questions that could lead to greater self-understanding.

Some leaders are suspicious, some are curious. Some cling to the past, while others let the future emerge through a process of co-creation. Some hold their power tightly through command and control. Some empower others, enabling those around them to be creative and express themselves within the context of their organisation. What kind of leader are you?

This book is about switching on the imaginal cells in leaders and their teams.

It is for those who dream of something bigger: who want to thrive rather than survive in their organisations immune systems.

Notes

1. 1 Zuboff, S. (2019) The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, Profile Books Ltd, London.

2. 2 Putin, V. (2017) The Verge, Vox Publishing LLC, https://www.theverge.com/2017/9/4/16251226/russia-ai-putin-rule-the-world

   “Artificial intelligence is the future, not only for Russia, but for all humankind,” said Putin, reports RT. “It comes with colossal opportunities, but also threats that are difficult to predict. Whoever becomes the leader in this sphere will become the ruler of the world.”

3. 3 Schaub, K. (2017) The Fourth Industrial Revolution, Blackwell, Hoboken, NJ.

4. 4 Hutchins, G. and Storm, L. (2019) Regenerative Leadership, Wordzworth, Tunbridge Wells.

5. 5 Einstein, Albert (1969) The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, Association of Transpersonal Psychology, Palo Alto, CA, Vols. 1–4, p. 124.

   The world that we have made as a result of the level of thinking we have done thus far creates problems that we cannot solve at the same level as the level we created them at.

6. 6 https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/988332-some-people-say-give-the-customers-what-they-want-but

7. 7 IBM report (2010) Capitalizing on Complexity, IBM Global Business Services, Somers, NY, https://www.ibm.com/downloads/cas/1VZV5X8J

8. 8 McKinsey & Company Report Jobs lost, jobs gained (November 2017): What the future of work will mean for jobs, skills, and wages. Retrieved from https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/future-of-work/jobs-lost-jobs-gained-what-the-future-of-work-will-mean-for-jobs-skills-and-wages