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What can you do to adapt to the increasing complexity of information and have an effect on the powerful demand of change?

The Flood of Transformation

Organisational systems, as well as normal life routines, are becoming increasingly complicated due to the involvement of more sophisticated information and communication technologies. The powerful demand of change, like a violent flood of water, has dictated transformation. In the context of increasing complexity in our social life, which is incorporated with many challenges, what kind of leadership style should be adopted to catch up with the pace of change and dynamism of transformation, in an organisation regarding 'leadership'-requirements for organisational management?

In this 21st century era of globalism, there remains an ongoing challenge within organisations and individuals, to access up-to-date information and common knowledge worldwide. The existing 'equilibrium' is too delicate to be handled appropriately. The managerial requirements for organisational systems are becoming more important every day due to the increased dynamic nature of interactions and interconnectedness within system entities and functions, while the amount of resources, revenues, incomes, etc. is attenuating in contrast.

Transformative Leadership and Divergent Thinking

There is no doubt that today's leaders are burdened with an additional responsibility of dealing with the challenges of such a complex environment. The impacts of increased interactions and interconnectedness among the system entities and functions, improving technology, changing environmental conditions, increasing situational awareness as well as social, cultural and economic transformations, have imposed great challenges for leaders and managers. So, unless one has an effects-based and realistic vision, which is fostered by "Divergent Thinking" potential, achieving transformation in an organisation should be challenging.

Promoting diversity and encouraging different ideas should be the requisites of an environment that supports both training of "transformative" leaders and transformation of the organisation. To generate new ideas and projects, everybody should have a chance to travel freely on different trajectories without any structural or hierarchical pressure, within the limits of professional ethics.

Due to emergent requirements, people who lead in any organisation need to be active and cautious to perceive and interpret what is going on. They require the capability and authority to initiate and supervise all preventive actions or measures in advance for the organisation to succeed. In this regard, "Transformative Leadership" should be promoted through many different leadership styles to manage the challenges that exist in the complex organisational systems. Promoting diversity and encouraging different ideas should be the requisites of an environment that supports both training of "transformative" leaders and transformation of the organisation. To generate new ideas and projects, everybody should have a chance to travel freely on different trajectories without any structural or hierarchical pressure, within the limits of professional ethics.

The Need for a Holistic Vision

"Divergent Thinking" is thought of as a gifted virtue fostering innovative ideas, when it is actually a methodology through which new correlations are established between new terms, objects or functions. It accelerates the tempo of the organisation, motivates personnel performance and intrigues entrepreneurs for new opportunities.

Innovative initiatives and dynamism of divergent thinking would be invaluable for current and future leaders to shape and tune-up a changing environment. To that end, the leader of organisational transformation should possess a holistic vision, evolved through Systemic Thinking or Systems, while maintaining the potential to motivate individuals and teams.

Considering the fact that everyone has the potential to possess this type of thinking, the exploration of Divergent Thinking is encouraged.

11 Steps for Transformative Leaders to Think Different

1. Invest in your personal strengths, not shortcomings.
2. Establish an adaptable learning environment with a mild climate.
3. Coach people with empathy.
4. Think big.
5. Periodically reset the ambience of the living environment in a different way.
6. Be skeptic, question everything and keep the will to 'think different' as much as you can within the limits of time, energy and resources.
7. Make 'Reverse Planning' and develop 'Effects-Based' courses of action.
8. Utilise simple things to make you feel optimistic and positive.
9. Never underestimate the power of imagination. To boost the momentum of the system you are dealing with, try to imagine putting different things, objects, entities, functions, etc. together in a different way to generate new compositions.
10. Let evolutionary change happen in the system.
11. Above all, adopt systemic thinking.

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