In the modern world, organizations seek to adopt visionary and forward looking leadership models that present solutions to the rapidly evolving global business environment. Due to the turbulent organization environments that firms operate in, the role of leadership continues to evolve dynamically. As Edmonstone (2016) explains, with continued globalization, market volatility and heightened complexity, organizations now contend with realities which were previously unrecognizable to many businesses. The 21st century leadership presents unprecedented challenges rooted in managing organization’s globalized ideologies, culture, uncertainty and complexity ( Obolensky, 2014) . Complex adaptive leadership is a model conceived by Ronald Heifetz and Marty Linsky, founded on polyarchic framework, implying ‘leadership of many people by the many’. Complex adaptive leadership seeks to create a balance of soft skills and hard skills as well as adopts a mix of earning approaches such as master classes and job swaps ( Johnson-Kanda & Yawson, 2018) . The model shares similarities and differences with other leadership models such as transformational and servant leadership. Due to the attractiveness of the model, organizations are continually seeking for ways to adopt the adaptive leadership model.
Why Complex Adaptive Leadership model is an attractive organizational leadership model
Complex adaptive leadership model is attractive since it serves as an impetus to organization change and innovation. According to Elkington and Booysen (2015), complexity adaptive leadership focusses on studying social interactions at different levels and their impacts on emergent outcomes and innovation. The complexity leadership has exhibited scientific evidence for driving successful organization change through innovation. A series of studies carried between 2007 and 2015 on 30 complex organizations showcased evidence that application of complex adaptive model creates innovation which is imperative when an organization is undergoing change ( Johnson-Kanda & Yawson, 2018) .
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Complex adaptive model provides a means to comprehend complex dynamics underlying processes in organizations. The leadership framework is therefore attractive due to its ability to create complex interaction layouts with minimal parameter. Understanding of complex structures through adoption of complex adaptive model enables organizations to share knowledge, learning, leadership and information leading to swift response to change ( Johnson-Kanda & Yawson, 2018) . Attractiveness of the complexity adaptive model emanates from its ability to capture more realistic features of organizational processes which protects corporations from the risk of parameterization. The leadership model is advantageous since it utilizes tools that enable organizations to understand employee individual behavior and its complexities. The adaptive model is attractive due to its potency to offer practical guidance towards subduing complex challenges ( DeRue, 2011) . Complex adaptive model presents recipes and prescriptions on the functionality of adaptive leadership. The framework enlightens organizations on ways to address change through people’s values and energy. The prescription provided by the adaptive leadership model offers a meaningful pathway for organizations and leaders to grapple with complex challenges. The adaptive model is an authentic way that organizations and leaders can seek to simplify the complex.
Attractiveness of the complex adaptive model also stems from its ability to enable organizations to thrive and adapt to the modern day constant change. The 21st century presents unprecedented challenges characterized by unpredictable change due to factors such as globalization ( Johnson-Kanda & Yawson, 2018) . The complex adaptive model addresses leadership change and presents organizations with ways to deal with volatility in today’s dynamic environment. Leaders find the framework attractive because the model provides organizations with a platform to address the most persistent and significant problems in the modern world such as market volatility.
The organizational leadership model guides corporations on ways to adopt process oriented leadership and highlights requisite characteristics and traits of an ideal leader. The process oriented method supported by adaptive model pushes organization actors to apply critical thinking in responding to imminent challenges. Complex adaptive leadership model introduces process oriented approach which fosters employee commitment to an organization’s goals. The model converts organizational actors to active agents wholly committed to pursuing and supporting the change process ( Edmonstone, 2016) . The ability of the adaptive model to re-conceptualize a leader’s role makes it attractive. Reconceptualization entails laying emphasis on the importance of leaders throughout an organization. The adaptive leadership framework presents a process which organizations can adopt to empower followers to tackle complex challenges.
The adaptive leadership model is attractive because it offers solutions to modern problems such as terrorism and gender bias. As explained by Apenko and Chernobaeva (2016), complexity leadership has been proven to be exceptional in addressing terrorist arrangements such as the Al-Qaeda leadership structure. Since the terrorist cohorts operate within complex dynamics, the adaptive model provides means to disentangle their complex networks. In addition, complex adaptive model provides a framework for comprehending factors that influence modern day contentious issues such as gender bias ( DeRue, 2011) . The model presents organizations with a recipe guideline to evolving and changing the general view of gender bias in leadership. Complexity adaptive leadership model offers organizations an opportunity to address the gender bias leadership problem and proposes multiple solutions required to respond to potential female leaders.
Complex adaptive model is attractive as it emphasizes on leadership that places people into positions where they can capitalize on their strengths. The adaptive model recognizes that employees in an organization are more than just warm bodies. The model of leadership takes cognizant of the fact that workers in an organization are skilled resources who bring their strengths to the team. The model provides a prescription on how to place the right employees into correct positions where their potential and professional strengths will be optimized. The leadership framework is therefore attractive since it underscores the need to provide resources to workers for professional development which reinforces their strengths even more.
The adaptive model designs intervention needs based on the results wanted by an organization. The framework emphasizes on the essence of measuring downstream intended results. The model formulates interventions through individual awareness, behavior change and organization change. Application of the model therefore enables leaders to reinforce behavior and manage complexities in more effective ways for a wider organization impact.
How Adaptive/Complex Adaptive models compares to other leadership models
Servant leadership model, transformational/transactional model and adaptive leadership framework are distinct in several ways. While servant leadership can integrate various skills and abilities such as adaptive, charismatic, steward or other positive leadership forms, an adoptive leader may not have all the qualities and skills of a servant leader ( Heyler & Martin, 2018) . Also, while servant leadership begins with a conscious choice of naturally wanting to serve, adaptive leadership is operationalized when tough and complex situations arise in order to find solutions to them. Servant model and transformation leadership framework use oligarchy approach which encompasses a traditional and hierarchical forms of leadership to address problems. Contrary, adaptive model employs polyarchy assumption to pursue solutions to complex problems and in achieving organization purpose. The transformative/transactional leadership model and servant leadership adopts a mechanistic view of the followers and leaders while complex adaptive leadership model employs non-mechanistic view which takes cognizance of the feelings and emotions of followers and leaders.
Servant leadership and transformational models are rigid since they follow strict laid down procedures, rules and policies in problems solving. Adaptive leadership is different since the model teaches followers to exercise flexibility in complex real life situations. In transformational leadership, the model focusses on the leader in relation to followers while in complex adaptive framework, the emphasis is on a leader’s relationship or connection with the contextual environment ( Heifetz et al., 2009) . The transformative/transaction leadership and servant leadership models are based on the belief that leadership is governed by one person, this is in sharp contrast to the adaptive leadership which is based on the principle that every stakeholder has to be involved in interpretation and problem solving. Adaptive leadership model is rooted in organization purpose and it tries to ensure that the whole organization and its workforce are involved in smart decisions that enable an organization to adapt to internal and external pressures. This is in contrast with transformational/transactional leadership which is concerned with individual leader’s relationship with followers regardless of the purpose of the organization
Both servant and adaptive models are derived from service leadership. Service leadership has a moral angle to it since servant leaders are expected to improve their level of human behavior and noble aspiration of both leaders and followers. Similarly, adaptive leadership model has a moral component. In both servant and adaptive leadership, leaders are genuinely servantly from the time they raise awareness of the right actions to pursue ( Johnson-Kanda & Yawson, 2018) . In both models, leaders engage in assessing the needs of their followers for achievement and self-actualization by leading them for the greater good of the society. Both servant and adaptive leadership models strive to directly influence how leaders affect or impact followers since the two are result based. Transformational leadership and adaptive leadership models are tied to the tenet of emotional intelligence where leaders are charged with the responsibility of identifying problems or needed changes and formulating a vision to foster positive change through inspiration. In the two models, leaders provide followers with guidance, mentorship and support.
References
Apenko, S., & Chernobaeva, G. (2016, April). The influence of complex adaptive leadership on the efficiency of business management. In International Conference on Management, Leadership & Governance (p. 17). Academic Conferences International Limited.
DeRue, D. S. (2011). Adaptive leadership theory: Leading and following as a complex adaptive process. Research in organizational behavior , 31 , 125-150.
Edmonstone, J. (2016). Complex adaptive leadership: embracing paradox and uncertainty.
Elkington, R., & Booysen, L. (2015). Innovative leadership as enabling function within organizations: A complex adaptive system approach. Journal of leadership studies , 9 (3), 78-80.
Heyler, S. G., & Martin, J. A. (2018). Servant Leadership Theory: Opportunities for Additional Theoretical Integration 1. Journal of Managerial Issues , 30 (2), 230-153.
Heifetz, R. A., Heifetz, R., Grashow, A., & Linsky, M. (2009). The practice of adaptive leadership: Tools and tactics for changing your organization and the world . Harvard Business Press.
Johnson-Kanda, I., & Yawson, R. M. (2018, May). Complex Adaptive Leadership for Organization and Human Development. In Proceedings of the 55th Annual Eastern Academy of Management Conference, Providence, RI .
Obolensky, M. N. (2014). Complex adaptive leadership: Embracing paradox and uncertainty . Gower Publishing, Ltd..
