Temporary Leader (Model III)
Under conditions of ambiguity, a leader can temporarily step back (or step down) and ask someone else to take change—this person being better prepared to navigate through the haze or find an appropriate way around the ambiguity. Our nautical analogy further clarifies the Model Three function. In directing a ship into or out of a berth, a Harbor Pilot often takes over direct control of the ship, temporarily, in order to move the ship safely through the harbor. The power or energy that is needed for this change (ship’s movement) to take place resides within the leadership role (harbor pilot) rather than in the delegation to some other person or group in the organization. (the tugboat).
As in the case of Model I, the authority structure remains unchanged, but a new person (harbor pilot) temporarily assumes this authority. Learning is still likely to occur in isolation. The temporary leaders (like the Model II delegate) will feel the stress and anxiety of monitored performance. They ultimately have little lasting authority and can be easily booted. Everything has to work the first time. In most cases, there is no learning from mistakes. They have no time or space for either slow thinking or second level change.
A colleague of mine told me about her father who served as a harbor pilot working with ships entering the San Francisco Bay. For him there was no apparent ambiguity, for he was well-acquainted with all of the currents and tides and could see through the notable San Francisco fog. Unfortunately, not everyone has a harbor pilot to whom they can turn for guidance regarding the ambiguity they face. Furthermore, there are many people who may declare that they are harbor pilot but are actually simply representatives from a world of distorted Serenity.
The “legitimate” harbor pilot is assisting her client (ship captain) in being successful in not only arriving safely at the berth, but also learning something about the harbor. While the captain will probably still need to bring in the harbor pilot the next time they arrive at this destination, they can serve more as a co-pilot since they “know” their ship better than does the harbor pilot. Collaborative engagement might be of benefit to everyone.
When we generalize beyond the San Francisco Bay, we find that the roles played by the temporary Model III leader are varied: negotiator, trainer, facilitator, diagnostician, expert and (less frequently) judge. Whereas the Model I and Il leaders must have access to power and resources, the temporary Model III must have knowledge of the ambiguous environment in which the organization is operating (e.g. fully “knowledge” about the San Francisco Bay). They must also possess superior interpersonal skills—especially when working with the leader(s) who brought them in.
Illuminating Leadership (Model IV)
To return once more to our nautical analogy, Model IV leadership is provided by a lighthouse. This source of illumination is used by the captain and crew to guide the ship safely into or out of the harbor. Control of the ship resides with the captain and crew. Model IV is all about free will and responsibility. Essence is contained in the light which is emitted by the lighthouse. There is a single source of light. One point of reference. The captain and crew have only to attend to, appreciate, and act upon the information emitted by the light. If the information provided by the lighthouse is ignored, the ship may crash on the proverbial rocks.
The responsibility for this crash resides with the captain and crew — provided that the lighthouse is providing valid and useful information (Argyris, 1970). More generally, all polystatic processes require that the information being engaged in setting the baseline and directing the predictions must be accurate (valid). The triangulation process that I am about to introduce is directly applicable here. The Information must also be relevant to the predictions and decisions being made (useful). Relevance is often an elusive matter for it is always tempting to make “relevant” that which can be measured rather than that which is truly of use (but difficult to measure).
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