Leadership complexity reducer

The maxim “seemingly simple solutions to complex problems” by Giorgio Nardone and Paul Watzlawick (1987), represents the formal start of a collaboration between two scientists who made significant contributions “reducing complexity” for the study of human interaction in the context of the organizations. The rejection of these researchers to strong theories “autoinmunizantes” (Karl Popper), they can determine “a priori” the logic of interventions to understand and improve the functioning of human systems, you can find parallels in considerations of Joseph S . Nye, on theories of leadership, skilled in his recently published book in Spain. I think the translation of the title of the original edition (2007) “The Powers to Lead: Soft, Hard and Smart” better reflects what is described below, so I apologize for referring the title chosen by the Spanish publisher.

In recent decades, scholars have conducted more than a thousand studies to determine the styles, qualities or personality traits of great leaders and identify situations in which each style or approach would be more appropriate. None of these studies has provided a clear profile of the leader or leadership definitions generally agreed, not a dominant paradigm for study. In addition, there is little agreement among experts on the best strategies to develop and exercise leadership in organizations.

Many studies have generated useful but, unfortunately, approaches or theories resulting empirical problems too, with mixed results measurement and definition, creating a highly complex, both analytically and the practical application, which grew in a geometric-exponential.

Currently, the problem of how to align teams with the definition of objectives and strategy is one manifestation of the difficulty of the directors in the exercise of leadership. The lack of alignment is often reflected in the daily work and that doubts began to emerge of how to act, what style to use, how to adapt the style to the situation, the context and the needs of followers.

Hopefully, in these times of uncertainty and turbulence, was so easy to analyze the leadership styles as outlined in the two-dimensional matrix of Blake and Mouton (1964). Or that the leader’s charisma was the decisive element for the followers actually follow him. On this point as Max Weber said that charisma arises from the relationship between the leader and his followers, and is not an exclusive feature of the leader. He also said that only lasts personal charisma “while receiving recognition and can satisfy their followers or disciples.”

These are just some examples of the many variables that come into play in an equation that, ideally, should determine the leadership style to use in certain situations, more or less charismatic, more people-oriented or task, the transformation – change through persuasion and soft power – or the transaction – trading based on particular interests or hard power.

This equation is only solvable through the introduction of strategic logic takes into account all these factors, goal-oriented, considering the uniqueness of each context and modes of communication to use to get the commitment through the agreement between the parties involved in each process. Joseph Nye can glimpse these logics and proposals for action in the concept of “Smart Power Leadership” and applied technology are a response in the model of “Strategic Problem Solving” by Giorgio Nardone.

It is not put into question the validity of studies and theories arising from previous approaches, which provide valuable contributions to theoretical and applied, but it seems prudent and necessary to evolve into strategic models of goal-oriented leadership, shared and measurable, to the detriment normative theoretical models, which are oriented mainly to the strong confirmation of the theories that tend to guarantee the existence of a self-referential way.

As Hegel quipped: “If the facts do not fit the theory, much the worse for the facts.”

Those who are called to exercise the responsibility of leading organization, either from the top or from the middle, as changing circumstances as we are living, deserve to have a work of empirical research work and experimental continuous from specialists for the development of flexible working patterns, to provide methodological rigor, reduce the complexity of the analysis and providing high levels of efficiency and effectiveness in operational terms.