The Adaptive Leadership model is the product of 40 years of research and teaching at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government by Professor Ronald Heifetz. The model is an integrated multidisciplinary approach that leans on organization studies, political science, evolutionary biology, sociology, psychology, and systems theory. 

Adaptive Leadership is a framework for analyzing and making progress on complex problems that implicate many stakeholders. Instead of thinking about the advancement of a single “leader,” Adaptive Leadership is “problem-centered,” focusing on the analysis of the work most needed in a social system facing adaptive challenges, and the practices of leadership to build the capacity to meet those challenges. It is designed to help people see and seize the opportunities for leadership, from whatever position they are in, to mobilize collective innovation and problem-solving.

The Adaptive Leadership framework is comprehensive, guiding the practitioner to factor all aspects and perspectives of the system (e.g. conflict in intention and values, scarcity of resources, factional dynamics, past commitments and loyalties). At its core, Adaptive Leadership assists in providing individuals the insights, strategy, and resilience to lead change when facing complex systemic problems.

After a training on adaptive leadership, attendees will be guided through exercises in how to apply this model to their own organizations and challenges. They will be broken out into groups where they will collaborate with other attendees.