Understanding Technical Problems
Every organization faces challenges, but many teams fall into the trap of relying on the same old technical solutions. To thrive, it's essential to understand the nature of the challenges you face—technical or adaptive.
Understanding Technical Problems
Technical problems can be resolved using existing knowledge and expertise. If your problem has a known solution that has worked in the past, it's likely a technical issue. This is great news; it means you can apply tried-and-tested methods to solve it.
Addressing Adaptive Challenges
On the other hand, adaptive challenges are more complex and need more than technical expertise. They require new learning and necessitate shifts in values, attitudes, and behaviors. Addressing these requires experimentation, learning collective engagement, and deep, transformative shifts.
How to Recognize Adaptive Challenges:
Cycle of Failure: Are you repeatedly using the same (old) solutions without success?
Flight to Authority: Are you hoping for a single person or solution to resolve complex issues magically?
The Result of Yesterday’s Successes: Are you longing for past methods instead of addressing current realities?
A Chorus of Complaints: Is there widespread confusion and frustration about how to move forward?
Values vs. Behavior: Is there a gap between your espoused values and the behavior?
Work Avoidance: Is there a tendency to focus on non-essential tasks or blame others to avoid core issues?
Unspoken Truths: Are there critical conversations or difficult truths being avoided?
Building Your Adaptive Capacity
To enhance your ability to identify adaptive challenges, gather your team and list your current challenges. Use the questions above to assess each issue. If the challenge can be managed with known solutions, it's a technical problem. However, you face an adaptive challenge if you identify with any of the adaptive indicators above.
Understanding and distinguishing between adaptive and technical challenges will expand your and your team's adaptive capacity. This is crucial for effectively tackling complex issues and fostering a culture of continuous experimentation and learning. By doing so, you will be better equipped to make the necessary shifts to navigate your organization's challenges effectively.
