Tod Treat

Zen and the art of leadership.

Years ago my boss at the time was commenting on one of her heroes at the time in the arena of leadership studies. Margaret Wheatley has been a well-known scholar of leadership for some years, but her idea had failed to elevate in the public consciousness in quite the same way as James MacGregor Burns’ transformational leadership, Greenleaf’s servant leadership, and the other models. Other authors, such as Maxwell, have certainly been more prolific than Dr. Wheatley, but I find myself drawn to her recognition that leadership is far less linear and obvious than management. Recently, I revisited one of my favorite leadership books by Margaret Wheatley, leadership and the new science. The book has as its basic premise the idea that, just as physical sciences have moved from Newtonian to quantum physics, leadership has a dramatic but counterintuitive quality to it. There is a distinct Zen like quality to the principles she outlines, and these principles provide a foundation upon which leadership can be based. The ideas of leadership expressed by Wheatley work well with other theories of leadership.

There is a complexity found in principles of Zen Buddhism that belie the simple phrasing one often finds. Wheatley’s principles are similar. And I have been paraphrasing her book according to the principles that I attempt to live by as a leader. These are:

One. Learn to see with new eyes. “No problem can be solved from the same consciousness that created it.” (Einstein).

Two. Look inside. “We need to learn how to engage the creativity that exists everywhere in our organizations…. We must engage with each other, experiment to find what works for us, and support one another as the true inventors that we are” (page 9).

Three. See the chessboard, not just the pieces. “Systems are understood as whole systems, and attention is given to relationships within those networks” (page 10).

Four. Apply good ideas in new places. But “if one has a new way of thinking, why not apply it wherever one’s thoughts leads to and Mark it is certainly entertaining to let oneself do so, but it is also illuminating and capable of leading to new and deep insights” Frank Oppenheimer as quoted on page 15”. The light water. Page 17.” An adaptive system creates stabilized structures, but these structures are temporary. (Page 23).

Six. Seek renewal, not rigidity (page 24). Good administration is not about controlling others, but about helping them renew enthusiasm, belief, and ability towards their work. Sometimes this means moving things around to get people into environments where they can flourish.

Seven. Be visionary. “The search for new shamans has begun in earnest” (page 28). Most organizations are too Newtonian. They have been engineered and reengineered. They become the subject of too much rational design, in which we define the organization by its parts, pieces, and functions. We spent too much time building models, collecting data, and seeking cause, effect, and feedback loops. The problem with rational design in organizations is that these designs frequently create boundaries that limit the organization’s ability to be open and adaptive.

Eight. See potential and you will find it. Organizations are made of people. People, like subatomic particles, are “bundles of potentiality” attendant upon relationships with others. Individuals influence the system, and the system influences the individuals. But the actualization of potential depends upon interactions between people. “Prediction and replication are, therefore, impossible” open for embassies
page 36).

Nine. Because systems and their environment co-create, planning isn’t possible. It is more important to think strategically. Strategies should be “just in time…, supported by more investment in general knowledge, a large skill repertoire, the ability to do a quick study, trust and intuitions, and sophistication in cutting losses” (Karl Weick, 1979, page 223). In fact, white along with others, such as Jack Welch, indicate that the complexity and rate of change make, strategic reaction much more important than prediction.

10. Know thyself. What we leads describing his organization that firmly understands its own identity and purpose. The path forward then makes itself known, because the organization hires the right people to do what needs to be done as those people interact. The organizational energy is, therefore, relational. And, like the quantum mechanics that Wheatley frames for principles around, action at a distance can
influence the entire organization instantaneously. What does this mean? It means that systems maps are imperfect to. At each interaction we make with one another on a daily basis, a weekly basis, a monthly basis changes the organizations in which we reside. In making critical connections with one another, we create fields at signal to the organizations participants. “We can never see a field, but we can easily see its influence by looking at behavior. To learn what’s in the field, look at what people are doing. They have picked up the messages, discerned what is truly valued, and in shape their behavior accordingly. When organizational space is filled with divergent messages, when all the contradictions flow through the ether’s, this invisible incongruity becomes visible as troubling behaviors….. Nobody trusts anybody. The organization changes directions frequently …” (Page 55).

11. Create (or find) rhythm. When an organization understands its identity, the role of administrator changes. Rather than focus on systems and processes, we can focus on quality and pattern. Rather than deconstructing the organization, we can begin to look at it as a whole. And rather than trying to control and measure, we can listen. Like a highly trained athlete, or high-performance racecar, sounds and rhythm of performance signal organizational health.

What is our role, then? Wheatley states, “to create the organizational conditions for people to set a clear intent, to agree on how they’re going to work together, and then practice to become better observers, learners, and colleagues as they co-create with their environment” (page 46).

11. Be observant. Look for what you want to see, and see potential everywhere. Wheatley describes a quantum physics problem known as Schroedinger’s cat. I have always been fascinated by this particular problem, given my background in science; it’s a natural fit that I should gravitate to organizational applications of it. Without going into too much detail, the problem in quantum mechanics is that entities have both wave and particle qualities at the same time. The cat in this case in a box is impacted by the act of observing it so that we can never actually know what’s happening because our act of observing changes the state in which an entity exists. Organizations are like this. When we observe, we perturb the system. What we observe will be impacted to a greater extent than what we ignore. Finally, if we seek to identify negative elements in an organization, will find negative elements. And if
we seek potential, will find that to. The implications on organizations are dramatic. As administrators, we must look broadly, frequently, and consistently, signaling that were watching. But what we should look for are not negative elements, the potential. And when we find it, we should celebrate it.

12. Celebrate potential. Earlier on, we have stated that we should be seeking potential organizations, and we have stated that such potential resides in people. If we are seeking potential, and we find it in people our task should be to celebrate those people who are doing things. People support what they create, and by celebrating the creations of others we reinforce the idea that the organization consists of potentials. Participatory processes, relationships, and celebrations–these are crucial. Thoughts, to any
organizational role we should include not only tasks and responsibilities, but also interactions and the impact of those interactions.

13. Provide regular informal feedback. Feedback impacts equilibria. Like all systems, organizations seek to establish a kind of equilibrium, a natural rhythm that we’ve already mentioned earlier. When
an organization is functioning at a high level this temporary equilibrium representsan adaptation to environment. When the environment changes, organization isn’t just equilibrium, and attempts to a job to do with new reality. When administrators give feedback, they either reinforce the equilibrium or signal that it needs to change. Reinforcing feedback promotes stability; amplifying feedback, in which signals are made more apparent and obvious, promotes change.