Thriving Leaders - A dynamic leadership model

Thriving Leaders was the focus for my MSc Research project that I completed in 2006.

This research project has explored how individual leaders thrive in organisations. It was based on the idea that in order to sustain an organisation’s capacity to grow and change, then it is fundamental that individual leaders are enabled to grow and change, or in the language of the project, that they ‘thrive’.

Through the project I have expanded the meaning of ‘thriving’ from different theoretical and practical perspectives to produce a rich and dynamic concept. Using a case study approach, I have learnt from the experiences of four practising managers from different organisations about the conditions and strategies that lead to thriving.

The project concludes with the idea of a Thriving Map. This shows that not only do individuals experience thriving and non-thriving, but that there is also an intermediate stage where the individual can re-evaluate, re-focus, and re-energise, and that this is a necessary process if the Thriving Leader is to be sustained over time.

This paper was presented at the International Summer Academy on "Educational Leadership", Saechsisches Bildungsinstitut, Meissen, Germany (2007) and is based on an MSc research project at the University of Dundee (2006).

“A Thriving Leader is like a fire which has died down to the embers and blown back into life.”

“The organisation is like the sea in a storm, and the Thriving Leader is the ‘boat’ or anchor to provide people with stability, something to hang on to.”

Introduction

For some time I have been intrigued by the paradox that “organisations themselves cannot change significantly unless the individuals within them make significant changes – and they are limited in their development by the systems within which they function” McGowan 2000 .

My research has focused on the individuals who appear to have a key influence over an organisation’s ability and capacity to change, adapt, develop and grow within its surroundings. I have explored the characteristics of these individuals: what motivates them, how commitment is generated and what drivers sustain individual commitment. I was also interested in what happens if an individual ceases to be motivated and committed. How does an individual re-engage, re-focus or re-direct their energies? And, most importantly, what are the strategies that individuals adopt to help sustain their energies and motivations?

Theoretical Influences

Peter Senge, an important contributor to organisational learning theory, uses the notion of ‘personal mastery’ to describe the capabilities which individuals use to expand their own capacity for achieving results, and to create the organisational conditions which help others to develop capacity. This capacity building in self and others relates with the skills and capabilities of the Thriving Leader.

Bill Torbert and David Rooke, contributors to personal and organisational transformation, describe a model of personal development stages which lead ultimately to a ‘strategist’ stage. They see this as the most influential stage in terms of personal leadership and organisational change. Because this ‘strategist’ stage is challenging for the individual, they identify a transitional stage, where individuals focus on their own development, re-orientation, and renewal which is needed to assist them with the step-change to become a ‘strategist’ leader.

Debra Tannen, a linguist, concentrates on the social factors and conditions which influence an individual’s development or potential to thrive. She highlights the unseen and hidden nature of social rules and expectations influenced by our culture, ethnic background, age, class and most importantly in the work place our gender.

Kets de Vries and Balazs, use a psychodynamic approach to analysing the individual change process. Their starting point is at the uncomfortable place of negative emotions and how trigger points energise and motivate the individual and turn non-thriving to thriving. They also suggest the key factors that facilitate this change process highlighting the role of social support networks in achieving sustainable change.

Each of these perspectives has helped to illuminate and develop the ideas of the Thriving Leader, and is reflected in the following key findings from my research.

The Thriving Leader – key findings

• Expanding meaning and understanding of the Thriving Leader

The Thriving Leader is someone who …
... has vision and purpose which is reviewed and re-invigorated consciously and pro-actively
... whose capacity and capability to embrace change is increasing because they are curious; experimental; take risks; and are always hungry.
... has impact and influence and creates a legacy for others, the organisation and society.
... has a sense of connectedness to their world and the people who populate that world, which helps them to appreciate the perspectives of others.
... has a developed awareness of self and of the conditions and factors that trigger their own thriving and are pro-active in creating them.

•  The experiences of thriving and non-thriving

From the examples of non-thriving and thriving experience given by the case study participants, it was possible to show the emotions attached to these two extremes of experience. The participants also identified what happens between these two extreme stages. They identified the importance of others, structure of the work environment, and personal factors as key conditions and factors that can facilitate thriving.

Summary of non-thriving and thriving emotions: 

Non-thriving (uncomfortable emotions)	Thriving (positive comfortable emotions)
constrained shut down de-skilled lost tired exposed dread lack of confidence un-creative fear	passion determination confidence excitement motivation success

The Thriving Map

The notion of the Thriving Map provides a tool for explaining the experiences of individuals as they contribute to organisational change, develop, grow and deal with issues and difficulties. What the inquiry has shown is that the Thriving Map has three different areas: non-thriving, thriving and an intermediate area between the two. These are not static, in that the individual can expect to move in and out of all of them over time, what is important for the individual and the organisation is that they know what the conditions and strategies are that need to exist in order to maintain the most positive outcomes.

Non-thriving is experienced through a range of negative emotions like frustration, tiredness, confusion, fear, and lack of self-confidence. Non-thriving experience and emotion often creates a benchmark for more positive experience, and is often the trigger for personal change. Once the personal change process is underway then the switch from negative to positive emotional energy assists with the transition to thriving. Thriving is experienced through positive emotions like passion, determination, confidence, excitement and motivation. When the individual feels that they are thriving it is most productive, not only for themselves, but for those others who that individual influences. When that individual is in a leadership position, then this positive influence is significant as it may include: their board or committee; their own manager and leader (the CEO); peers and other senior staff; and staff and volunteers who they are responsible for. The Thriving Leader then is a valuable asset to the organisation and hence contributes significantly to positive organisational results and outcomes.

It is also evident that thriving is not constant, as the individual also has to deal with the tensions and dilemmas of their day to day reality. The intermediate area is where the individual can either, nurture and feed the personal change process, or where the individual can re-evaluate, re-energise, re-motivate and re-fresh themselves. This is where the fragile balance between thriving and non-thriving can be stabilised. The model below shows how these three areas relate to each other in a Thriving Map. In following this Map the individual will spend more time in the intermediate area. What is important here is that they are able to pro-actively use the strategies and conditions that will maintain them, and hence reduce the risk of slipping into non-thriving periods.

The Thriving Map

Thriving Experiences where positive emotions can lead to productive outcomes.

Personal strategies enable the individual to stabilise, grow and thrive. ↕ Organisational conditions create the right climate for individual thriving.

Uncomfortable or negative emotions which can trigger or initiate personal change. Non-thriving

The Thriving Leader – Thriving Organisation dynamic

The Thriving Leader – Thriving Organisation is a dynamic relationship which starts with the individual’s characteristics and potential to thrive. This inner resource is nurtured and fed through a range of personal strategies, but these only become productive for organisational thriving when the organisational values, culture and norms encourage and enhance individual thriving.
When an individual is new to the organisation there is a risk of the organisational influence creating the conditions for non-thriving. At best this may lead to non-performance, and at worst to the loss of key individuals. This risk is also true for longer serving individuals if attention to their development needs is overlooked, or assumed as unnecessary.

Thriving is important for the individual and the organisation where one feeds off the other to create something bigger and inherently sustainable. The positive influence spread through the organisation by the Thriving Leader has a multiplier effect on others, and helps them to deal with change and development in an honest, constructive and unthreatening way. Together the organisation and the individual are better able to tackle critical issues because of the environment of mutual trust. This means that the potential for organisational sustainability is increased, staff and volunteers are more likely to stay with and be committed to the values and purpose of the organisation, and most importantly they will embrace change and development in an open and constructive way.

Personal strategies and organisational conditions for thriving

Personal strategies and organisational operating conditions create an operating framework for the individual to design their own programme for thriving, and provide organisations with the terms that will give rise to thriving for individuals.

Personal strategies that are most likely to lead to thriving are:

Basing individual motivation on vision, goal and purpose.
Vision, goal, purpose, meaning and relevance are characteristics of the individual’s motivation, and these are re-visited and re-invigorated regularly.

Involving others in your professional and personal development. 
There is an explicit and pro-active involvement of others in individual development through critical professional debate, feedback, recognition and collaborative working. Others include: own manager/ leader; internal peers; other staff; external professionals.

Creating opportunities for professional and personal development
Opportunities for professional and personal development are actively pursued and maintained, and alternative development approaches are embraced for example: engaging in creative activities, physical activities, voluntary activities. In addition, there is a raised awareness and connection to the wider operating context which is actively pursued and shared with others.

Using reflective activities
Reflective activities are part of a planned approach to long term work practices, and there is an attention given to identifying benchmarks from uncomfortable or negative experience.

Developing peer professional support
There is a peer support network which serves to provide: reassurance and guidance; critical questioning; learning and motivation.

Organisational conditions that are most likely to lead to thriving 

Organisation vision, goal and direction - The organisation has a clear and explicit vision, goal and direction, and this is reviewed and developed in line with a changing operating context

A clear operating framework - There is a clear operating framework, structure and plan within which individuals have a clear role, but within this framework the organisation allows for risk taking and difference.

Organisation values and culture is shared and recognises difference - The values, culture and norms of the organisation, including the unwritten rules and expectations, are recognised and there is an appreciation for alternative possibilities.

Organisational policy supports professional development - There is an organisational culture and policy that respects and supports individual professional development, and recognition and feedback to individuals is seen as an important part of professional development.

Supporting new leaders - Particular attention is given to the support and introduction of new leaders at a critical time when it is important organisationally that they thrive and grow.

Further questions for the Thriving Leader

Finally, there are many ways that the idea of the Thriving Leader could be developed, and a number of questions that can be further explored:

Can the ideas of thriving and the Thriving Leader be used to support individuals who predominantly experience non-thriving?
Could this model be useful where individuals are more vulnerable to the hidden barriers in society like gender, race, age, disability?
How can the ideas of thriving be applied to organisational learning for example: where it might be used as an organisational health check; or learning how organisations change from non-thriving to thriving?
What is the potential for developing a framework for planning and tracking the continuing professional development of leaders?

Bibliography

Fisher, D. Rooke, D. and Torbert, B. (2001,3rd edition) Personal and Organisational Transformations through action inquiry, Boston, Edge/Work Press.
Koestanbaum, Peter. (2000) ‘Leadership and philosophy in business’; Philosophy in Business homepage; URL:http://www.pib.net
Rooke, D. (2001) ‘Organisational Transformation Requires Strategists and Magicians’; LeaderValues; URL:http://www.leader-values.com
Senge, P. et al. ( 2001) The Dance of Change – The challenges of sustaining momentum in learning organisations, London, Nicholas Brealey Publications.
Tannen, D. (1996) Talking from 9to5 – women and men at work: language, sex and power, Reading, Virago Press

© Lesley Greenaway 2007 Return to research-projects