Technical vs. Adaptive Change

Is the challenge you are facing at work technical or adaptive?  Is it a matter of skill?  Or a matter of mindset?

I highly recommend the book Immunity to Change - it’s one of the few business books that bridges the gap between the head and heart, and it does so extremely effectively.  They explore the concept of technical or functional challenges versus adaptive challenges.  This concept resonates with me and the work we’re doing.  Here it is in a nutshell:

A technical, or functional challenge is one that can be met through skill, or upskilling.  In business we love these types of problems because we can see a path to a solution - learn and apply skill A, get result B.  We think in these terms, and we often approach leadership in these terms.  “There’s a problem, Here’s a solution.”  We want quick answers.

Unfortunately, most of the problems we face in business aren’t this type.  Instead, they require a change in our mindsets, hence the moniker “adaptive”.  The really worthwhile, difficult, and oftentimes overwhelming challenges, require that we change our mental models, our mindsets.  And that is just as much a matter of the heart as anything - it requires tapping into our emotions and underlying assumptions.

A huge reason our efforts to solve a problem in an organization or enact a tough change fail is because we misdiagnose the character of the problem - we think a problem is technical in nature and that we can apply “technical” solutions. When instead, the problem is adaptive in nature and we need to be looking at changing our mindsets and our mental models.  In essence, we fail to connect our heads and hearts.  And unfortunately, businesses are often too shy to, and frankly not equipped to connect to the heart.

There’s a whole lot more to discuss and dive into on this topic, but the next time you’re up against a challenge consider if it is a matter of skill, or a matter of connecting head and heart to change a mindset

Shoot me a note if you’d like to explore this concept further, either for yourself or your team.