Adapting Leadership

Adaptive Ecclesiology - Part Six

In becoming an adaptive church, we need to adapt the concept of leadership itself.

In Gardens in the Desert, we suggested that the “heroic solo leader” model of leadership is not a viable strategy for an adaptive scenario, nor is it faithful to the way of Jesus. In cultivating the blended ecology, in which inherited and emerging modes of church live together in symbiotic relationship, the conception and practice of leadership can be reimagined.  

Here we borrow insight from the field complexity thinking. Complexity thinking is an interdisciplinary approach that seeks to understand and navigate the intricate and often unpredictable nature of complex systems. It has its roots in several key scientific and philosophical developments throughout the 20th century. The field of complexity thinking has been shaped by contributions from several pioneering thinkers across various disciplines.

One of the key contributors is Edgar Morin, a French philosopher and sociologist. Morin has made significant contributions to the epistemology of complexity in such diverse fields as media studies, politics, visual anthropology, ecology, education, and systems biology. His work emphasizes the interconnectedness and interdependence of systems, advocating for a more integrated approach to understanding.

Complexity thinking provides helpful theoretical and practical tools needed to navigate and understand complex systems. In the “wicked domain” I described earlier, leaders cannot default to the old linear models of logic and leadership.  

Complexity thinking emphasizes the importance of looking at systems as wholes rather than merely as collections of parts. In the book, we introduced key concepts like feedback loops, chaos theory, emergence and self-organization. We put those concepts in conversation with ecclesiology to see what might be learned from the intersection.

In the church, complexity thinking helps leaders understand the dynamic interactions within their organizations. It encourages flexible strategies that can adapt to both changing conditions and internal dynamics. It promotes holistic approaches to sustainability and innovation. It aids in understanding the interconnected nature of mind, body, and soul, and the multifaceted nature of health and disease. It supports integrated pastoral care models that consider the interplay between biological, psychological, and social factors.

Finally, complexity thinking provides insights into social phenomena, such as cultural dynamics, economic systems, and political movements. It helps adaptive leaders develop more effective interventions.

Leadership itself is an emergent phenomenon, which occurs in a series of relational interactions among agents. It’s not simply a skill that one has but is an exchange of dynamic interactions within a complex system. We suggest leadership in an adaptive scenario is best when shared equally among members in the group. It should be conceived and practiced relationally rather than hierarchically.

A complexity view suggests a form of “shared leadership” distributed among teams. Thus, leadership does not lie in a single individual in a managerial role only, but rather in an interactive dynamic in which any particular person will fluctuate between being a leader and a follower. So, leaders enable conditions where a change process can occur, while not being the direct source of that change.

All organizational power is in fact relational.

First, it is derivative, in that it comes from a source outside us. Leadership flows from a relationship with Christ, the one who “emptied himself,” it is kenotic (self-emptying) (Philippians 2). It is always exercised in humility, servanthood, and sourced in God’s love. Shared leadership has deep roots in the very nature of the Holy Trinity. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit exist in a diverse singularity, not ruling over each other hierarchically, but in a continuous relational dance, making room for the other. The Trinity shows us how the body of Christ can and should function in a relational way.

Second, leadership is a process of mutual vulnerability. It flows from loving relationships with others. It involves an act of deep trust. Leaders are “entrusted” by a community when they live with integrity. People follow leaders who consistently embody the values of Jesus… people of compassion and genuine care, whose lives are ripe with the fruit of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

Therefore, the best leaders, are the best followers of Jesus.

In an adaptive challenge, leadership is not about implementing strategic goals toward some preconceived outcome. It is not about an appointed leader, operating from a place of positional power, creating a new vision statement, and delegating responsibilities toward its fulfillment. That is the causation thinking that can at times send us in the wrong direction. In the kind learning environment, we assume if do this action (cause), it will lead to this result (effect).

Yet, in complex systems, like congregations, every action can have surprising and unintended consequences, both good and bad. So, adaptation is very much about a community of leaders journeying through a series of conversations together. In this community of leaders, many kinds of leadership can emerge. We need interpretive, implemental, relational, and adaptive leadership.

Interpretive leadership refers to the work of shaping and resourcing a community of interpreters. Through deep listening to God, scripture, and context, this type of leadership can bring us into an awareness of the reality we inhabit and help us attend to the Spirit’s presence and activities.

Implemental leadership concerns the implementation of a set of competencies and skills for experiments, systems, and practices by which we live out our identity and agency. This is helping the community apply the technical know-how.

Relational leadership involves nurturing the relationships among the community. We tend to the activity and patterns of the human connections that comprise a social entity.

Adaptive leadership concerns an innate ability to adapt to diverse, chaotic, and complex environments, thereby assisting organizations and individuals in dealing with consequential changes in uncertain times, when no clear answers are forthcoming.

When taking a complexity view it becomes obvious that no single individual possesses all the forms of leadership needed for an adaptive challenge. It involves a community of leaders, with each type of leadership, operating together.

Adapting to a shared leadership mode in the church, brings us back to a solid Biblical foundation for a “priesthood of all believers,” (1 Peter 2:9). This was in fact Jesus’s original design for the church, in which each member is a “priest” and brings unique spiritual gifts to the body. In returning to this design today, we might be able to flourish in an increasingly complex mission scenario.