| The typical workplace for most leaders is an area | | | | connected to everything else and an event in one |
| of uncertainty and change. If we are going to | | | | part of the organization has ramifications right the |
| train leaders successfully we must take into | | | | way through. So solving the problem is like trying |
| account how they need to operate. By carrying | | | | to negotiate a mine field. It would be nice if these |
| out an analysis of the workplace challenges, we | | | | events were neatly packaged that could be |
| can design training to better equip leaders to cope. | | | | delegated or outsourced. Unfortunately, this is not |
| We must design training and the development of | | | | so and have to be dealt with by the leader who |
| skills that are relevant to the reality of the | | | | probably hasn't received effective training for this |
| environment in which they operate. Most | | | | position. |
| leadership training seems to be designed to equip | | | | Four. The turbulence of today's workplace |
| people for a world that no longer exists. | | | | produces events that are often extremely |
| One. The characteristics of today's workplace | | | | expensive either in terms of dollars or scarce |
| tend to be extremely challenging. One of the | | | | resources. Unfortunately, budgeting and planning to |
| most difficult challenges is that the leader is faced | | | | deal with these problems is virtually impossible |
| by a continual stream of problems that are not | | | | because of the scale of the costs. Not only is |
| expected. These are problems that are not | | | | there a financial cost there is also a time and |
| supposed to happen. The examples of such | | | | resources cost as efforts are diverted away |
| surprises are endless and normally produce a | | | | from other pressing problems. How do we train |
| response that is the result of invention. This is a | | | | for this? |
| training challenge. | | | | Five. In the midst of this maelstrom, we are |
| Two. The more complex the system, the greater | | | | expected consider the future likelihood of it |
| the range of problems it seems to produce. | | | | happening again. We have to ask whether or not |
| These problems are not only not anticipated but | | | | it could have been anticipated and whether |
| they were never imagined by those involved in | | | | anything like it will occur in the future. However, in |
| the system. A good example of this novel | | | | the backs of our minds, we know that no matter |
| problem occurred when miles of fiber optic cable | | | | what we do to prevent recurrence there is no |
| were laid in the West and the local gophers | | | | way we can prevent or protect against a |
| developed a taste for the cable insulation and | | | | completely new event. |
| rendered hundreds of miles of it useless. | | | | This is the environment that characterizes most |
| Three. The events in today's workplace are | | | | workplaces. Clearly, our current methods of |
| messy and ill structured. No longer are they simple | | | | training leaders fail to take this into account and |
| cause and effect situations so that we can take | | | | generally don't provide the tools necessary to be |
| action to get predictable results. Everything is | | | | successful in the position. |