Adaptive Leadership - Meaning, Principles, Characteristics and Examples

Adaptive Leadership refers to the leadership style that tackles long-term and complex organizational problems.

Adaptive Leadership is based on the idea that issues can be resolved through systematic change and the input of the whole organization.

Principles of Adaptive Leadership

1. Emotional Intelligence

Emotional Intelligence refers to the ability that recognizes own feelings as well as those of others. Adaptive Leadership values this quality and helps to build trust and relationships based on awareness and empathy.

2. Organizational Justice

Adaptive Leadership believes in encouraging a culture of honesty for the welfare of the organization. The concept encourages leaders to respect and value the viewpoint of all the employees and introduce policies that people will willingly embrace.

3. Development

Adaptive Leadership is about trying new techniques and strategies if the previous ones do not yield expected results.
The marketplace is ever-changing and the leaders need to empower the employees so that they can learn and grow simultaneously during organizational change.

4. Character

Adaptive Leadership encourages leaders to demonstrate morality, responsibility, creativity and transparency in their dealings. They must earn the respect of others and practice what they preach.

Adaptive Leadership Characteristics

1. Focused on Goals

Adaptive Leadership aligns long-term organizational goals with systematic change

2. Unbiased and progressive

Adaptive Leadership creates an unbiased and progressive environment where errors if any are part of the creative process.

3. Responsive to Challenges

Adaptive Leaders understand that long-term solutions might require many attempts and this is why they train the employees to respond positively to challenges

4. Proactive

Adaptive Leaders take a proactive approach that helps in recognizing potential problems and taking appropriate steps for resolving them

5. Accepting Unpredictability

Adaptive Leaders consider trial and error inevitable and hence accept unpredictability as part of their work

6. Acquainted with emotions

Adaptive Leadership gives the relationship the same preference as the profit as they are emotionally attached to all the stakeholders of the organization

Example

1. Jeff Bezos

This video is on Adaptive Leadership and it has the following sub-topics.
Time Stamps

0:00 What is Adaptive Leadership?
00:22 Definition of Adaptive Leadership
00:59 Principles of Adaptive Leadership
01:56 Adaptive Leadership Characteristics
03:07 Adaptive Leadership Example