Empowering adaptive leadership: a dynamic adaptive approach

Adaptive leadership and dynamic adaptive approaches to decision-making are becoming increasingly important for organizations operating in complex and uncertain environments. This study aims to examine how the utilization of a dynamic adaptive approach influences adaptive leadership within strategic processes. Adaptive leadership enables organizations to navigate unpredictable challenges by fostering resilience, learning and change, while the applied dynamic adaptive approach supports strategic decision-making under deep uncertainty.

A qualitative multiple-case study design was used, involving four Dutch healthcare organizations - two elder care organizations and two disability care organizations. Each organization participated in a strategic decision-making workshop in which a dynamic adaptive approach was applied. Data were collected through workshop observations, interviews and supporting documentation.

The findings show that the applied dynamic adaptive approach strengthens a supportive environment and contributes to sensemaking necessary, helping participants engage with long-term uncertainties and strategic complexity. This, in turn, encouraged behaviors and mindsets associated with adaptive leadership. However, the study also reveals limitations: a single workshop is not sufficient to fully design an intervention for an organization and develop adaptive leadership capabilities. Iterative, ongoing engagement is necessary to build strategic resilience and adaptive capacity.

This research complements recent calls for more empirical research on adaptive leadership and foresight approaches. The study reveals how the dynamic adaptive approach in strategic decision-making processes empowers adaptive leadership. This is especially important in today's complex organizations facing deep uncertainties in a rapidly changing environment.