The role we play, or should I say the “roles” we play are — or perhaps should be — designed according to the work to be done, and the intended results we want. Role is usually out of the hands of the leader in that role — at least until we adopt metasystems like this modeling exercise to allow for leaders to adapt their roles, reformatting their roles to strategy created for them through design. Role are most often

Personalizing a role
What I mean by this is that once we move from ONLY top down role design and construction, to role plasticity and adaptation based on ongoing feedback and design by a network, a leader in a role will have less flexibility to support the adaption of the role to their own characteristics and must involve their “network of support” in scaffolding them in the role.

Not only do roles get more refined in the scaffolding process, but the work being done is continuously improved and tested for efficacy, creating more desirable results in the system through collaborative networks.

For now, the roles are pretty much created out of success, experience, or in the case of novelty, by the entrepreneur who in large part is not an organizational designer and throws spaghetti against the wall until a sweet spot is found, or things change.

Therefore, while it’s not the ideal place here to outline all the influences of role design, by merely placing ROLE in the behavioral modeling process, I have put stakes in the ground for what is possibly the most important task of a leader, and that is role design and scaffolding based on work for which they are held accountable.

One Remaining Caveat
There is a tendency to look at tasks or accountabilities in a role from the standpoint of strategy to get results, without an understanding of either vertical, oblique, or lateral (VOL) complexity.

Time, or the amount of time discretion allowed in a role is generally considered in the work design (how long things take to get done), but these VOL dimensions of complexity are not always taken into account as an interdevelopmental cloud. LeaderW@RE is used to design scaffolding that improves five key (value-based) energy functions: Being, Doing, Having, Becoming, and Contribution, all of which are interwoven in coping strategies.

This process of vectoring values can enhance productivity under tension and create more efficient, effective, and sustainable tools with the granular ability to design and customize scaffolding. It’s critical that aspiring leaders understand and use their BIAS, filters, and projections, which are represented in their preferred values basin — in the design and practice of meeting VUCA leadership requirements @F-L-O-W*.

*@F-L-O-W is a condition where matching happiness needs and success requirements produce naturally occurring productivity, development, and thrivability, now, near and far.

If you are not yet a Gold Member, consider becoming one today and begin accessing all of your FREE information on LeaderW@RE.  Many people ask, “What is LeaderW@RE and how will I benefit by learning more about it.” 

To answer that question, the first thing you will be given access to is the paper titled: “What is LeaderW@RE”.  Next you will receive my Exposé in Leader Development.  Depending on when you register, there may be more content to share with you as we are adding content on a regular basis.

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