CULTIVATING SYSTEMS LEADERSHIP IN CROSS-SECTOR .

SECTION 1SYSTEMS LEADERSHIP: DEFINITION AND RELEVANCEWhat is systems leadership, and why is it important for advancing complex,place-based, multi-institution change efforts?In this Issue Brief, “systems leadership” primarilyrefers to leadership intended to bring aboutsystems change, but may also refer to leadership ofa particular system. Beginning in the late 1980s,organizational learning scholars began to emphasizethe importance of systems thinking as a disciplinethat individuals and organizations can use to bringabout change and achieve goals. Building on thisconcept, more recent work has emphasized thecritical role systems leaders must play in increasinglycomplex and interconnected environments. Writingon the topic of systems leadership is relatively new,and available scholarship overlaps with concurrentthinking in areas such as collective leadership,facilitative leadership, network entrepreneurship, andnetwork leadership.Leadership is one of the most broadly studied topicsin the field of social and community change, andscholarship in this area has evolved to encompassmany theories of – and approaches for cultivating –leadership. 1One important distinction between systemsleaders and organizational leaders is in the suite ofinfluence, incentives, and levels of accountabilitythe leader can access. Whereas organizationalleaders often have authority to set direction andmake decisions, and are ultimately accountable fororganizational performance, systems leaders rarelyhave direct authority over the systems or networks ofstakeholders they are working to influence. As such,systems leaders must often exercise a wide rangeof dispositions, skills, and ways of working that helpadvance cross-sector, network, or partnership-basedstrategies.Systems leadership is among the foremostchallenges and opportunities of the Linked LearningRegional Hubs of Excellence initiative. To achievethe goals of the initiative, individuals withinHubs must lead systems change efforts acrossthe K-12, postsecondary, and workforce sectors,and in coordination with other critical regionalpartners – including employers, community-basedproviders, advocates, health and social agencies, andpolicymakers.1 The concepts of transformative leadership (e.g., Bass, 1990), adaptive leadership (e.g., Heifetz, 1994), and distributedleadership (e.g., Spillane et al., 2001) are examples of leadership theories that have received significant attention in thesocial sector. While this Issue Brief focuses on systems leadership, the evaluation team acknowledges that scholarship on othertopics in this domain is valuable.Equal Measure Harder Company Cultivating Systems Leadership in Cross-sector PartnershipsPage 7

What are the characteristics of effective systems leaders, and how canthey be cultivated?While labels and definitions related to systemsleadership will continue to evolve, the themeswe identify strive to unify current thinking onthe topic.Figure 3Through a review of the literature and our work onthis initiative, the evaluation team identified ninecharacteristics of effective systems leaders. Wepresent these in Figure 3, categorized as dispositions,skills, and ways of working.2NINE CHARACTERISTICS OF EFFECTIVE SYSTEMS LEADERSWAYS OF WORKINGSKILLSCreate opportunities forindividuals at multiple levelsof the system to see benefitsof their participation in theshort and long terms.Establish ways to promotethe collective as the unit ofinfluence (rather than theindividual) and the inclusionof all system actors.Understand nuance, whilemaintaining the “big picture”and seeing the dynamicsinherent within complexsystems.Incentives andPayoffsSystemsThinkingEmbrace learning, ambiguity,risk, and experimentation.OpenMindsetEmpowermentWork collaboratively withCo-creation ofpartners and stakeholders toStructures to Supportdevelop processes and structuresthe Workthat facilitate joint work.UnwaveringAttentionto DEIA Focuson ResultsHelp others stay focusedon results, especially changesthat will improve programs,services, and outcomes forintended beneficiaries.DISPOSITIONSActively apply diversity,equity, and inclusion as alens during the systemschange effort.Relationshipsand TrustEffectiveCommunicationSupport productive workingrelationships and shared trustamong multiple stakeholdersin the system.Hear points of view that may be differentfrom their own and craft resonant narratives.2 See Appendix D for additional information about relevant attributes and skills.Equal Measure Harder Company Cultivating Systems Leadership in Cross-sector PartnershipsPage 8

SYSTEMS THINKINGSystems leaders understand nuance, whilemaintaining the “big picture” and seeing thedynamics inherent within complex systems.Systems thinking is about stepping back and seeingthe whole picture. Only from this “balcony view,”and with full “organizational awareness,” can leadersdetect patterns and interrelationships to leverage ordisrupt. This skill links to adaptive leadership, whichrests on the notion that to be influential, leaders mustconstantly assess what is happening in the system,and learn, innovate, and test solutions. Adaptiveleaders are averse to the status quo and are unafraidof imposing change on others. As one key informantcommented, it can be hard to balance the big picturewith the details needed to do this work well: “[It’s]being visionary, but also being able to get into theweeds, as needed.It’s hard to find leaders that doboth very well, but you have to have some comfort[working] at both levels.” Regional hub anchors ofthe Linked Learning initiative convene cross-sectorpartners and coordinate joint activities. This pointsto a network weaving role that relies on an ability tothink systemically.OPEN MINDSETSystems leaders embrace learning,ambiguity, risk, and experimentation.Systems change work is characteristically risky,innovative, and developmental. Those who leadsystems change efforts demonstrate audacityto disrupt the status quo for the sake of makingprograms and services more effective and true totheir purpose. They will let go of pre-set goals andagendas and identify what is critically needed andpossible, setting aside original strategies whenunexpected paths and opportunities emerge.Considering the variety of barriers to identify andaddress, an open mindset is important.Hub leaders noted the difficulty of this work, andthe need to normalize it with regional partners. Oneobserved, “You need to create a culture where it’sokay that it’s hard.”UNWAVERING ATTENTION TO DEISystems leaders use diversity, equity, andinclusion (DEI) as a lens during the work.Applying a DEI lens means that systems leadersmust be adept at creating constructive discomfortand tension around inequity to galvanize people toact. They have a deep passion for and commitmentto social justice, continuously bringing to the foreinequities embedded in the systems they wantto change.“You’ve got to create enoughtension that people are actuallygoing to change something.”As one leader noted, “You’ve got to create enoughtension that people are actually going to changesomething.Until people are so uncomfortable thatthey’re actually going to do something about it.”Getting people to increase their awareness andwillingness to work through the realities of racismand exclusion in our systems requires this degreeof constructive discomfort. Through establishingshared-power settings, leaders can create safe spacesfor deep thinking, discussion of difficult structuraland system challenges, intergroup dialogue, andbalanced participation of diverse stakeholders.Equal Measure Harder Company Cultivating Systems Leadership in Cross-sector PartnershipsPage 9

RELATIONSHIPS AND TRUSTSystems leaders create productiveworking relationships and shared trustamong multiple stakeholders.This is the strongest theme from the literature andinterviews. Leadership is relational, and relationshipsand trust help build the foundation for growth andchange. “Change moves at the speed of trust,” onekey informant commented. Systems leaders whoare in it for the long haul have patience for trustand the time it takes to see progress toward sharedgoals. Empathy is a critical emotional intelligencecompetency for building relationships and trust, andinvolves sensing others’ emotions, understandingtheir perspectives, and taking an active interest intheir concerns.EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATIONSystems leaders hear points of view that maybe different from their own and craftresonant narratives.Systems leaders are skilled at bridging divisions toshow where common interests lie. They can adeptlyfacilitate conversations that explore differentideologies and help others hear points of view thatare distinct from their own. They must speak thelanguages of multiple sectors – at times requiringone to become “bi-lingual [or] tri-lingual in termsof operating in these different spheres to createthe levels of trust needed to work together,” oneleader stated. Flexing the narrative for differentaudiences – e.g., shifting the degree of ambiguity,tweaking language, factoring in varied concerns – isa necessary tactic to galvanize system actors towardthe vision.The ability to translate goals and strategy topostsecondary and workforce partners, who may benew to “Linked Learning,” is a developmental skill forleaders of the Hubs. Communication has frequentlyrisen to the top of conversations among initiativepartners and grantees alike, reinforcing it as animportant capability of systems leaders.A FOCUS ON RESULTSSystems leaders help others stayfocused on results.One way to ensure that the collective “north star”remains at the center is to organize collaborativeactivities around results, rather than around sectoror program area, which can have the perverse effectof reifying the very silos systems leaders are tryingto break down. As one key informant observed, “Tolead these types of collaborative and complex efforts,you need to focus on outcomes and results first andforemost, not just trying to map what already exists.”“Change moves at thespeed of trust.”Then partners can tackle questions like, “What arethe key drivers? What are the key influencers of thatoutcome?” to align activities with desired outcomes.At the outset, in collaboration with partners andstakeholders, leaders should agree on what successlooks like, and create a plan for shared measurementof common goals. A focus on results and “early wins”constitute key sticking points for the Hub grantees.Equal Measure Harder Company Cultivating Systems Le

Equal Measure Harder Company Cultivating Systems Leadership in Cross-sector Partnerships Page 5 The Linked Learning Regional Hubs of Excellence is an initiative of The James Irvine Foundation to bring together K-12 school districts, postsecondary institutions, workforce intermediaries, employers, and