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VOLUME 33/ISSUE 4 — 2010 9
perspectives – counterpoints
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Terry Hogan is director of Citi’s Exec- utive Development where she is responsible for the design and delivery of senior leadership development pro- grams, team training and other organizational support interventions. Her current research focuses on linking overarching business objectives and learning and organization develop- m e n t t o g l o b a l l e a d e r s h i p a n d intercultural competency. She holds a master’s degree in Intercultural Rela- tions and Global Leadership from the School of International Studies at the University of the Pacific and the Inter- cultural Communication Institute and a Bachelor of Science degree from Oregon State University.
Applying Neuroscience to Leadership Development: Designing Learning with the Brain in Mind Christine R. Williams, Director, Systems Engineering Leadership Development, NASA
A s a science and technology organiza- tion, NASA has always had strong commitment to employee training
and development. Technical learning involv- ing the hard sciences aligned well with our culture and mission, and as a result was well- received by our employees and managers. This was not always true of the leadership- development activities that focused more on
self-awareness and learning to improve employee and organizational performance. This learning was normally referred to as soft science or the more commonly used, and less complementary name “touchy feely.”
In 2008, as part of NASA’s efforts to enhance the critical skills of systems engineering, NASA leadership took a deeper look at the factors that contributed to mission success. By studying successful systems engineers,1 it became clear that technical expertise was only a part of the equation. The defining fac- tor between good and great systems engineers was indeed the effective implementation of the softer sciences, such as the ability to engage and motivate employees, build effec- tive teams, communicate well at all levels and think systemically. Mission success depended on what was then defined as the “Art and Science” of systems engineering.2 To build on this understanding, NASA initiated a new developmental program to accelerate the development of the Art and Science of sys- tems engineering.
While an understanding of neuroscience already had been introduced into a few NASA leadership programs, with the creation of a new Systems Engineering Leadership Devel- o p m e n t P r o g r a m w e n o w h a d a n opportunity to integrate what we learned about neuroscience into every part of our program design. From the start of the pro- gram, we taught participants about the brain and discussed how we intended the design of the program to work with human needs and our evolutionary preferences rather than against them.
We designed every aspect of the program with the brain in mind, from the length and flow of learning activities to how we introduced and built the learning community. Logistics was a major factor in creating the right envi- ronment for learning. We changed factors such as lighting and even the food we served for breaks. The design of stretch assignments was particularly challenging as it took these leaders completely out of their comfort zones. We had to make it safe for them to not only give up the usual control of selecting their
in another part of the company or the world, or come through combining products and services in a new way for an emerging market, or by being able to recognize and understand the cultural influences that make for differ- ences in local business practices. Leaders, therefore, need to be able to see and process information in new ways, making connec- tions between phenomena that have never been linked before in their minds. This is sys- tems thinking, and it is the hallmark of resourceful and innovative leaders through- out history.
The dialogue between the science of the brain and the art of leadership demonstrates this kind of systems thinking. This missing link is actually one of many that will help us to develop people to lead in an interconnected world. Another such critical link is cultural neuroscience It looks at the mutual influ- ences of biology, cognition and social psychology, and promises exciting implica- tions for the development of global leaders.
Disparate academic disciplines are but a mir- ror image of the silos in corporations. The need for systems thinking in the development of leaders also calls for us to work across the functional support silos of learning and development, organizational development, expatriation, human resources, talent man- agement, diversity and compensation. Reductionist thinking from academics or cor- porate HR practitioners cannot develop the skills required to perform effectively in a global world. The multiplexity of an inter- connected world calls for our collaboration as well. As this continues to happen, we will finally have an opportunity to develop these skills in global leaders.
Leaders, therefore, need to be able to see and process information in new ways, making connections between phenomena that have never been linked before in their minds.
10 PEOPLE & STRATEGY
perspectives – counterpoints
own assignment, but we also had to create an environment that made it safe for them to fail, recover and grow.
While creating a more effective learning envi- ronment was our first step, our ultimate goal was to have these developing leaders under- stand what we were doing and how we changed the program to meet their needs more effectively, and reduce, overwhelm, and mitigate the fight, flight or freeze response, so they could do the same when they returned to their organizations. This next step is still emerging as part of the program’s design to help these leaders take their personal experi- ence out of the classroom and back into their organizations where they can implement structures and processes that improve employee effectiveness and success.
Christine R. Williams serves as the head of the Systems Department within the NASA Academy of Program, Project and Engineering Leadership (APPEL). Her programs are considered world- class by both industry and government standards, and she has been invited to speak internationally on the topics of leadership development, executive coaching and the application of advances in neuroscience to improving employee learning. Williams received her BS in Oceanography, and later graduated Summa Cum Laude from The Johns Hopkins University with an MS in Organizational Development and Applied Behavioral Science.
Neuroleadership—More Than Another Leadership Framework Tobias Kiefer, Global Director Learning & Development, Booz & Company
I t is a cold and rainy winter day. I am in the process of designing a new leadership program. I experience the frustration of
more than 60,000 leadership books. I decide to go a different route: Design a change pro- gram with the “learner’s brain in mind” – by combining deep emotional moments that require peak attention from participants and finally bring participants to generate their own insights and takeaways. No frameworks, no preselected leadership skills participants should memorize.
Neuroscience has started to impact leader- ship development and it will further shape it. NeuroLeadership is more than a framework. It influences entire training designs and approaches—on multiple levels:
1. The Value of Leadership Programs: The data neuroscience is providing is certainly the meat for rationalizing investments into people development. It helps to stop the myths around leadership development and adds data to the rumors about human behavior. It will help to sell the value of leadership programs. NeuroLeadership links changed behaviors to business results—with data and metrics.
2. Training Design and Investment: Remem- bering one of the key insights about the brain, that no two brains are alike, will help to shape training and coaching toward positive change. By considering
key factors like Attention, Generation, Emotions and Spacing (AGES-Model), we can design programs that will radically change the nature of training for both facilitators and participants. It offers chances to reduce costs for training. We already have first indicators that the aver- a g e c o s t s t r u c t u r e w i l l c h a n g e dramatically: From spending almost 50 percent of training costs on travel and accommodation towards spending more than 80 percent on real learning.
3. Understanding Fundamentals of How the Brain Works: Explaining the core func- tions of the brain to participants (and I am really talking about the core) will help drive the changes in people further.
Looking at the current environment, with cost pressures on the one hand, and more than ever the need for innovation, creativity and leadership, on the other, we need more effective change approaches than what we have today. We need more than training—we need real change. Change starts with under- standing the current status, the system (the brain), and creation of insights.
NeuroLeadership—the conversion of the art and science of leadership development should be considered a great tool to make this hap- pen. It is the tool that rationalizes the kinds of programs designed a few years ago—by coincidence and by trusting intuition and insights. It led, in our case, to a program full of deep emotional and experiential moments of silence and learning spread over two weeks. The program has become one of our flagship programs and serves as the frame- work for more AGES-based models. It is NeuroLeadership put into practice.
1 Williams, C. & Derro, M.E. (2008). NASA Systems Engineering Behavior Study. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Retrieved September 19, 2010 from http://www.nasa.gov/news/reports/ NASA_SE_Behavior_Study.html
2 Ryschkewitsch, M., Schaible D., Larson, W. (2008). The Art and Science of Systems Engineering*. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Retrieved September 19, 2010 from http://www.nasa. g o v / p d f / 3 1 1 1 9 8 m a i n _ A r t _ a n d _ S c i _ o f _ S E _ LONG_1_20_09.pdf
Neuroscience has started to impact leadership development and it will further shape it. NeuroLeadership is more than a framework. It influences entire training designs and approaches…
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