Critical Thinking for Leaders-4

Getting Started

What is wisdom? Why might it be important for leaders to develop and practice wisdom? Have you ever considered questions like these? Perhaps you’ve heard the term “VUCA.” It’s an acronym for “Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity.” VUCA is often the term used to describe the rather crazy world in which we presently live and work. For leaders, all the uncertainty makes it rather challenging to know how to make good decisions or solve significant problems. This is where wisdom becomes useful! Milvio di Bartolomeo (2019) proposed a formula to counteract each of the four elements of VUCA with a specific positive response. These include:

· “Vision rises above Volatility — when conditions are changing unpredictably, leaders should keep focused on the desired target state and vision. The vision should be a compelling picture of the future that aligns stakeholders around the purpose of the transformation, the scale of the ambition and the nature of the benefits.

· Understanding reduces Uncertainty — when uncertainty is encountered, explore and experiment in order to increase understanding of external political, economic, social, technological, legislative and environmental factors

· Clarity counters Complexity — when faced with the unknown and unpredictable conditions that can only be understood in hindsight or retrospect, learn to simplify where possible as clarity informs decisions and decisions enable execution.

· Agility overcomes Ambiguity — when the future contains multiple alternatives, be ready to adapt the approach to match the desired outcome. Organizational agility is simply achieved by adopting the practice of collaborate, deliver, reflect and improve against agreed metrics.”

Wisdom has been defined by many scholars. Here are a couple of definitions we will use for this week’s workshop:

Seminal author and researcher Robert Sternberg (2003) defined wisdom as “the application of intelligence and creativity as mediated by values toward the achievement of a common good through a balance of intrapersonal interests, interpersonal interests, and extra-personal interests.”

Kunzmann and Baltes (2003) asserted that wisdom, among other attributes, consists of:

· Rich factual knowledge about life

· Rich knowledge about values and goals

· Recognition and managing of uncertainty

Biblical scholar Ken Boa (2009) explained that wisdom is a quality that enables one to live a noticeably, recognizably outstanding life.

So, how might a leader employ best practices for applying wisdom? Dr. Vern Ludden (2018) offers the following:

· Think

· Feel (emotive capacity)

· Synergize

· Engage (behavioral proactiveness)

· Reflect

· Aspire and Inspire

References

Boa, K. (2009). Conformed to his image. Zondervan Academic.

di Bartolomeo, M. (2019, November 7). VUCA prime - The answer to a VUCA dynamic. The Axelos Blog.  https://www.axelos.com/news/blogs/november-2019/vuca-prime-the-answer-to-a-vuca-dynamic(new site)

Kunzmann, U., & Baltes, P. B. (2003). Beyond the traditional scope of intelligence: Wisdom in action. In R. J. Sternberg, J. Lautrey, & T. I. Lubart (Eds.), Models of intelligence: International perspectives (p. 329–343). American Psychological Association.

Ludden, L. (2018). Wisdom for leaders [Class handout]. Indiana Wesleyan University, DOL720.

Sternberg, R. J. (2003). Wisdom, intelligence, and creativity synthesized. Cambridge University Press.

Background Information

In 256 B.C., Cyprian, the Bishop of Carthage, was quoted as saying: “Beloved brethren [we] are philosophers not in words but in deeds; we exhibit our wisdom not by our dress, but by truth; we know virtues by their practice rather than by boasting of them; we do not speak great things but we live them” (Flourishsandiego.com, 2017).

Instructions

1. Review the rubric to make sure you understand the criteria for earning your grade.

2. Review the information in the Getting Started and Background Information sections.

3. Read The Wise Leader(new tab)  and watch the video Wise Leadership(new tab) .  

4. In your initial discussion post (250–300 words), address the following three questions: How is wisdom a bigger idea than just knowledge or experience? How might wisdom help you avoid falling into poor or negative patterns of thinking that may lead to foolish actions or decisions? How might developing greater wisdom contribute to your success as a leader?

5. Post your initial posting no later than Day Four of the workshop week.

6. Respond to at least two others’ postings (150–200 words each) on two different days, by the end of the workshop. Simply responding with a sentence that reflects agreement with others’ postings is not an acceptable response. Instead, be sure to advance the discussion. In other words, build upon what has been posted so that our collective learning is enriched.

7. Be sure to incorporate at least two additional sources beyond assigned material in this course.