Two things up front about chapter 11: First, do you get the impression that adaptive leadership is all about “change” in the organization? “Adaptive leadership focuses on the adaptations required of people in response to changing environments.”

Question #1:

Is adaptive leadership principally suited for turbulent environment, as opposed to stable environments? (For example—Johan Vaaler, a Norwegian, invented the paperclip in 1899. The paperclip industry has remained pretty much the same ever since. Therefore, one could hold that up as a stable environment. On the other hand, the tech industries, say chip manufactures, could be an adequate example of a turbulent environment.) If it is suitable for only one environment, how does that limit its utility?

Secondly, can you take issue with the true focus of this theory? “Although people often think of adaptive leadership as being leader centered, it is actually more follower centered.”

Question #2: (OK, actually more of a statement…)

Build a case for adaptive leadership being more of a situational theory than a leader-centered or follower-centered theory.

Nestled in this chapter are two important points that I would like to emphasize. “Authority allows leaders to do what followers expect them to do…” I’ve mentioned in other chapters that Professor Northouse clearly states in other books that followers crave leadership. They earnestly desire it and we, as business managers, have an obligation to provide it to them and provide it well. “It is common for all of us to resist change…” This highlights one of the critical (fatal?) flaws in this theory. People do NOT like change. The only change people like is the coins in their pocket, and they aren’t