The traditional model of governance assumes that authority solves problems: electing the right directors, appointingor electing the right officers, and sound judgment will follow. But authority alone is no longer enough.
Adaptive Challenges vs. Technical Problems
Boards frequently misdiagnose adaptive challenges as technical ones. A declining membership base is not just a marketing issue—it may be a sign of shifting generational, member, and stakeholder expectations. A budget shortfall is not just about expense management—it may reflect outdated value propositions.
Technical problems have clear solutions. Adaptive challenges require experimentation, collaboration, and learning. Adaptive Leadership teaches us that leaders must distinguish between the two and resist the urge to apply technical fixes to adaptive problems.Every issue does not have a technological answer. Humanity is more important.
The Director’s New Role
Directors must learn to:
- Frame issues accurately. Is this technical or adaptive?
- Create space for experimentation. Not every solution must be perfect the first time.
- Hold competing perspectives in tension. Governance is about navigating paradoxes, not eliminating them.
- Model courage. Directors must be willing to call out brutal truths, even at personal or political risk.
This requires a cultural shift. Directors are not merely decision-makers; they are conveners of adaptive work.
Call to Action
At your next board meeting, pick one issue and ask: Is this really a technical problem, or are we facing an adaptive challenge? Then discuss what experiments or conversations would help move you forward.