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an intricate blue maze

Tackling Complexity with a Growth Mindset

Improve complex problem-solving and build a blame-free culture that encourages learning

Leaders’ ability to engage with complexity is important when solving ambiguous and difficult problems, as well as when looking to assess the reasons for any failure. In complex situations there are likely to be multiple factors that interact to cause any given outcome.

While it can be tempting to look for simple answers, and sometimes seek to blame others if something goes wrong, this can have many unintended consequences. It can leave individuals fearful of providing feedback. It can result in a lack of empowerment to take risks and innovate. It can lead to ineffective and oversimplified solutions to complex problems. And, crucially, it can lead to a culture of cover-ups, where individuals don’t admit to their mistakes and so can’t learn from them. By taking a more nuanced approach that considers the situation and context people are operating in, leaders can identify systemic issues that may be at play and provide valuable opportunities to learn.

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