Why leadership programmes fail: the problem with quick fixes

5 minute read

Leadership programmes frequently fail to drive lasting change. HR directors and people leaders can avoid quick fixes and embrace adaptive, impactful leadership strategies, says Steve Hearsum

Sian Harrington

A maze with a silver bullet in the centre to signify the complexity of organisational change

Leadership development has become a billion-pound industry, yet organisations often fail to see the transformation they were promised. Many businesses invest heavily in leadership programmes, expecting significant cultural shifts, only to be left wondering why nothing much has changed. The answer, according to organisational change expert Steve Hearsum, lies in our misguided search for quick fixes – what he refers to as the “myth of the silver bullet.”

In the latest episode of the Work's Not Working… Let’s Fix It! podcast Hearsum offers a candid critique of how organisations approach leadership development. From our fixation on models and frameworks to the influence of AI, he argues that the desire for certainty and speed often derails real progress. Below we explore some key insights from the conversation, offering a fresh perspective on why leadership programmes fail and how to navigate the complex landscape of organisational change.

The allure of the quick fix

Organisations today are under immense pressure to perform. Leaders are expected to deliver results quickly, and the demand for constant innovation pushes them towards the fastest available solutions. This is where the "silver bullet" mentality comes in – a seductive but flawed idea that a single programme or leadership framework can solve all an organisation’s challenges.

In the podcast Hearsum explains the cultural and psychological factors that drive this behaviour. Senior leaders, in particular, face high expectations from shareholders, stakeholders and their teams. These pressures create a strong desire for certainty, which often leads to an over-reliance on rigid models or quick fixes that promise results.

Leadership programmes are often performative, he believes. They create the illusion of learning and progress but, because they're disconnected from the real complexities of work, they rarely lead to lasting change. The truth is that organisational issues like culture and behaviour are far too complex to be solved with one-size-fits-all approaches.

Why leadership programmes are failing

Leadership development has evolved into an industry obsessed with methodologies and frameworks, many of which fail to address the nuances of real-world challenges. Hearsum believes this disconnect is why many leadership initiatives feel superficial. They create a "performance" of leadership without addressing the deeper issues.

"Much of leadership development is performative,'” Hearsum says. “Consultants or facilitators show up to a lush venue and deliver long programmes. So we go through this performative ritual where everybody feels like they've done a good job. The learners have done their learning. The facilitators have done their thing. But that's not the same as doing learning that is applied to the real world workplace context.”

So leaders attend these programmes, participate in activities and feel they’ve been transformed. But once they return to their day-to-day operations the changes fail to stick. This is because the programmes are often abstracted from the actual work environment. Real leadership development should focus on practice-based learning, directly tied to the challenges leaders face in their specific contexts.

The complexity of change

What’s often missing from leadership programmes is an understanding of the complexity involved in real organisational change. As Hearsum puts it,  we’re dealing with human beings, social processes, and unpredictable dynamics. That’s not something you can fix with a ready-made framework.

The desire for certainty, he argues, is what fuels the obsession with quick fixes. Leaders want to believe that a single intervention – a new leadership model for instance – can resolve deep-rooted problems. However, this mindset prevents them from embracing the necessary discomfort that comes with navigating uncertainty and complexity.

Fixability and fear of the unknown

Hearsum notes that there is a “myth of fixability” in organisations, a term coined by Mark Cole and John Higgins in their book Leadership Unravelled. This myth stems from the laziness and assumptions we make about the nature of change. It’s easier to believe that a large-scale change initiative can solve everything than to sit with the discomfort of uncertainty.

“Fear and anxiety, the sheer existential terror of not being able to cope with not knowing what to do, is a significant driver," Hearsum explains. “It's far easier to assume we can change something, however messy, just by whacking it with a very large metaphorical hammer of change methodology.”

HR's role in organisational change

HR departments are often on the front lines of leadership development, yet they too can fall victim to the allure of quick fixes. HR is sometimes criticised for being overly transactional, focusing on frameworks and fads that don't create real change. Hearsum, however, notes that HR departmenrs mirror the broader leadership culture within an organisation. “The best HR professionals have the backing of senior leadership to ask difficult questions, to ask awkward questions, to probe, to maybe experiment,” he says. But, he adds, in many cases, HR is limited by the same pressures that affect leaders – the need for quick results and visible progress.

The power of reflexivity 

One solution, according to Hearsum, is for HR and other professionals to develop reflexivity – the ability to reflect on their actions and adapt based on the outcomes. Reflexivity goes beyond critical thinking; it’s about applying what you’ve learned, testing it in the real world and then reflecting again on what worked and what didn’t.

This iterative process, he argues, is key to moving away from the superficiality of performative leadership development. It requires leaders to not only implement change initiatives but also to continually question and refine them based on the realities of the workplace.

The future of work and the role of AI

As organisations grapple with the complexities of leadership and change, technology – particularly artificial intelligence (AI) – is increasingly seen as part of the solution. AI potentially streamlines processes and enhances decision-making. However, Hearsum warns that AI, like many other solutions, is not a silver bullet.

AI in HR: A new silver bullet?

There is growing interest in how AI can be used in HR to enhance efficiency, whether through automating recruitment processes or analysing workforce data. However, Hearsum cautions that organisations should not view AI as a cure-all. While AI has the potential to provide valuable insights, it still requires human oversight and critical thinking to avoid reinforcing biases or creating new problems. AI might make some things more efficient but it’s not going to fix the underlying cultural or behavioural issues in organisations. We need to be careful not to see AI as just another quick fix. Hearsum says one problem is that “AI is going to be seen as a fire and forget. It's not going to be thought about as an integrated part of a wider system.”

In the broader context of the future of work AI will likely play a supportive role rather than replacing human leadership altogether. Hearsum highlights examples from the legal and medical fields, where AI has been used to improve accuracy in specific tasks, like reviewing contracts or diagnosing illnesses. However, even in these cases, human judgment remains essential.

As organisations continue to explore the role of AI in work it’s crucial to balance technological advancements with the need for human insight and reflexivity. Leaders must remain cautious of the temptation to see AI as an easy answer to complex problems.

Moving beyond the myth of the silver bullet

Meaningful organisational change requires much more than the latest trendy leadership model or technological solution. It involves grappling with complexity, asking difficult questions and being willing to sit with uncertainty.

To break free from the cycle of seeking quick fixes, Hearsum advises leaders and HR professionals to cultivate three key skills:

  1. Reflexivity: Continually reflect on your actions and adjust based on the outcomes. This process is critical for adapting to the evolving challenges in the workplace.
  2. Both-And thinking: Move away from binary thinking and embrace complexity. In leadership, it’s rarely a matter of either-or; the best decisions often involve balancing multiple perspectives.
  3. Asking difficult questions: Don’t shy away from discomfort. The most valuable learning comes from challenging assumptions and probing deeply into what’s really going on in the organisation.

Finally, Hearsum emphasises the need for experimentation. Leaders must be willing to try new approaches, even if they don’t succeed right away. The only failed experiment is the one you don’t learn from, he says. By embracing this mindset organisations can foster a culture of continuous improvement rather than getting stuck in the pursuit of quick fixes.

The future of leadership and organisational change

As we look toward the future of work both leaders and HR professionals need to adopt more flexible, reflexive approaches to organisational change. AI will undoubtedly play a role in shaping the future but it will not replace the need for human insight and adaptability.

The failure of leadership programmes lies not in their intent but in their execution. By moving beyond the myth of the silver bullet organisations can focus on the slow, deliberate work of building cultures that are resilient, adaptive and truly transformational. In the end, real change doesn’t come from chasing quick fixes; it comes from embracing the complexities of leadership and learning to navigate them with skill and reflexivity.

Listen to the full episode No Silver Bullet: Debunking the Quick Fix In Leadership here or on your usual podcast channel

Published 22 October 2024
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