Alder Koten Transformation Competency Model

The premise is that the ideal executive does not exist. Our research indicates that there is no such thing as branding a person as an A, B, or Z type since the environment and context drive our behaviors. Great  managers and leaders adapt, and their styles tend to change based on the challenge, and the strength and weaknesses of other members of a team.  The Alder Koten Transformation Competency Model is based on key leadership and management roles, and how these roles interact under different circumstances to predict an outcome. It identifies four basic roles that coexist and need to be performed in order to achieve a common goal and transform the organization.

These four roles can be applied to our personal or work lives, and they can be applied to an individual, an organization, government, or culture. For any task at hand, we will envision what it is that we need to do, structure what needs to happen, execute to get it done, and set the right elements in place in order to sustain it.

The way the roles interact is critical because while they are all required to coexist their nature is incompatible.

The Envision role requires us to think in the abstract, out of the box and focus on the long term. The focus allows us to look ahead, identify threats, and think about what is required to be effective in the future.The behavior is conflicting with the Execute role that is the discipline of getting things done and requires a strong focus on what is required to be effective now.

As these two behaviors coexist they provide opposing forces: One focused on the long-term and the other on the short-term.

Without the opposing force, the strong Envision profile would only be a dreamer that never gets things done while the Execute profile would be living day-to-day in an endless reactive cycle.

The Structure and Sustain roles share a similar symbiosis. The Structure role provides a highly systematic approach in order to be efficient in the short term.  It’s focused on planning, and establishing efficient procedures and structure. It forces ambiguity out to provide efficient and predictable management.  In contrast, the Sustain role focuses on nurturing adaptability, and guaranteeing that systems remain diverse and productive over time. It challenges the rigidity of the Structure role to be efficient in the long-term.  As these two behaviors coexist they provide opposing forces: One focused on leadership and the other on management.