Organisations are operating in sustained conditions of complexity. Rapid advances in technology and artificial intelligence, evolving ways of working, and ongoing geopolitical and economic disruption are reshaping how work is organised and how decisions are made. In these environments, leaders are increasingly confronted with challenges that cannot be addressed through technical expertise, formal authority, or standard operating procedures alone. Instead, they face adaptive challenges - systemic issues that require learning, experimentation, and shifts in values, behaviours, and ways of working.

This “how‑to” workshop focuses on practical ways to build adaptive leadership capability in real organisational settings. It goes beyond adaptive leadership fundamentals to examine how adaptive leadership can be operationalised, supported, and sustained in practice, drawing on Nous’ experience designing, delivering, and evaluating adaptive leadership programs across complex public and private sector environments.

Grounded in adaptive leadership theory (Heifetz, Grashow & Linsky) and informed by organisational psychology research, the session explores how adaptive leadership capabilities are developed and embedded. Integrating practitioner insight, program evaluation findings, and client perspectives, the workshop examines what does and does not enable adaptive leadership programs to translate into sustained behaviour change.

Participants will engage in facilitated, case‑based activities that focus on the practice of diagnosing adaptive versus technical challenges, mobilising learning across the system, regulating productive tension, and navigating issues of power, role, and authority. The session also surfaces practical design and delivery considerations for adaptive leadership initiatives, including psychological safety, leader readiness, organisational authorisation, and the conditions required for adaptive work to be supported over time.

Designed for organisational psychologists and HR professionals, this workshop provides practical tools, diagnostic questions, and evidence‑informed design principles for practitioners within organisations who are looking to build capability at scale.