Strategic Leadership needs a QUANTUM Leap

Can physics - particularly quantum physics - teach us anything about strategic leadership?

‘Quantum physics’ deals with the smallest part of any system on which we focus and helps us understand how the system and its parts behave over time. The system in question might be our organisation or its market.

Schrödinger’s cat (in our picture) is a famous thought experiment that was an outcome of the author’s Nobel prize in physics in 1933. In this experiment, a cat lives in a sealed box with a deadly radioactive substance in a bottle. The bottle will be broken if we open the box to find the state of the cat. Is the cat dead or alive? The answer, according to Schrödinger, is that the cat is both dead and alive at the same time. As soon as we open the box, we decide the fate of the cat.

This experiment demonstrates several key principles in quantum physics. So what can we learn about strategic thinking from this perspective? I explore three key implications.

1]. SUPERPOSITION

This is the theme of the popular TV series "Dark Matter". It follows a person that exists in two states at the same time. In the same way, Schrödinger’s cat is dead and alive at the same time. This idea is not supported by Cartesian logic - a rational approach in which opposing facts cannot exist simultaneously. Cartesian logic, where we seek to prove that something is correct or incorrect, is the traditional approach used in engineering, mathematics and science.

While this traditional approach may suit leadership in some organisations, it limits the concept of possibility thinking. Possibility thinking rests on the notion of ‘fuzzy logic’, the idea that multiple truths can exist at the same time. Fuzzy logic mimics real-life circumstances, where statements of absolute truth or falsehood are rare. Furthermore, it supports the notion of ‘superposition’ in which we need to keep multiple options open at the same time - even if they seem contradictory. This approach is decidedly more suitable in an uncertain environment where we cannot predict the future.



2]. OBSERVER EFFECTS

Observer effects are also present in organisations. In Schrödinger's experiment, an observer who opens the box will affect the state of the cat. In effect, the observer ‘collapses’ the cat into a definite state (either dead or alive) and its dual state will cease to exist. Similarly, the interest and focus of a leader will shape the state of an organisation.

In organisations, there is an inherent balance between efficiency and effectiveness (a dual state). A leader’s focus can effectively collapse this dual state by focusing on (say) speed and efficiency - and thereby impacting the level of effectiveness. And vice versa.

The implication is that leaders need to make a purposeful distinction between those parts of the organisation in which they wish to promote ‘exploiting’ behaviour (efficiency), and those in which they emphasise ‘exploring’ behaviour (effectiveness). In this way, the observation effect of the leader is to collapse the dual state in that part of the organisation.



3]. QUANTUM UNCERTAINTY

Uncertainty is an inherent part of a complex system - meaning that the change or evolution of the system is difficult to predict. This has several implications for strategic leadership and thinking.

Firstly, most objective-led approaches (such as business plans or change processes with specific objectives) are likely to produce suboptimal outcomes because they assume a stable context. The obstacles that arise during the process will create stress and delay, and may even sabotage the whole process. In conditions of uncertainty, it makes more sense to recognise that any specific objectives will emerge along the way as learning occurs. In uncertain conditions, it is more sensible to promote adaptation and innovation - allowing the solutions to emerge as people experiment and engage with the challenges. (This is often referred to as ‘quantum tunnelling’).

Finally, adaptation and innovation will only discover what is possible if it seeks to achieve the impossible - ie: to go beyond the possible. The implication is that we should not only seek to adapt and innovate in order to improve our existing business, but also to seek opportunities that might create our business of the future.

Quantum Strategic Leadership

Strategic leadership can learn much from the study of quantum physics and the understanding of how systems behave over time. The key learnings are:

1. Recognise that multiple possibilities exist:

In conditions of uncertainty and change, try relaxing the adherence to Cartesian logic which insists that contradictory facts cannot exist at the same time. By introducing possibility thinking through foresight and scenario thinking, we can make room for fuzzy logic and accept contradictory solutions to address complex challenges.

2. Understand that your attention matters:

What you focus on will change the reality of the organisation. Be purposeful about the agenda you seek to promote and note that the inherent balance between efficiency and effectiveness will be affected by addressing one or the other. Once you shape the tools and processes to be used, the tools and processes will shape you.

3. Stop assuming a fixed state in your plans and preparations for the future:

There is an inherent state of uncertainty in systems (both organisations and markets) and solutions will emerge as you engage with the challenge. Best to encourage learning by promoting innovation and adaptation - the specific objectives will emerge along the journey. An objectives-led plan is not a strategy. Strategy is ultimately a learning process in which the answers emerge along the way.