Adaptive Leadership for the Twenty First Century: A Review

Operational changes brought about by the Covid-19 Pandemic necessitated leaders to adapt to changes in their external environment in order for them to maintain their workmanship.  Adaptive leadership became an asset that was deemed necessary for every leader during their term in leadership. This study aimed to review the iteration and adaptation of the organization to conform to changes in its environment, look at the frameworks and theories of adaptive leadership, and study contextual information from secondary sources on the benefits of adaptive leadership in the twenty first century leader and the skills and competencies required. The research findings tailored the study towards; the implications of adaptive leadership in the 21st century, its effects, and any recommendations for leaders who choose to embrace this leadership style. From this research, we discover that the changing times brought about by the technological evolution of the 21st century, have deemed it necessary for current leaders to be adaptive in their leadership style. Sustainable skills and competencies will come in handy for an adaptive leader to survive in an adaptive environment. The complexity of non-predictable problems that do not have definite solutions has troubled the operation of modern organizations. Constant changes in communication also seem to hinder adaptive leadership to be effective in organizations. The review has clearly outlined the impacts of adaptive leadership on an organization, its principles, pros and cons, past leaders who were considered adaptive, and how a person becomes an adaptive leader. The research findings lead to the following recommendations: A leader first needs to accept the inevitability of change in the organization, embrace the mistakes, and take into consideration the lessons learned. Be open to diversity and get a team that helps them to think outside the box. Change tactics and be open to criticism from their team