3D Leadership: A New Approach for Complex Teams

Today’s teams are far more complex than those of the past. Today’s teams: 

• Are dynamic
• Have members and leaders that are part of multiple teams
• Have an undetermined lifespan
• Consist of members who seek more autonomy and empowerment 
• Contain unclear boundaries and office spaces

That is why several books that write about team leadership and many organizations today fail to support the teams and leaders. They do not prepare them for the VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous) world we live in today. 

Bradley Kirkman, the Shelton distinguished professor of leadership management, innovation, and entrepreneurship at the Poole College of Management at North Carolina State University, and Brad Harris, Assistant Professor in the Neeley School of Business at Texas Christian University, have developed a new model of team leadership. Drawing from their own and others' research and extensive consulting, they have created 3D Leadership: A New Approach for Complex Teams. This book delivers real-world examples and practical guidance to navigate through the chaos and confusion of today’s teams by understanding and focusing on the three dimensions of a team: 

• The individuals in the team
• The team as a whole, and  
• The subteams within

Kirkman and Harris explain the key to their model is “focus - knowing where to devote your time and attention to maximize your and your team’s effectiveness.”¹ They express the importance of directing the focus on the proper dimension at the right time in order to work effectively. The key is to know when to and to whom you should shift your focus. 

To strike a balance between your work and leadership of the team, you need to pay more attention to the individuals on the team, understand where they want to grow and help them find ways to grow that align with where the team is going. 

This book is written for those leaders, or soon-to-be leaders, of diverse teams that are causing, or will cause, feelings of stress, burn out and confusion. This new approach for complex teams will support you in navigating new team dynamics.

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References

¹ Kirkman, B. L., & Harris, T. B. (2017). The Dramatically Changing Landscape of Leading Teams. In 3D team leadership a new approach for complex teams (pp. 19–19). essay, Stanford University Press.