IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

Adaptive
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FUNDING PARTNER

Leadership
ONLINE COURSE SYLLABUS
ADAPTIVE
LEADERSHIP

Mobilizing for Change and Disrupting the Status Quo

Course Description Statement of Accomplishment

Have you have ever struggled with a Upon completion of this course, you will
problem that will not go away? The solutions earn a Statement of Accomplishment signed

+ACUMEN Business Models for Social Impact

may often seem obvious, such as the need
for a new technology, an expert capability, a
different process, or better communication.
Yet you seem to face unexpected resistance
to these seemingly “obvious” fixes or the
problem stubbornly persists. You may be
facing an adaptive challenge.
This introductory course helps you identify
and make progress on a leadership challenge
in your own life, team, or community. You’ll
apply the tools and techniques of Adaptive
Leadership, a practical framework developed
at Harvard Kennedy School of Government
for leading change, particularly during times
of uncertainty or when there are no easy
answers.
Adaptive Leadership is a critical skillset for
anyone looking to drive systemic change in
an increasingly complex world.
by the Director of +Acumen that you can
share with your professional networks.
What You’ll Learn
+ Understand the root cause of a
stubborn and recurring challenge
in your organization, team or
community
+ Partner with those who are in
positions of authority or power
+ Leverage your own power for
change
+ Design an experiment that
strengthens your ability to create
lasting change
+ Learn to lead adaptively in
environments with trust issues,
political sensitivities, resistance,
conflict and distress

Course Format
This is an online course. You can view and
access all course materials at your own pace
during the period that the course is open.
There are no live sessions or specific times
you need to log in.

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+ Reading: Getting on the Balcony
+ Exercise: Getting on the Balcony
+ Exercise: The “Gap”
+ Reading: The “Gap” and the System
Around It
+ Video: Think Politically
+ Reading: Why “Thinking
Politically”?
+ Exercise: Reflection
+ Reading: Practicing the VLL
Framework
+ACUMEN Business Models for Social Impact
+ Reading: The Illusion of the Broken
System
+ Activity: Discussion
+ Activity: Frame Your Adaptive
Challenge
+ Exercise: Values, Loyalties, Losses
+ Reading: Stakeholder Categories
(Factions)
+ Reading: Additional Resources
+ Activity: Faction Mapping
+ Activity: Engage with Your Map
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+ Video: Technical and Adaptive + Reading: Bundled Challenges

+ACUMEN Business Models for Social Impact

Challenges
+ Reading: Unbundling Your Challenges
+ Reading: What’s the “Work”?
+ Activity: Reframing Your Challenge
+ Reading: Technical vs. Adaptive
+ Activity: Seek External Perspectives
Problems

+ Exercise: Technical vs. Adaptive

Problems

+ Video: An example of a courageous + Exercise: Productive Zone of

conversation Disequilibrium

+ Reading: Experimenting Adaptively + Reading: Experiment and Take Smart

Risks
+ Reading: Readying Yourself and Others
+ Activity: Design Your Adaptive
+ Reading: Orchestrating Disequilibrium
Experiment
+ Reading: Avoiding Work Avoidance
+ Activity: Summary Deck
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WHERE WILL YOU GO NEXT?
+Acumen is a vibrant community of change
leaders around the world. We believe that
by working together to amplify the impact
of each other’s work, we’ll create a world
beyond poverty. When this course wraps up,
how will you continue to stay connected?
Take Another +Acumen Course
With the largest offering of online education
in the social impact space, we’ve got courses
in personal development, leadership and
social entrepreneurship. As you have just
experienced, our hands-on courses offer
a practical and collaborative environment
to move your work forward. Check out our
calendar of upcoming courses.
CONNECT WITH +ACUMEN courses@plusacumen.org
+ACUMEN Business Models for Social Impact
If you’re interested in learning more about
leadership, check out:
+ Systems Practice: Learn to use a
systems thinking approach to move
from “impossible” to impact
+ In the Name of Identity: How to hold
difficult conversations about identity,
race, and current issues
+ Martin Luther King’s Letter from
Birmingham Jail: A conversation
about justice, extremism and
activism
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WHERE WILL
YOU GO NEXT?

Learn from the Best Become a Catalyst

At +Acumen, we’re fortunate and grateful Catalysts are current and former students
to work with some of the world’s most who care deeply about helping others
incredible thought-leaders. They are unlock their potential. They enrich the
masters of their craft who have generously course experience as guides -– answering

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given their time to create courses based on questions, helping students get unstuck,
their work. +Acumen Master Classes include and encouraging them to go beyond their
instructors such as Chris Anderson (Head of limitations. Apply what you’ve learned in
TED), Angela Duckworth (an award-winning the course in a new way by coaching others
psychologist and MacArthur genius), Krista through the material, engage deeply in the
Tippett (an NPR Radio Host) and Dan Ariely work of others and meet students from
(a professor of behavioral psychology from around the world. Apply to be a catalyst.
Duke University). If you’re interested in
learning more about leadership, check out: Join the +Acumen Corps
We launched the +Acumen Corps to bring
Seth Godin’s individuals together to collaborate and
Leadership connect. We all know that driving social
Workshop: Create change is hard work and that in order to
an alternative create the change we seek in the world, we
future for yourself need each other. Corps members are bonded
and others by our shared goal of creating a world
beyond poverty and that it will take all of us
to achieve it. To join the +Acumen Corps you
Emily Esfahani must participate and complete a +Acumen
Smith on Building Challenge. Check out the +Acumen Corps
a Meaningful Life: website to learn about and apply for
Learn practical upcoming challenges.
steps to build
more meaningful
connections,
strengthen your
purpose, and
pursue a life that
matters
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