“The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them.” 

- Albert Einstein

As Peter Drucker once predicted, the world of work has grown more complex and uncertain in the early 21st century. Human civilization has faced structural challenges, especially during the last decade. Otto Scharmer argues that our civilization faces three significant divides; ecological, social and spiritual divides. Our economic activities are devastating our environment. The income disparity has been growing on a global basis. The fundamentalist movements have been rising in both Western and non-Western countries. Scharmer even cautions that we collectively create results that no one wants. In order to cope with the growing challenges caused by these polarizing circumstances in the world, the demand for leadership has not been higher ever. 

In our rapidly globalized, interconnected and complex economy, leadership is also getting extremely important for organizational success. The call for effective leadership has been growing more than ever. To respond to the call, leadership development has become a multibillion-dollar industry, with in-house as well as external consulting groups offering leadership development techniques and programs for their clients. Leadership programs are now available in almost every imaginable format and sector including business, non-profits, politics, and academia.

However, in spite of such a huge investment in leadership development, relatively little research exists on the effectiveness of leadership development methods, and the efficacy of existing leadership training programs has recently been called into question. According to PWC Trends in Human Capital survey in 2012, only 30% of CEOs are confident they will have the talent needed to grow their organization in the near future. CEOs are now confronted with a “complexity gap” that poses a bigger challenge than any factor measured in the last eight years in IBM’s 2010 Global CEO Study. Harvard’s adult development psychologist, Robert Kegan, claims that the constantly changing demands of modern life may be developmentally inappropriate for many – perhaps even most – adults. The majority of adults are quite literally “in over their heads.” This website explores the potential of adult development theory to anatomize leadership development.     

Ryosuke (Reo) Watanabe, Ph.D.