Bill Torbert’s Developmental Action Logics
Torbert’s Developmental Action Logics is another approach of adult development based on constructive developmental theory. Torbert insists that what differentiates leaders is not so much their philosophy of leadership, their personality, or their management style, but rather their internal “action logic.” Action logic is about how leaders interpret their situations and react when their power or safety is challenged. Torbert’s theory of adult development consists of seven developmental action logics. He classifies the seven action logics into three categories: pre-conventional, conventional, and post-conventional.
Pre-conventional Action Logic – Opportunist
Pre-conventional category is defined by mistrust, egocentrism, and manipulativeness.
Opportunists fall in the pre-conventional category, because Opportunists focus on mastering external reality, which might involve exploiting other human beings to achieve one’s own needs. Opportunists often see themselves as victims, avoid taking responsibility for their actions, and instead place blame on others. Few people want to follow them for the long term.
Conventional Action Logics – Diplomat, Expert, and Achiever
Diplomat, Expert, and Achiever are identified as Conventional action logics. Conventional action logics take social categories, norms, and power structures as given for a stable reality.
Diplomat’s action logic is marked by an acceptance of norms, structures and relationships. Diplomats loyally serve the group. They seek to please higher-status colleagues while avoiding conflict. Diplomats are problematic in top leadership roles because they try to ignore conflict. They try to behave overly politely and friendly, and find it difficult to give challenging feedback to others.
Experts try to exercise control by perfecting their knowledge, both in their professional and personal lives, whereas Diplomats try to concentrate on controlling their own behaviors. Experts can be great contributors to an organization because of their pursuit of continuous improvement, but could be problematic as leaders because they lack emotional intelligence and respect for those with less expertise.
Achievers have a more complex and integrated understanding of the world than do managers who belong to the three previous action logics. Achievers realize that many of the ambiguities and conflicts in life are due to differences in interpretation and ways of relating. They create a positive work environment and focus their efforts on outcomes, but the problem of this action logic is that their style often inhibits thinking outside of the box.
Post-conventional Action Logics – Individualist, Strategist, and Alchemist
Post-conventional action logics include Individualist, Strategist and Alchemist. At these post-conventional action logics, those begin to recognize that reality is not pre-established, and that it is experienced differently by each person depending on one’s unique way of meaning making system.
Individualists could own an abstract idea. They see a conflict as an opportunity, because they think that a conflict becomes the source of tension, creativity, and a growing desire for further development. Individualists have a capacity to think and behave in an unconventional way, and to ignore rules they regard as irrelevant. They may have a drawback to irritate colleagues and bosses by ignoring key organizational processes or people.
Strategists appreciate that each person views the world from a unique frame of mind like Individualists do, but strategists are also able to honor the evolving nature of individuals and create shared visions across different action logics. They deal with conflict more comfortably than do those with other action logics. Strategists have a capacity to simultaneously maintain interests in three distinct levels of social interplay: personal relationships, organizational relations, and national/international developments.
Alchemists are the final leadership action logic. Alchemists are very rare. Rooke and Torbert conducted a survey to 4,310 managers and leaders in American and European for-profit companies, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations, and they identified only 1% of adults reach this action logic (Jones, 2015). What sets Alchemists apart from Strategists is their ability to renew or reinvent themselves and their organizations in historically significant ways. Mahatma Ghandi, Nelson Mandela, and Vaclav Havel could be good examples of Alchemists.
Torbert’s action logics have a resemblance with Kegan’s developmental stages. They can be viewed comparatively in the following table.
Comparison of two constructive developmental frameworks
Source: McCauley, C. D., Drath, W. H., Palus, C. J., O'Connor, P. M., & Baker, B. A. (2006). The use of constructive-developmental theory to advance the understanding of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 17(6), 634-653.
References
Fisher, D., & Torbert, W. R. (1995). Personal and organizational transformations: The true challenge of continual quality improvement: McGraw-Hill.
Jones, J. A. (2015). Beyond Generosity: The Action Logics in Philanthropy.
McCauley, C. D., Drath, W. H., Palus, C. J., O'Connor, P. M., & Baker, B. A. (2006). The use of constructive-developmental theory to advance the understanding of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 17(6), 634-653.
Torbert, W. R. (1994). Cultivating postformal adult development: Higher stages and contrasting interventions. Transcendence and mature thought in adulthood: The further reaches of adult development, 181-203.
Torbert, W. R. (2004). Action inquiry: The secret of timely and transforming leadership: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
Torbert, W. R., Livne-Tarandach, R., McCallum, D., Nicolaides, A., & Herdman-Barker, E. (2010). Developmental action inquiry. Integral Theory in Action: Applied, Theoretical, and Constructive Perspectives on the AQAL Model, 413.