Student Name: Weight: 20%

Student ID: Marks: /50

Assignment 2: Technical vs Adaptive Change

Introduction
Any change can be challenging as it can disrupt comfort levels and the power distribution of
information. Ron Heifetz, founding director of the Center for Public Leadership at the Harvard
Kennedy School, identified two types of change: adaptive and technical. Technical change has
a known solution, while adaptive change requires new learning. As a leader it can be helpful to
define a problem as technical or adaptive, noting that each will require different approaches to
change leadership.

Instructions
1. Consider 5 opportunities for improvement on your unit or across your program.
2. Determine if the problem is technical or adaptive, applying the principles put forward by
Heifetz around change leadership.
3. Outline additional data or information you may require to better define and understand
the problem.
4. Suggest an approach to improvement that is best suited to the problem.
5. Complete the following table.
6. Submit your work as a PDF in your course learning management system. Review your
course schedule for due dates.

Problem Technical or How do Additional Improvement Rationale

Adaptive you data or Solution
know? information

© 2021, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology 1

Resources
https://www.sgaumc.org/files/files_library/technical_vs_adaptive_challenges.pdf

http://libresources.sait.ab.ca.libresources1.sait.ab.ca/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/
login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=125743426&site=ehost-live

Marking Criteria
Categories Quality Markers Score Comments

Content Accurate and complete information is /35

presented covering all the
requirements as per instructions.

(15 points)

15, 10, 5, 0

15 – Have 5 problems within all

column; thorough completed

10 – All requirements are covered but

lacks completeness and thoroughness

5 – 5 problems, problem types and

justification for types have been
identified but was unable to apply
appropriate improvement solutions and
rational

0 – Only identified 5 problems and the

type without any further understanding

Submission shows evidence of critical

thinking and analysis. There is
coherence between ideas.

(10 points)

10 – shows evidence of critical…ideas

7 – Submission shows evidence of

critical thinking and analysis but lacks

© 2021, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology 2

 coherence between ideas.

5 – Submission has minimal critical

thinking and analysis.

0 – Submission has no critical thinking

and analysis.

There is a clear connection and

alignment to the principles of change
leadership.

10 – clear connection…leadership

7 – Submission had a clear connection

to change leadership principles but
some components were missing (ex.
Not addressing stakeholders, not
having sponsorship engagement, etc.)

5 – Submission had some connection

to change leadership principles but it
was not clear or consistently presented
throughout all 5 problems.

0 – Submission had no clear

connection and alignment to principles
of change leadership.

(10 points)

Organization and Submission is well-organized into the /15

professional provided template.
Communication
(5 points)
Professional
Communication 5 – well-organized and easy to follow

0 – did not follow the template/did not

have content organized

Language is clear and concise and

there are no spelling or grammar
errors.

(10 points)

10 – no spelling or grammar issues;

© 2021, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology 3

 clear and concise

7 – Submission is clear and concise

but has some spelling and grammatical
errors.

5 – disrupted comprehension;
Submission has spelling and
grammatical errors through that limited
readers comprehension.;

0 – Language was not clear and

concise and there was numerous
spelling and grammatical errors
throughout preventing any
comprehension from the reader.

Optional Reading
 Heifetz, R., Linsky, M. & Grashow, A. (2009). The Practice of Adaptive Leadership:
Tools and Tactics for Changing Your Organization and the World. Harvard Business
Press.

© 2021, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology 4