You’re not likely to find ‘promotion of coping behaviour’ on the list of ten successful leadership skills. Nor are you likely to give an interview and indicate how your coping behaviours are key to your leadership success.

The word coping seems to have a negative connotation around it, as if the problems you and your teams face are bigger than you. Something most leaders don’t want to admit. Promoting coping behaviour as a leader is key in maintaining creative teams, so let’s unpack this important leadership skill as it relates to problem-solving style. 

You can choose to operate more adaptively or more innovatively than your preference by turning on your coping behaviour

You and your problem-solving style 

Dr Kirton, in the 1970s established the Kirton Adaption-Innovation Inventory (KAI), the world’s foremost psychometric measure of problem-solving. The theory recognises that people innately differ in the way they approach problems and provides an in-depth insight and understanding into how people prefer to solve problems and interact while decision-making.  

The theory suggests that styles of problem-solving sit on a continuum, ranging from strong adaption to strong innovation (the A-I continuum). The more adaptive of us prefer our problems to be associated with more structure and are more enabled by rules and routines, and for more of this structure to be consensually agreed, using existing or tried and tested solutions or processes.

Compared to the more innovative, who are comfortable solving problems with less structure, they’re likely to be more free-spirited, vary routines, view rules and routines as constraining and use more radical ways and different ideas when problem-solving.   

One problem-solving style is not better than the other, in general.  Also, you can choose to operate more adaptively or more innovatively than your preference by turning on your coping behaviour.  

Turning on coping behaviour 

Coping behaviour is often associated with the actions of an individual in a stressful situation, which can occur when you’re solving a problem more complex than your capacity, or operating outside of your preferred problem-solving style.  

Examples of working outside your preferred style may include a more innovative individual being forced to work within a detail-oriented process-driven environment with lots of rules and regulations; or a more adaptive individual thrown into a chaotic workplace, with little order or guidance. A lack of alignment between one’s preference and the task being asked to complete may cause that individual a huge amount of stress and anxiety.  

Evidence suggests that we turn on coping behaviour like a light switch, choosing to operate more adaptively or more innovatively along the continuum when we recognise the need to do so. This coping may be needed to work with a particular individual, who is more adaptive or more innovative than you or solve a specific problem which is a mismatch to your preference.  

Every time we solve a problem, we learn from success or failure and gain insight for the next time the problem emerges

Self-awareness and insight are key to turning coping behaviour on. Perhaps someone once told you to operate more adaptively or more innovatively and you listened. However, did you learn to better solve the problem? 

We can cope along the adaption-innovation continuum if we have enough motivation to do so. If we don’t have any motivation left, then we‘re unable to operate more adaptively or more innovatively than you would normally prefer. Further, there is an intensity and duration component to coping. Turning on our coping behaviour at a greater distance along the A-I continuum, for an extended amount of time, will exponentially increase the amount of motivation needed.  

Finally, coping is a process which includes learning. Every time we solve a problem, we learn from success or failure and gain insight for the next time the problem emerges. This is where a leader draws on experiences, recognising the need to alter behaviour based on the needs of the person and what may be required to solve the problem at hand. Leaders alter their behaviour in many ways, and one specific way is applying skills which simulate adaptive or innovative behaviours.  

Meet people where they are at 

If someone is struggling in a work situation, there are at least three things to consider. The individual may not believe coping is needed, there is a lack of motivation, or they are facing a new problem and not sure how to best solve it. Identifying why coping behaviour is not being used can help you lead them and improve collaboration. 

Working together, mutual respect is key in helping to recognise where each team member may excel or have difficulties given the problem at hand. Humility is important, too, in recognising what may be difficult for yourself, given your problem-solving style. 

To lead the more innovative than you, help them recognise the importance of following a process and having group consensus. A more innovative individual can learn to think through the details of their ideas, elaborating on the logistics. Sensitivity to people and decisions made in the past matter. The more innovative can learn to hold back on the random idea, recognising it may be irrelevant or inappropriate to the current conversation. Helping them recognise efficiency, stability, and continuity may be needed for the team to move forward. 

To lead the more adaptive than you, recognise their need for more structure and clarity. Invite them to generate ideas outside the box. A more adaptive individual can learn to recognise when too much attention to process might be slowing the team, given the problem at hand. Focusing on the dispensable details may distract from the end goal. The more adaptive can learn not to judge what may be perceived as an impractical idea too quickly. Help them see that challenging the assumptions made in the past may be needed for the team to move forward. 

Too often we see people being criticised when they aren’t coping enough. It is noticed and not helpful

Show appreciation 

Too often we see people being criticised when they aren’t coping enough. It is noticed and not helpful. Instead, show appreciation for people when they are coping. It is stressful for them to do so, and they are doing their best to support the team. You will want to have them around the next time a challenging problem arises.

Interested in this topic? Read Ramp up your resilience.