S Y M P O S I U M
CREATIVE LEADERSHIP REQUIRES
CREATIVE LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
IN A “VU JÁDÈ” WORLD!
ROB ELKINGTON
Introduction
It appears that, in the globalized arena of the 21st
century, no one leader has sufficient capacity in the
modern, turbulent environments to successfully nav-
igate what has come to be known as vu jádè (Day &
Harrison, 2007), the opposite of dèjá vu, in which
leaders realize, “I have never been here before, I have no
idea where I am, and I have no idea who can help me.”
Such an experience is akin to what Lagadec (2009) terms
Terra Incognitae or a world unknown and uncharted.
The experience affects leadership development because
an awareness of the desired outcome is essential to the
design of the leadership development process. How does
one design leadership development interventions for
a vu jádè world? Furthermore, how does one design
leadership development interventions in a way that
supports the creative processes within leadership that
are necessary to stimulate new ways of solving wicked
problems? As Dervitsiotis (2005, p. 928) asserted:
As a living system, a human organization evolves over
time as a continually adaptive system. It is only with
this mental ‘lens’ that we can make sense and appre-
ciate the strong interactions and emotional energy
that a new meaning may release in individuals or
teams in the workplace. Traditional leadership’s usual
response to ‘hold things steady’ trying to maintain
the same strategy in periods of rapid change can be
disastrous.
The quote speaks to both the ontology of the lead-
ership (quality of personal being) and the function of
the leadership (quality of organizational role) or, as
others (e.g., Kennedy, Carroll, & Francoeur, 2012)
have framed it, the integration of skillset (leader
development) and mindset (leadership development).
One of the critical implications for leadership, when
viewing the business organization as a living system,
is that leadership work becomes inherently relational
and situational (Kennedy et al., 2012). Leadership
development needs to take account of such a reality
by strengthening the leader ontologically as well as
strengthening the leadership processes functionally.
Strengthening leaders’ skillset and mindset (Kennedy
et al., 2012) would thus seem to be useful in the work
of leadership development in the realm of vu jádè.
While the assertion above may be a de facto truism, it
is suggested that many organizations might not have
a culture that supports emergent leadership, and thus
de jure inhibits self-expression, which in turn creates a
barrier to leadership development (Vardiman, 2006). It
would appear that as leadership development encom-
passes far more than leader development, awareness
of the socio-contextual environmental factors that
support leadership development, together with an
understanding of personal characteristics that support
leader development, is essential to an effective leader-
ship development process within an organization. As
Booysen suggested (Ferdman & Deane, 2014):
A good leadership development program starts by
focusing on the individual leader (leading the self,
with focus on intra– and interpersonal relations); it
then progresses to leading in more complex rela-
tions (leading other individuals and groups), then to
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 S Y M P O S I U M

leading organizational functions and projects; finally, it
moves into leadership development by focusing on the
processes of leading whole organizations, subsidiaries,
mergers and acquisitions, and ultimately leading glob-
ally across organizational and country boundaries …
A Suggested Model for Leadership
Development in a Context of vu jádè
In a vu jádè context, linear models of leadership
development may not give rise to the types of agile,
creative, and emergent leadership needed to sustain
organizational fluency. Thus, the following model is
proposed (Figure 1). The model is circular to represent
an ongoing process of inquiry, intervention, impact,
and iteration.
Conclusions and Implications for Further
Research
The brief article aims to surface for the reader the current
trends in leadership development with a view to formu-
lating a leadership development model that accounts for
current contextual realities. The proposed model is mea-
surable and open ended or iterative in orientation. The
model’s tenets need to be empirically tested in the field
and either expanded or adjusted where gaps or weak-
nesses surface.

Figure 1. A Creative Leadership Development Model

Inquiry:
Who are the Leaders?
What is the Sector?
What Networks exist and
impact leadership?
What is the Organizational
Culture?
What Crisis/Liminality is
current or anticipated?

Intervention:
Iteration Leadership Leader development
through knowledge and skill
What further intervention Development acquisition?
is needed?
Leadership development
What small change will Human through Organizational
further enhance leadership
and leadership development Capital and Culture Development?
within this organization? Leadership development
Social Capital through relationship
building?

Impact
Longitudinal assessment of
ROI?
Longitudinal assessment of
leadership development
success?
Assesment of outcomes and
unexpected developments?

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References
Day, D. V., & Harrison, M. M. (2007). A multilevel, identity-based
approach to leadership development. Human Resource Management
Review, 17(4), 360–373. Retrieved from http://linkinghub.elsevier.
com/retrieve/pii/S105348220700054X
Dervitsiotis , K. N. ( 2005 ). Creating conditions to nour-
ish sustainable organizational excellence . Total Quality
Management & Business Excellence , 16 ( 8–9 ), 925 – 943 . doi:
10.1080/14783360500163078.
Ferdman, B., & Deane, R. (2014). Diversity at work: The prac-
tice of inclusion. Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/
doi/10.1002/jpoc.21132/full
Kennedy, F., Carroll, B., & Francoeur, J. (2012). Mindset not skill set:
Evaluating in new paradigms of leadership development. Advances
in Developing Human Resources, 15(1), 10–26. Retrieved from
http://adh.sagepub.com/cgi/doi/10.1177/1523422312466835
Lagadec, P. (2009). A new cosmology of risks and crises: Time for
a radical shift in paradigm and practice. Review of Policy Research,
26(4), 473–487. Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/
doi/10.1111/j.1541-1338.2009.00396.x/full
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Vardiman, P. (2006). Environmental leadership development:
Toward a contextual model of leader selection and effectiveness.
Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 27(2), 93–105.
Retrieved from http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?artic
leid=1545743&show=abstract
Rob Elkington, PhD, is Adjunct Professor at the University
of Ontario Institute of Technology in the faculties of Business
& IT and Education, where he facilitates courses in Lead-
ership. He serves as International Executive Associate at the
Stellenbosch University School of Good Governance and
as Affiliate Researcher and Senior Lecturer at North West
University in South Africa. Rob serves as a trustee on the
Engela Sunshine Trust in Cape Town, South Africa, and as a
community liaison for the Durham Community Innovation
Lab in Canada. Rob’s current research focus is on “seeking
best methods for leadership development” as well as “leader-
ship and the arts,” with a focus on “emergent leadership and
Ubuntu.” He is President and CEO of Global Leadership
Initiatives, Inc., and can be reached at rob@globalleader.ca.
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