GLOBAL

LEADERSHIP
ASSOCIATES
PRESS

Warren Buffett’s
and Your Own
Seven Transformations
of Leadership
William R. Torbert
Leadership Professor Emeritus, Boston College
Founding board member, Global Leadership Associates and Amara Collaboration*

The 2020 Update on the 2005 Harvard Business Review Article

“Seven Transformations of Leadership”
GLOBAL The 2020 Update on the 2005 Harvard Business Review Article
LEADERSHIP “Seven Transformations of Leadership”
ASSOCIATES
PRESS

Warren Buffett’s
and Your Own Seven
Transformations of Leadership
William R. Torbert
Leadership Professor Emeritus, Boston College
Founding board member, Global Leadership Associates
and Amara Collaboration*

“Seven Transformations of Leadership” became one of the most-read articles on leadership in HBR’s
history and continues to receive hundreds of reads each week, according to Research Gate. In 2006,
the article won the Annual Award from the international Association of Executive Search Consultants
for Best Published Research on Leadership and Corporate Governance. In 2012, HBR reprinted the
article as one of the top ten ‘must read’ leadership articles in the journal’s history.

“Our souls are The 2005 Harvard Business Review article latest action-logics, where the capacity to
riven. Covid 19 and “Seven Transformations of Leadership” lead the transformation of self, teams, and
“I can’t breathe” describes seven different, successive organizations emerges, as the following table
expose differences in leadership ‘action-logics’ that result in shows.
markedly different organizational processes
leadership capacities
and outcomes. Leaders are found at all seven Opportunist wins for self 5%
as never before. action-logics, but in general become more
Only the Redefining, Diplomat wants to belong & fit in 12%
effective — over longer periods, in more
Transforming, and complex environments, and in conditions Expert focuses on logic & 38%
Alchemical action- requiring organizational transformation — at expertise
logics reliably support the rarer, later action-logics. (In this article, Achiever driven by personal & team 30%
the action inquiry we are going to assume readers are already achievement
of collaborative somewhat familiar with the action-logics, but, Redefining uniquely reframes 10%
transformation if not, the first table provides the action-logic complex dilemmas
names and one-phrase snippets to initially
within families, Transforming generates personal & 4%
characterize each.) orgnztl transfrmtn
neighborhoods,
companies, and The 2005 article was itself backed by decades Alchemical integrates material & 1%
spiritual transfrmtn
countries.” of field research, theory development, and
organizational interventions, anchored
The 2005 HBR article shared our empirical
in a psychometric measure of leaders’
research, showing, among other findings:
developmental action-logics now named the
Global Leadership Profile (GLP) (e.g. Torbert, 1. that interest in offering and receiving
1976, 1987, 1991, 2004). Three thousand performance feedback increased in perfect
plus leaders had taken this measure. Our correlation with each later action-logic;
subjects largely represented highly educated
2. that among managers at the four earlier
samples from various layers of management,
(and most prevalent) action-logics, only
from first-line supervisors through nurses,
those at the Achiever action-logic were
William R. Torbert professionals, and junior managers, to
reliably regarded by subordinates as
senior managers and entrepreneurs. We
effective;
recognized that a truly random sample of
the global population over the age of 21 3. that each higher managerial rank showed a
would show much higher percentages in the later average action-logic score; and
earliest action-logics. Nevertheless, the most 4. that only the rare chief executives who
striking feature about our highly educated measured at the Transforming action-
and professional samples was that fully 17% logic reliably succeeded in supporting
Elaine Herdman-Barker remained at the two earliest action-logics, organizational transformation.
while only 15% had evolved to the three
2
GLOBAL New Research and Implications
in each case. To accomplish this, two different
scorers now score each GLP, providing a
LEADERSHIP
ASSOCIATES for Practice After 2005 reliability test on each of the 30 items of each
profile. The scorers have attained 94% perfect
PRESS Given such findings, one can easily understand agreement between their item scores and they
why all social sectors would be interested in talk through a consensual agreement on the 6%
identifying leaders and prospective leaders at where they initially disagreed.
Warren Buffett’s the later developmental action-logics, as well as
and Your Own Seven Our greater degree of interaction with GLP-
in identifying job and organizational structures
Transformations takers has also given us important feedback
of Leadership that promote development among employees.
about our own choices of action-logic names. We
And indeed, after 2005, my co-creator of the GLP
have learned that the names we had previously
and President of GLA, Elaine Herdman-Barker
given to the Redefining and Transforming
and I have found an increasing demand for use
action-logics seemed somewhat misleading and
of the GLP by corporate managers who started
unattractive to our clients (the previous names
their own consulting and coaching practices, in
were Individualist and Strategist). In addition, we
talent management and leadership development
realized that, while nouns were appropriate to
programs, and in senior team consulting
characterize the four early action-logics, all of
projects, especially in global companies requiring
which privilege stability over change, dynamic
cross-cultural management capacities. This
parts of speech were more appropriate for
shift toward increasingly voluntary and growth-
characterizing the inherently creative later
motivated participation affected our research
action-logics.
and our interventions in a number of ways.
Later action-logic participants experiment more
To begin with, it showed up in an increasing
with, and seek more feedback on, their own
proportion of late action-logic participants,
practices than earlier action-logic leaders. They
particularly at the Redefining action-logic, as
do first- and second-person research on their
shown here (n=3,642 GLPs, gathered between
own development and that of their teams and
2012-2020):
organizations — historically, in the present,
and prospectively. In this article, we will focus
Pre- 2012- primarily on ways to support our readers’ first-
2005 2020
person research into your own development,
Opportunist wins for self 5% 0% and we will focus in particular on the two
Diplomat wants to belong 12% 0.1% leadership action-logics that seem to be growing
& fit in most rapidly — Redefining and Transforming.
Expert focuses on logic & 38% 4.3% We begin by offering a close description of the
expertise actual practice of leaders, including German
Achiever driven by 30% 33.7% chancellor Angela Merkel, who operate at
personal & team Redefining, the fastest growing developmental
achievement action-logic. Merkel is often described as the
Redefining uniquely reframes 10% 52.1% most powerful woman in the world.
complex dilemmas
Transforming generates 4% 9.6%
Next, we offer a developmental portrait
personal & orgnztl of ‘richest man in the world, emeritus’ —
transfrmtn Warren Buffett, moving from Opportunist
Alchemical integrates material 1% 0.2% to Alchemical, with special attention to his
& spiritual Transforming actions. Kelly (2011) focused
transfrmtn his PhD dissertation on creating a new, four-
variable, quantitative measure that can be used
It seems highly likely that a significant proportion to rate the developmental action-logic of detailed
of the shift toward later action-logic scores from biographical episodes of someone’s life. He used
2005 to 2020 was due to the changing character this new methodology to examine Warren Buffett
of our sample. We found, for example, that the (based on Schroeder’s 2008 seminal biography).
coaches and consultants (who interacted with He found remarkable consistency between the
many executives and organizations) made up theoretical sequencing of the action-logics and
most of the increase among those measured their empirical sequencing in Buffett’s life. Also
at the Transforming action-logic, whereas based on the Kelly study, we examine some of
corporate executives were now more often the catalytic factors in Buffett’s transformation
found at the Redefining action-logic. At the same from one action-logic to another.
time, however, a significant cultural shift has
been occurring at the outset of the 21st century We also offer a striking example in Buffett’s life
toward a post-modern recognition of multiple of what has recently been named “fallback” in
(national, class, racial, gendered) perspectives, a developmental theory (McCallum, 2008; Livesay,
cultural condition that encourages development 2013). This will lead us into a discussion of
to a Redefining action-logic. research on fallback that readers can compare to
For more information on your own experiences.
this article or the author, As our coaches and consultants are now offering
please visit the
Global Leadership GLP-participants feedback via a 35-page report We next encounter a more general exposition of
Associates website and coaching debriefs, it has become important the different types of power and inquiry available
www.gla.global that our scoring be reliable, not just in general to leaders at each successive developmental
action-logic. This can help our readers consider
3
(say 80-90% of the time), but insofar as possible
GLOBAL what types of power and inquiry you generally members of the local community, as well as donors
exercise or would like to exercise. We close the and potential donors. Janine makes a deliberate
LEADERSHIP empirical and actionable segment of the essay point of keeping an open door policy and, thus,
ASSOCIATES with a detailed example of how many types of makes herself available, as needed or requested, to
PRESS power and inquiry Transforming action-logic meet with faculty, staff, and students.
leadership may exercise, returning once again
to Warren Buffett and how he acted during At the core of many of the changes Janine is
Warren Buffett’s the crisis in 1991 when he saved Salomon & introducing is a fundamental belief she holds about
and Your Own Seven Brothers from bankruptcy. the relationship between people and institutions.
Transformations She articulates it as follows,
of Leadership The brief theoretical segment ending this essay
focuses on the distinctions among Horizontal, “I think the vast majority of us go
Diagonal, and Vertical Development. through life feeling like things are put
upon us or the structures that are
there - they’re just there. But they are
created by humans ...and so it takes
humans to undo it, or change it, or
shift it, or reinforce it if it’s the right
thing. But I think there is a sense of
kind of flailing around; people don’t
know how to do that.”

This quote directly reflects the theoretical

understanding of the Redefining action-logic as
How Redefining Leaders Act in emerging from early action-logic assumptions
that social reality is fixed into the realization
Institutional Settings that laws, rules, and norms have been made by
human beings and can be changed by them.
Another area we are learning more about is
the specifics of how leaders at different action- Of Yeyinmen’s many illustrations of Janine
logics, especially leaders at the post-conventional helping others to see that they can reframe their
action-logics (Redefining, Transforming, conversations about what’s possible and thereby
Alchemical), act in institutional settings. In 2016 widen their choices, we offer the following two
Yeyinmen concluded an in-depth study of how examples:
three university leaders, each measured at the
Redefining action-logic, operate day-to-day. The Janine recounts how a particular incident of
degree to which each of these leaders reflectively student conduct had led to activation of a series of
engages in a continuing inquiry into the different institutional mechanisms with multiple members of
systems that impinge upon one another, and her staff, from different functional areas, mapping
actively engages in ongoing experiments with his out a plan for next steps. She adds that, on most
or her own behavior is impressive. This approach campuses, policy with respect to this particular
contrasts starkly with the assumptions at earlier conduct issue dictates that the school send the
managerial action-logics that the environment student home, and that was the direction her staff
is, or ought to be, stable and that their job is was taking the issue. Other students on campus
to accomplish specific goals. We quote several were upset and some had participated in group
paragraphs of Yeyinmen’s description of one of protests over this course of action. The situation
these three Redefining leaders to suggest how was further complicated by the family’s confidence
they interweave their power and their inquiry to that the school was better equipped to handle the
intervene in situations: student than they were. Janine explains,

“Janine” is responsible for overall administration Somewhere along the line it became clear to me
of the college. She heads up a leadership team of that this was not being handled well. I went in and
approximately a dozen senior administrators who I just said, “Well, what if he stays? What does that
oversee the major academic and nonacademic look like?” I actually have no preexisting substrate
functions of the college, manage large internal in that sense other than the desire to look after the
staffs who carry out these functions, and work student and say if he stays and particular outcomes
collaboratively to support each other in their roles. are realized, then the ripple effect (sic). It just led
In addition to working directly with her senior staff, them to a very different kind of conversation, which
Janine serves on a number of Board and non- led to a different outcome.
Board committees, the latter comprised of various
In this case, Janine does not impose a solution.
blends of senior staff and peer-elected faculty, and
First, she lets the established staff process
many of which she recently reconfigured. She runs
For more information on deal with the dilemma. Then, when she does
monthly faculty meetings, provides input to annual
this article or the author, intervene, she does not impose a solution but
please visit the faculty performance and salary review processes,
rather asks a (Redefining) reorienting, question.
Global Leadership and provides leadership to support new faculty
This shifts the whole conversation and leads her
Associates website searches. She also plays an active role in building
www.gla.global staff to come to a different decision and outcome
and maintaining relationships with key external
than was possible within their initial frame.
4 constituencies including alumni, leaders and other
GLOBAL In another example, we see Janine proposing a
long-term frame for goal setting, in order to get
LEADERSHIP the group to think beyond highly specific short-
ASSOCIATES term goals (an Achiever preference) toward
PRESS more general transformational outcomes:

Janine specifically charges the community with

Warren Buffett’s developing goals against 1-, 3-, 5-and 10-year
and Your Own Seven timeframes. By doing so, she helps institutionalize
Transformations a long time horizon for their shared thinking, and
of Leadership encourages the practice of applying more than one
lens to the process of evaluating organizational
goals and activity. At the same time, she cautions Developmental History of
the community against thinking too rigidly about
the contents of the goals being established. For
Angela Merkel
example, in the February Board meeting she asserts,
“The primary danger of five to ten year goals is that Angela Merkel has not been a Redefining leader
people feel they are set in stone,” and then half- in hiding, once she moved from the East German
jokingly she adds “That’s why I made [the large goal Communist culture to the democratic culture
matrix] deliberately unprintable” (OBS:J1-11).With of re-unified Germany. The German Chancellor
this comment she emphasizes her view that goals in her fifth term of office in 2020, Merkel is also
should be stated clearly, but advanced dynamically, considered the de facto leader of the European
with adjustments being made as learning takes Union, and is frequently referred to as the most
place and conditions shift… She wants to use the powerful woman in the world, or as the leader
overhead primarily to highlight the process used to of the free world. Born in 1954, she was raised
develop the goals; although she also encourages in East Germany under the communist regime.
the Board to review the contents at a later time and Her father was a member of the Lutheran clergy,
share any feedback they may have. Through these and she became a member of the Evangelical
moves she not only models, but invites others to join Church of Germany, finding religion a constant
her in, placing as much value on the process for companion, and later saying “as Christians we
generating the goals as on the goals themselves (a should not be afraid to stand for our beliefs.”
Redefining concern).
Diplomat
Through such up-close case-lets, Yeyinmen Although we have few details about her early
shows that Janine uses 16 different kinds of childhood years, we can infer that she was taught
thinking and timely action, each grounded in the within her family to be careful about sharing her
exercise of re-visioning and of mutual, dialogical religious orientation widely in official communist
power and inquiry. society. When she was later offered a prestigious
professorship on condition that she inform
The Redefining action-logic is the first to be the STASI (the secret police) on her colleagues,
able to generate new organizational vision and she politely and deftly declined on account of
creativity-enhancing norms, but, because it her ‘inability to keep secrets well enough.’ She
does not yet have the Transforming capacity remained strictly apolitical until the Berlin Wall
to directly confront incongruities between fell in 1989. These general outlines suggest
espoused values or norms and actual practices, that the tension between Merkel’s two local
the Redefining leader may become reluctant cultures (family-religious v. school-communist)
to innovate and may go into hiding in a punitive, gave Merkel’s Diplomat period a more ‘critical’
command-and-control culture. For example, Redefining overtone to it than total immersion
in one multi-billion dollar company the senior in any one local culture would have.
learning and development team predicted that
the GLP would measure the group of leaders
entering the development program at the
Expert
Diplomat and Expert action-logics. In fact, they At Karl Marx University, she attained, not just
measured at the Achiever and Redefining the highest average, but the highest possible
action-logics. This led to a very interesting average, in her dual major of mathematics and
inquiry. If this group of leaders were profiling two Russian. Later, she went on to take a PhD in
action-logics beyond how they behaved, then Quantum Chemistry and worked as a research
what in the culture was stopping all this latent chemist. The focus throughout these decades
leadership potential from coming out? To date, is on working within disciplinary boundaries, a
three interconnected cultural qualities have robust and prolonged Expert experience.
been identified: 1) many leaders in the company
have been there thirty or more years and have Achiever
a strong sense of ‘family’ solidarity; 2) they Sparseness of data makes it difficult to determine
also practice old-style, command-and-control when Merkel transformed into the Achiever
hierarchy with little ‘listening down’; 3) for both action-logic, but she had certainly done so by
For more information on
this article or the author,
these reasons, senior management tends not to 1990 when she chose to leave chemistry, join the
please visit the appreciate innovation nor to support initiatives new party Democratic Awakening, and become
Global Leadership or inquiry by subordinates. Hence, Redefining Deputy Spokesperson for the first democratically
Associates website leaders in hiding.
www.gla.global
elected government of East Germany in 1990.
With reunification of the two Germanys later
5
GLOBAL that same year, her party merged with West in exquisite detail because of Alice Schroeder’s
Germany’s center-right Christian Democratic 2008 biography Snowball. Most writers about
LEADERSHIP Union. She won election to parliament, was Buffett have emphasized his gifted intellectual
ASSOCIATES appointed Minister for Women and Youth and, capacities and his relatively privileged upbringing
PRESS in 1994, Minister for Environmental and Nuclear — his father was a four-term Congressman, and
Safety. Clearly, she was now operating in a much Warren attended Wharton and Columbia — for
wider political environment, achieving team goals his unparalleled success in business. Not only
Warren Buffett’s by co-operating with others. has he become, for years at a time, the richest
and Your Own Seven man on earth, but he has also become a revered
Transformations Redefining business guru, named the Oracle of Omaha.
of Leadership Stories about Buffett have also tended to
Chancellor Kohl lost the Chancellorship, and
after a subsequent party funding scandal, emphasize how stable and constant Buffett has
Merkel criticised her former mentor publicly and been throughout his life, remaining in the field of
advocated a fresh start for the party without investing, living in the same unpretentious home
him (altogether a reframing, Redefining action- and even eating the same all-American junk
logic process, with hints of Transforming in her foods day in and day out.
public confrontation of her former boss). She By contrast, using Schroeder’s biography as his
was subsequently elected in 2000 to become raw material, Kelly (2011) has shown how many
the first female leader of a German party. In times Buffett has changed charactero-logically
2005, Merkel narrowly won the national election over his lifetime, through his own developmental
and became Germany’s first woman chancellor efforts, with major support from his wife, Susie,
three weeks later, having negotiated a grand and his business partner, Charlie Munger. In his
coalition with the party with the next most votes. study of Buffett, Kelly rated 32 randomly chosen
The 16 ministries were divided equally between episodes from different eras of Buffett’s life on
the two parties. She re-won the Chancellorship four distinct variables, resulting in an action-logic
three more times (2009, 2013, 2017), working score for each episode. The first thing to note
with a grand coalition each time. She has also is that more than one episode was classified at
played key leadership roles in the European each of the seven action-logics from Opportunist
Union and is the senior member of the G-7. Her to Alchemical. The scored episodes were placed
non-charismatic, hard-work-ethic, compromising, in chronological order and compared to the
micro-leadership style has led many to assess successive order predicted by developmental
her as still operating from the Achiever action- theory. Astonishingly, the theoretically-produced
logic. On the other hand, her astonishing sequence of action-logics accounted for 93% of
world-wide success — emerging from the non- the variance in the actual empirical findings. As
privileged demographic variables of femininity, would be expected, there were several cases
a poor communist state, and a thoroughly when an episode of the next later action-logic
a-political life experience during her first 45 years appeared toward the end of a series of episodes
— identifies her as thoroughly Redefining within at the prior action-logic. In addition, there was
the scope of her own experience. only one major deviation from the theoretically
Indeed, her ability to alternate strong unilateral predicted sequence — a case, to be discussed
positioning on certain issues, like Germany’s below, when Buffett experienced a prolonged
receptivity to Syrian refugees, while engaging fallback from the Redefining action-logic to the
in ongoing collaboration and compromise on Diplomatic action-logic due to his divorce from
others… and to do so at three different scales Susie after 25 years of marriage. As with Merkel,
simultaneously (the national scale, the European Buffett’s overall developmental story invites our
scale, and the G-7 global scale, over a long time readers to consider your own developmental
period (20 years) suggests that she may have periods to date.
evolved to the Transforming action-logic.

Buffett as...
... Opportunist
Buffett’s first business ventures from (yes) six into
his early teenage years reflect the Opportunist
action-logic. His opportunistic business adventures
often involved his talking others into doing things
he would rather not have done himself. It is also
the period in which he underperformed at school,
ran away from home, and repeatedly stole golf
equipment from Sears Department store.
Warren Buffett as ... Diplomat
Developmental Exemplar?
For more information on
this article or the author, Buffett’s early years in college broadly correspond
please visit the
Global Leadership
with the Diplomat action-logic. By his own
Associates website To savor the Transforming action-logic admission, he was socially awkward and
www.gla.global more fully, let us now examine the life-long emotionally immature at that time, at least in part
development of a leader about whom we know because his mother’s earlier abuse had led him
6
GLOBAL to build an emotional fortress around himself. interests, including that with his closest business
Throughout his teenage years he sought friendship colleague and friend, Charlie Munger, into Berkshire
LEADERSHIP by using wacky humor and becoming a smart-aleck Hathaway. The Transforming action-logic
ASSOCIATES show-off to disguise his vulnerability. His attempts corresponds with the remarkable period in which
PRESS to fit in with others included reading and practicing Buffett excelled in a wide range of investments and
How to Win Friends and Influence People businesses at Berkshire, including his temporary but
and taking a Dale Carnegie course in confidence vital managerial role in stepping in from the Board
Warren Buffett’s building. Nevertheless, by the time he met his first and saving the Salomon & Brothers investment
and Your Own Seven wife Susie, he says he was near having a nervous bank in the early 1990’s. Characteristic of the
Transformations breakdown. Transforming leadership style, he operated in a
of Leadership highly collaborative fashion during the Salomon
... Expert episode, not only with Salomon’s management,
Buffett’s Expert action-logic period begins with his but with government agencies and the business
introduction to and adoption of Benjamin Graham’s press. Indeed, he held an extraordinarily long press
value investment approach as his Bible, while conference within minutes of becoming the interim
studying at Columbia University. He went on to work Board Chair, answering reporters’ questions with
for his mentor, Graham, and then started his own such honesty that the stock market began regaining
investment business. He concentrated on making trust in the company the very next day.
short-term investments in ‘cigar-butt’ companies
from which he would wring some unrecognized ... Alchemical
value before unilaterally closing them. (Expert is Finally, his Alchemical ‘marriage-of-opposites’
perhaps Buffett’s dominant lifetime action-logic action-logic period, although foreshadowed by
as it most obviously merges with his hard-wired many events of ‘magically’ timely action like the
logical/mathematical intelligence and rational Salomon episode, became predominant only with
temperament. These Expert qualities are evident the death of his first wife Susie in 2004. His post-
from the age of six in his penchant for calculating 2004 period is marked by the gradual unwinding
odds and have continued to function as a base for of his fortune in Berkshire (after a lifetime of
his financial acumen to this day.) compulsive accumulation). He also connected
with his (now middle-aged) children at a deeper
... Achiever emotional level than ever before. He also married
Warren became disturbed by the community anger his long term partner, Astrid Menks. He announced
at his closing of one of his ‘cigar butt’ investments. succession plans for Berkshire (showing his
He was also developing a very close friendship with willingness to accept his own mortality). Indicating
Charlie Munger. Charlie persuaded him to invest his lifelong commitment to inquiry and truth-telling,
in ‘good, long-lasting companies’ instead of ‘cigar he unleashed his officially sanctioned and unusually
butts,’ inaugurating a more collaborative orientation revealing biography (Schroeder, 2008). And finally,
in his business dealings. He created the Buffett he took on an increasingly open engagement with
Partnership (1957-1969), an amazing success that the wider business community and society, in a role
generated an annual rate of return of 24 percent for of business statesmanship.
his investors versus 7 percent for the market index.
$10,000 invested with Buffett in 1957 had turned
into $157,000 in 1969 compared to $25,000 from
investing in the market. Of this period, his daughter
Susan said it was almost impossible to poke
through her father’s “fog of concentration.” His wife
Susie would describe it as his “holy mission” period.
Buffett’s new concern with sustaining already-
healthy companies, his friendship with Munger, and
his enormous financial success all correspond with
the Achiever action-logic’s orientation toward goal-
oriented team success.

... Redefining
Variables Influencing Buffett’s
The Redefining action-logic corresponds with
Buffett’s ‘go it alone’ period in his early forties Developmental Transitions
when, encouraged by his wife Susie, he explored
leading a calmer life. He now formulated his new Less is empirically known about the dynamic
strategy as “setting economic goals which allow for processes of developmental transformation
considerable non-economic activity.” Susie got him than about the comparative statics of the
involved in integrating Omaha’s country clubs, in different action-logics, but the detail about
becoming a college trustee and serving on other Buffett’s life offered by Schroeder’s biography
boards, and, most striking of all, in converting permits us to examine these processes.
from the Republican to the Democratic Party (some According to developmental theory, ‘action-logic
For more information on encouraged him to run for President). transformation’ cannot be imposed from the
this article or the author, outside, nor can it be activated solely from the
please visit the
Global Leadership ... Transforming inside by oneself. It can however be brought
Associates website about by a “vulnerable, vigilant, duo-directional,
This relatively leisurely time came to an end with
www.gla.global mutually-transforming kind of power” — a kind
the merging of his various relationships and
7
of mutual dance — operating between two or
GLOBAL more developmentally different meaning-making he later said, “I had all these defense mechanisms
and action-taking systems. These interactions that she could explain but I can’t... She made me feel
LEADERSHIP between action-logics can occur on a first- like I had somebody with a little sprinkling can who
ASSOCIATES person, a second-person, and/or a third-person was going to make sure that the flowers grew... I
PRESS scale — e.g. between a habitual subsystem and needed her like crazy. I was happy in my work, but I
an exploratory subsystem within oneself; in an wasn’t happy with myself. She literally saved my life.
interpersonal mentor-mentee context; or when She resurrected me. She put me together. It was the
Warren Buffett’s a person joins an organization or assumes a same kind of unconditional love you would get from
and Your Own Seven new job that operates at a different action-logic a parent (Schroeder, 2008, 179).” But, although
Transformations than one’s previous one. Of course, all of these Warren now learned how to befriend others in a
of Leadership processes can be occurring at once. Moreover, more authentic way, he remained deeply dependent
the ‘new’ interactions may be developmentally on Susie to manage their family and social life,
progressive, regressive, or, more likely, mixed. as became glaringly evident when, after 25 years
Let us examine how some of these interactions of marriage, Susie insisted on a ‘friendly’ divorce.
operated in three of Buffett’s progressive Warren became utterly bereft and disheveled, his
transformations, as well as in his one, major home became a dump, and he was barely capable
experience of regressive fallback. of working at all for at least six months. This ‘loss
of self’ and fallback to Diplomat was Buffett’s
one episode of significant and relatively long-
lasting developmental fallback; the one that most
Dynamic Processes in Buffett’s reduced the correlation in Kelly’s study between the
theoretical developmental progression and Buffet’s
Opportunist to Diplomat actual experience. (We will explore the issue of
Transformation ‘fallback’ in more detail on the next page.)

In Buffett’s transformation from the Opportunist

to the Diplomat action-logic, he felt a ‘first-person
push’ as he gradually lost faith in his current Dynamic Processes in Buffett’s
Opportunist meaning-making and action-taking
system because of his continuing difficulty in getting
Achiever to Redefining
on with others of his own age, particularly girls, Transformation
once he got to college. At about the same time, he
began experiencing a ‘third-person pull’ when he Before she divorced him, Susie played another
encountered Dale Carnegie’s legendary book How to ‘second-person pull’ role in his development —
Make Friends and Influence People. The Carnegie this time between the Achiever and Redefining
approach wooed Buffett toward the Diplomat action-logics. At a time when Warren was beginning
perspective. Warren would literally count how much to wonder whether money-making was all there
longer his conversations with girls became if he was to life, Susie made a major effort to shake him
followed Carnegie’s advice not to criticize, but rather out of his complete pre-occupation with business
to offer “sincere appreciation” of his conversation matters toward a less compulsive and more
partner. (Needless to say, this ‘geeky,’ ‘proto-Expert’ sociable approach to life, as described in the earlier
way of making friends didn’t solve all Warren’s paragraph about Buffett’s Redefining period.
problems in this domain.) On a third-person,
organizational level, Buffett was being pulled out of
his home and local high school into college, where
one could no longer count on the support of local Dynamic Processes in Buffett’s
and family norms.
Transforming to Alchemical
In spite of these different pushes and pulls toward
the Diplomat action-logic, Buffett remained shy,
Transformation
overbearing, and uncomfortable in social relations
Even more astonishing, Susie played a key role
until he met and very slowly won Susie Thompson.
in yet another one of Warren’s transformations
He wooed her, as awkward as ever, by playing
— this one from the Transforming to the early
the ukelele for her father while she was out dating
Alchemical action-logic. In the early 2000s, Susie
other guys. This sounds funny and sad, and derives
became terminally ill with cancer. Warren visited
from the fact that both Warren and his sister were
her in San Francisco an astonishing 49 weekends in
severely emotionally abused by their mother when
a row, and they of course had many conversations
very young. Their mother would explode at them
about her death and the family’s future after her
after her husband left for work in the morning. As
death. His grief after her death was total, long-term,
Buffett later recounted, “There would be this flash
and disabling. But gradually, as his sister would
and then it didn’t subside. All your past sins would
say, it came to seem as though Susie had willed
be brought up. It was just endless (Schroeder, 2008,
him some of her energy, emotional fluency, and
47-48).” It would go on for an hour, or even two,
generosity. He surprised their own children (now
until both children were weeping helplessly. His sister
long since middle-aged), as well as everyone else,
For more information on says that Warren built an emotional moat around
this article or the author, by developing a closer relationship with them. He
himself from this time and avoided conflict if at all
please visit the also more convincingly overcame his obsession
Global Leadership possible.
with accumulating money by giving the vast
Associates website
www.gla.global This is the moat that Susie eventually devoted herself preponderance of it away to the Bill and Melinda
to help drain when she decided to marry Warren. As Gates Foundation.
8
GLOBAL Although we do not possess a biography of this was another manifestation of his Diplomat
Susie Thompson Buffett with anything like the fallback and that others were generally not
LEADERSHIP detail of Schroeder’s biography of Warren, we bothered by his ‘overnight’ request.
ASSOCIATES can nonetheless speculate with considerable
PRESS confidence, given the effects of her actions on An even more powerful capacity with regard to
recovering from fallback is to become aware
Warren, that she had reached the Redefining
action-logic by her early twenties and probably of it as it occurs, by exercising post-cognitive
Warren Buffett’s continued her development after that. Her consciousness in the present moment. This
and Your Own Seven role in Warren’s life epitomizes the role that kind of effort is necessary if one is to become
Transformations 2nd-person mentoring can play in developmental aware of and be able to transform the existing
of Leadership transformation. Indeed, the author is aware of no norms and assumptions of any social situation;
other historical case of a single mentor catalyzing the exercise of post-cognitive consciousness
three distinct developmental transformations in becomes an increasingly valued practice as one
a mentee. journeys into and through the post-conventional
action-logics — Redefining, Transforming, and
Alchemical.

Fallback as a Phenomenon In his 2008 study of fallback, McCallum

empirically confirmed this theoretical claim
and as a Resource for Personal in a new and important way. He studied 18
participants at a three-day Tavistock Group
Development Relations Conference. First, he had their GLP
scores tested ahead of time, but not returned
Although developmental theory generally to him until nearly a year later, after he had
describes individual development as progressive finished analysis of all the interview data. He
(until, in most cases, it reaches an action-logic interviewed the participants repeatedly during
at which it plateaus), there are at least two the conference, as well as two months later,
conditions in which a person may act at an about why they acted as they did, including in
earlier action-logic than their current center-of- cases of fallback. His hypothesis was that he
gravity action-logic. The first condition is when would find that persons who scored at earlier
an interaction or a project is itself at an earlier action-logics would describe more instances
stage of development and the actor, recognizing of fallback than persons who scored at later
this, strategically chooses to make a contribution action-logics. Imagine his initial shock when he
at that earlier action-logic. The second condition computed his findings and discovered no such
is when, as in Buffett’s case, prior trauma or correlation. Indeed, he found that there was an
present stress activates involuntary ‘fallback’ to inverse correlation: the later the participant’s
an earlier action-logic. action-logic, the more cases of fallback they
reported. How could this be explained?
Since the 2005 HBR article, two different
doctoral dissertations (McCallum, 2008; Livesay, Going back from his statistical summaries to his
2013) have studied the phenomenon known raw data, McCallum began to realize there was
in adult development research as ‘fallback’. an additional important variable that he had
This is colloquially described as ‘getting your recorded, but had not yet related to the fallback
buttons pushed’. Fallback can occur because phenomenon: how frequently participants
you are tired, or stressed, or angry, or because exercised what McCallum named ‘adaptive
an unresolved childhood pattern of trauma has self-scaffolding’ to escape fallback. McCallum
been activated. Typically, a fallback response to explicated 52 types of self-scaffolding, including
another person or group makes the presenting ‘mindfulness,’ ‘trusting the process,’ ‘prayer,’
issue more difficult to resolve. Therefore, as ‘recalling intention,’ ‘stepping back to observe self
leaders, it is useful to know how prone we are and others,’ and ‘attending to one’s breathing.’
to fallback, what action-logic we most commonly All participants reported instances of receiving
fallback to, and how quickly we can recover from external support for emerging from periods of
it in decision-making and action-taking situations. fallback, as well as instances of adaptive self-
scaffolding. However, participants at the earlier
For example, a leader whose center-of-gravity
action-logics reported more instances of external
action-logic was measured as Transforming
support and fewer of adaptive self-scaffolding,
came to recognize that, especially at the end
whereas later action-logic participants reported
of work days, when he was more tired, he had
fewer instances of external support and more
a tendency to revert to the Diplomat action-
instances of adaptive self-scaffolding. Indeed,
logic and ‘give away the store’ by acceding to
while the early action-logic participants (3 Experts
decisions or actions with which he did not really
and 9 Achievers) reported an average of 5.2
agree. Instead, he committed to the practice of
episodes of self-scaffolding, the later action-logic
responding to colleagues — whenever he felt
participants (5 Redefining, 1 Early Alchemical)
vulnerable to such a fallback response — that
reported an average of 10.5 self-scaffolding
he would think the issue out overnight. In this
experiences.
For more information on way he could come back fresh the next morning
this article or the author, with the advantage of unpressured reflection at Moreover, the one person measured at Early
please visit the
Global Leadership
his true center-of-gravity action-logic. It is worth Alchemical, who had reported the most cases
Associates website adding that this was no easy change to make of fallback, had been able to recognize most
www.gla.global because he initially felt badly about delaying the of them within seconds and had been able to
decision. Gradually, however, he realized that
9 work to correct their impact. Those measured
GLOBAL at Redefining recognized most of their fallbacks action-logics, they are increasingly treated as
within the same session as the fallback episode. mutually necessary at the later action-logics. We
LEADERSHIP Persons at the Achiever and Expert action- next examine the assumptions about power and
ASSOCIATES logics recognized their fallbacks mostly in inquiry at the different action-logics, inviting you
PRESS their interviews later in the conference or two to explore which types of power and inquiry you
months later in their post-interview. Thus, in habitually exercise and which you may wish to
conclusion (and recognizing that this is but one experiment with in your future practice.
Warren Buffett’s study with a relatively small number of subjects),
and Your Own Seven this study suggests one important reason why Since each action-logic represents an entire,
Transformations development to later, less-convention-bound implicit worldview, it follows that major
of Leadership action-logics is key for a leader’s transformational abstractions like ‘power,’ ‘inquiry,’ ‘time,’ ‘wealth,’
efficacy. Their increasing dedication to efforts and ‘love’ mean different things to, and are
at becoming ‘conscious’ in the moment of enacted differently by, persons at each action-
action permits them to recover from fallback logic. And since each later action-logic is inclusive
immediately, and to make timely interventions in of the earlier ones, the meanings of each concept
a team’s or an organization’s processes, rather like ‘power’ and ‘inquiry’ become increasingly
than remaining captured by the untimely effects complex and flexible as one develops. In
of their fallback-influenced interpretations reflecting on past practice, or framing possible
and actions. Presumably, most readers will be future action experiments at a later action-logic
attracted by the possibility of identifying and than one’s current center-of-gravity, a leader’s
counteracting fallback behavior before it does imagination can be stirred by considering
harm (Herdman-Barker & Erfan, 2015). the different types of power and inquiry, and
other variables available at the different action-
logics. Through qualitative research on their
own practice, a small group of late action-logic
Power and Inquiry at Different leadership development professionals have
reached provisional consensus on the following
Action-Logics table of very brief descriptions of how ‘power’
and ‘inquiry’ are understood and enacted at each
A striking difference between the convention- action-logic. After the table, we will examine the
bound action-logics and the convention- many kinds of power and inquiry exercised by
redefining action-logics is that: whereas power Warren Buffett during the three-day emergency
and inquiry are treated as irreconcilable in 1991, when his leadership saved Salomon
opposites at the early, convention-bound Brothers from bankruptcy.

Power and Inquiry at Seven Trans-clusive* Action-Logics

*”trans-clusive” means each later action-logic
“transcends and includes” all one’s earlier capabilities
Aftab Erfan and William Torbert, 2015

Opportunist Coercive power: “hard power”; using Inquiring for quick personal wins:
action-logic unilateral force –and the threat of Minimal inquiry, maximum advocacy;
unilateral force- to get desired results; questions for self-advantage or
Wins for self however believes that “might makes right” exploitation: “Can you match the
possible (Hobbes), only the right behavioral stimuli competitor’s offer?”
generate the desired responses (Skinner).
Diplomat action-logic Charming power: “soft power”; relying Inquiring into others’ preferences:
on charisma, seduction, diplomacy, covert Questions to discover the prefrences or
Wants to win by manipulation, self-disclosure to attract norms of other people or groups, so as
belonging, fitting in, support (e.g. running for political office). to create harmony: “What would you like
and avoiding conflict to drink?”
Expert action-logic Logistical power: “smart power”; use of Inquiry into theory and facts: search
logic, professional disciplines, systems for ‘truth’; professional or scientific fact-
Focuses on logic and analysis & of institutional position or finding: deference to expert authority;
expertise to win process to get something done. deliberate, critical, detail-oriented
questions: “What evidence supports that
argument?”
Achiever action-logic Productive power: actually producing Inquiry to achieve practical goals:
a product, service, or sheer action Single-loop questions to assess current
Drives for personal & valuable to self or others, most often in behavior and tactics; Questioning
team success co-ordination with a team, welcoming whether current action is leading to
For more information on behavior-changing single-loop feedback desired outcome; “Am I talking too fast?”
this article or the author, that helps reach goal. “Do you have objections to what I am
please visit the proposing?”
Global Leadership
Associates website
www.gla.global

10
GLOBAL Redefining Visioning power: using imaginative, Inquiring into new possibilities:
LEADERSHIP action-logic artistic, mutually-trust-building faculties
and disciplines, alone in nature and
tilt to more frequent inquiry; awareness
of multiple perspectives and of the
ASSOCIATES Reframes situations in with committed colleagues or friends difficulty co-ordinating them; questioning
PRESS unique ways in society; to create new visions of the
future for a conversation, meeting,
assumptions; “What if we used a different
metaphor?”
organization, etc.
Warren Buffett’s Transforming Praxis power: inquiring with others, to Collaborative inquiry: inquiring with
and Your Own Seven action-logic spot, articulate, and correct incongruities others and alone, to spot, articulate, and
Transformations between theory and practice, thus correct incongruities; especially between
of Leadership Generates increasing individual, relational and espoused values and actual patterns of
organizational organizational integrity, alignment, and behavior. “Are we at a point when we
and personal efficacy; structure-challenging double- can delegate the decision details to a
transformation in self, loop feedback especially welcome. subgroup and get out of the way?”
society, and science
Alchemical Mutually-transforming power: 1st-, Moment-to-moment inquiry:
action-logic 2nd-, and 3rd-person practices of vigilant challenging oneself and others to be
and vulnerable presence to one another continuously aware; questioning how
Acts with kairotic that generates power via love and inquiry; apparent contradictions can become
timeliness & clownish interweaves previous types of power. creative tensions; assessing alignment
vulnerability (Socrates? Welcomes paradigm-questioning triple- of intent, strategy, pattern of action &
Jesus? Hildegaard loop feedback (e.g. MLK’s 1963 ‘I have a outcome; ‘triple-loop action inquiry’; “How
of Bingen? Gloria dream’ speech and the non-violent civil can I express my anger constructively
Steinem? rights movement) right now?”

important personnel decision he’d had to make

Buffett’s Exercise of Many in his life. He needed to choose one before the
Types of Inquiry and Power in scheduled press conference on Sunday afternoon.
He told them he would ask them all the same
Rescuing Salomon Brothers question: Who did they think would be the best CEO?
from Bankruptcy, 1991 (Inquiring into new possibilities and Collaborative
inquiry) Meanwhile, he was asking himself whom
he could most trust to change the ‘fast and loose
Probably the single sustained act that most
and arrogant’ culture of the company and to tell
strongly supports that Warren Buffett was
him anytime there was bad news within the firm, so
operating from the Transforming action-logic
that the same situation of unreported malfeasance
by the 1990s was his role in rescuing Salomon
would never again arise. He ended up choosing
Brothers investment bank from bankruptcy in
the candidate who had not been working in the
1991, by exercising every type of power and
New York office, who was most often mentioned
inquiry described in the above table. Describing
by the other candidates, and who had been most
his early actions in the rescue will illustrate
elegantly forthright in his response to the ‘best CEO’
just how rare are leaders’ with Transforming
question: “I’m afraid most of the others will point to
capacities. (The following case description
me, but I will be willing too serve under whomever
represents a much-condensed version of
you appoint.” (Here, Buffett’s used logistical power
Schroeder 2008, pp 562-596.)
to craft the overall procedure for making a decision
Buffett had a $700 million investment stake in the in a single day, a process that would ordinarily take
company and sat on its board. A crisis brought on months; while the question he posed generated a
by illegal bidding and a subsequent cover-up within Collaborative inquiry among those engaged, even
the company resulted in a front-page revelation by though they did not meet as a group.)
the New York Times, with a photo of the Chairman
On Saturday afternoon, Buffett met with Gutfreund
of the Board, John Gutfreund. Gutfreund called
and his lawyer, who argued that Gutfreund deserved
Buffett at 6:45am Omaha time (waking him up)
a $35 million severance package. Buffett refused
to tell him the NY Federal Reserve Board was
because such an agreement at this moment would
requiring Gutfreund’s immediate resignation.
overshadow all the changes Salomon needed
Salomon’s stock would not open for trading that
the press to highlight they were making. Buffett
(Friday) morning. Although reluctant, Buffett told
promised to treat Gutfreund fairly and emphasized
them he would consider becoming interim Board
that he had never before broken a promise. (Here,
Chair, thereby committing the reputation he had
we see a complex exercise of praxis power — giving
built over a lifetime to rescuing the company
priority to enacting a new vision and culture for
(charming power). He told Salomon’s staff to hold
Salomon, Warren’s promise itself a manifestation of
the press release until he arrived in New York that
a new authenticity.) Such talks with senior managers
afternoon (coercive/logistical power). NY Federal
concerned about their futures continued late into
Reserve President Gerald Corrigan met with Buffett,
Saturday evening.
insisted on many specific changes at Salomon,
For more information on to all of which Buffett agreed (charming power). Sunday became the tensest and most grueling day
this article or the author, Nevertheless, Corrigan retained the power to of all. Just before the morning Board meeting at
please visit the disband the firm.
Global Leadership which Buffett and the new CEO would be voted in, in
Associates website preparation for the 2:30pm press conference — a
www.gla.global On Saturday morning, Buffett conducted 15-minute
message arrived that, at any minute the Treasury
interviews with the candidates for CEO, the most
11 Department was going to bar Salomon from
GLOBAL bidding at Treasury auctions. This would be a bullet recognized as a paradigm-changing approach to
in the firm’s head. Buffett called Treasury, but could leadership. Indeed, Collaborative Developmental
LEADERSHIP not reach Secretary Brady and was told it was too Action Inquiry is a theory about the multiple
ASSOCIATES late, though Buffett begged that Brady return the paradigms of leadership, organizations, and
PRESS call. One of the firm’s senior executives sought help social science, and how to transform among
from the Chairman of the Securities and Exchange them toward increasingly timely action. Recently,
Commission who turned him down declaring the individual theory has been increasingly
Warren Buffett’s Salomon was “rotten to the core.” Buffett sat by the referred to as “Vertical” leadership development,
and Your Own Seven phone, unwilling to hold the Board meeting and as contrasted with “Horizontal” management
Transformations become Board Chair, if the only task were to be training. The idea is that horizontal training can
of Leadership dismantling the company. Secretary Brady called, transmit new and critical skills and competencies
and Buffett, whose arguments were having no to employees without challenging their current
effect, made a personal plea, “Nick, this is the most leadership action-logic. By contrast, only vertical
important day of my life.” (Buffett’s unprecedentedly development to more embracing action-
vulnerable plea carried the potential for mutually- logics generates new capacities for complex,
transforming power.) principle-based, context-and-culture sensitive,
collaborative, conscious action that is timely and
The time for the press conference (when senior potentially transformative across multiple time
managers would also learn their future) passed horizons and social scales.
and still Buffett waited by the phone. He envisioned
himself walking into the press conference and The reference to ‘vertical’ is meant to convey that
saying “We’ve just declared bankruptcy.” Finally, the each later developmental action-logic introduces
assistant secretary of the Treasury called and said us to a ‘higher consciousness’ that includes
the Treasury would compromise: Salomon could everything known to that point, but is also aware
bid for its own accounts (the critical issue for the of, and therefore no longer imprisoned by, the
firm), but not for customers. The board erupted assumptions limiting the horizons of the earlier
with relief and joy for a minute, Buffett oversaw the action-logics. One progresses to higher and
election of himself and the new CEO in two minutes higher ‘balconies’ — to an ‘eagle’s eye’ point of
(productive power), and headed downstairs for the view — from which one appreciates the complex
trading floor. interweave of temporal horizons and social
scales in determining what action is timely. As
The press was prepared and eager to crucify this powerfully explanatory as this theory can be, its
proud and arrogant firm. Question upon accusing great danger is that it invites persons who learn
question rained down upon Buffett, who was it cognitively to imagine they have transformed
prepared, in a total departure from conventional to a later, more elite action-logic by virtue of
custom, to answer each one honestly, revealingly, learning some of the language about that action-
and sometimes even humorously. What had logic. This, in turn, can lead them to feel (and act)
happened? “The failure to report illegal bidding is, superior to others. Actually though, if someone
in my view, inexplicable and inexcusable.” Had the is acting superior to others, that is data that
culture caused the scandal? “I don’t think the same they are still imprisoned within the early action-
thing would have happened in a monastery.” What logics. More complex thought is not equivalent
would he get paid for the thankless task he was to higher consciousness. On the contrary,
undertaking? “I’m going to do this for a dollar,” he preoccupation with complex thought may hide
said. And so it went, hour after hour. (Opportunist the quality of one’s own and others’ ongoing
questions for quick wins; Expert fact-finding feelings and actions from one’s awareness.
questions; Transforming incongruity-seeking
questions.) By the end of the afternoon, the firm’s In order to reduce this danger of ego-inflation
reputation had been re-conceived with Buffett’s and to support more truly transforming
integrity, honesty, responsiveness at the core. …It development, we suggest that there are actually
would take months more to extract all the rot. three distinct kinds of learning: horizontal,
diagonal, and vertical. Horizontal learning we have
Over this weekend, Buffett had led the company, already characterized above. Diagonal learning
the government agencies, and the press through involves the occasional process of transforming
a tension-filled Collaborative inquiry, exercising from one action-logic to the next through a
all seven different types of inquiry and power combination of increasingly complex thinking
at different moments, not due to fallback, but about action and occasional, Vertical, moments
rather as part of a larger strategy that he was of ‘bare attention’ or ‘presence in the present’ in
inventing from moment to moment. Would action.
that more leaders develop such capacities for
transforming action. Vertical learning is a term we reserve for the
condition when we exercise bare attention
to our embodied selves and our complex
interaction with others in the outside world.
The Theory of Horizontal, As we approach the Alchemical action-logic,
we exercise this post-cognitive attention more
For more information on Diagonal, and Vertical and more continually, observing ourselves
this article or the author,
please visit the Development alternating among all the earlier action-logics and
Global Leadership between more and less complex thinking and
Associates website acting. Instead of transforming the leadership
www.gla.global Since 2005, adult development theory and
action inquiry have become much more widely assumptions to which we are subject once
12 a decade, at the Alchemical action-logic we
GLOBAL transform whatever subjective assumptions action-logic, the Global Leadership Profile
we temporarily fall into, into variables of which (GLP), though unusually valid and meaningful
LEADERSHIP we are immediately aware and which we can as an introduction to developmental inquiry,
ASSOCIATES therefore more objectively manage in the is simply too expensive for most adults in the
PRESS present. world. Consequently, in collaboration with
the Center for Creative Leadership, we have
Developmental theory offers an overview created a ‘card game’ called “Transformations”
Warren Buffett’s of the long personal journey to the point of at a small fraction per person of the cost of
and Your Own Seven continually transforming subject into object. This the GLP. “Transformations” consists of several
Transformations process is approached by gradually cultivating re-usable decks of cards that permit individuals
of Leadership simultaneous, Vertical, awareness of four to make their own Vertical Self-Estimates and
territories of experience. These four territories permit teams or classes or families to engage in
are: 1) the outside world, 2) our own embodied conversations about their lifetime development.
actions, 3) our ongoing thinking/feeling, and 4) (more information can be found at www.gla.
post-cognitive consciousness (Torbert, 1972, 1991, global/transformations-deck-online). These decks
2004). The young Opportunist masters some are already being used in Africa and Asia, and will
aspects of the outside world (physical) territory of shortly be joined by on-line versions that will be
experience. The Diplomat gains some control even less expensive on a per person basis.
of the territory of his or her own actions in order
be accepted by some peer group. The Expert
disciplines some aspect of the thinking territory
in order to do good work. The Achiever attempts
to coordinate these first three territories of
experience (thought-out plan, behavioral act, and
feedback from the outside world) in the course
of getting things done in team contexts.

Redefining, Transforming, and Alchemical

leaders are experiencing more and more
moments and episodes of post- cognitive, ‘bare’
consciousness and of simultaneous four-territory
experiencing in the midst of action. Paradoxically,
as noted earlier in the discussion of fallback, the
later one’s action-logic, the more one notices
on a daily and hourly basis that development is
a fluid and sometimes jagged affair, a process
of ‘imperfect beauty’ (Herdman-Barker &
Wallis, 2017), whereby the action-logic one is
embodying varies from one situation to the next,
sometimes errantly, sometimes appropriately.

As implied by the four territories, vertical

development goes both ways, up and down. On
the ‘down’ side, development requires becoming
We wish not only to democratize the action
more ongoingly aware of our embodied actions
inquiry work, but also to intensify the work of our
in our professional and personal practice, as
organizational clients with it. Alongside Elaine,
well as our effects on the outside world. On the
my other Co-Founder of GLA and Managing
‘up’ side, vertical development requires, not
Director, Richard Izard, has built on the strong
just increasingly complex thinking and fluid
foundations of the past by integrating Vertical
feeling about what is concurrently occurring at
Development and Action Inquiry into the very
different scales of social process and different
heart of organisations’ leadership planning. For
time horizons… but also, and more profoundly
years, the holy grail of leadership development
important, a post-cognitive, in-the-moment
has been to be able to measure the impact of an
consciousness. This can generate reliably timely,
intervention — such as taking the GLP, receiving
leaderly interaction in the realms of visioning,
coaching, and engaging in action inquiry
strategizing, performing, and effectuating.
exercises — on leaders. Earlier research (Torbert,
2004, 2013) has shown that a full individual or
organizational transformation rarely occurs in
less than two years of intentional effort.
Continued Innovation
Democratizing and Intensifying Given our overall findings that developmental
progression is possible among adults and that
Developmental Action Inquiry late action-logic leadership is essential for
successful organizational transformation, two
For more information on Our long-term intent is to attract a widening responses to these findings are possible. One
this article or the author, public to the active practice of action inquiry. response is to intensify interventions in short-
please visit the We can accomplish this partly through real- run leadership development programs. Global
Global Leadership Leadership Associates has recently introduced
Associates website
world examples of its efficacy and transforming
www.gla.global capability, such as those in this article. But two new feedback tools for this purpose: the
we realize that our measure of a person’s GLA Comparative Growth Report and the GLA
13
GLOBAL Themes Report. The Comparative Growth Report, The second response to the lack of full
compiled for each individual by an experienced developmental transformation in leadership
LEADERSHIP GLP Commentator, shows how a leader’s programs of less than one year’s duration is,
ASSOCIATES thinking-in-action has changed over the program obviously, to make them longer. This can be
PRESS period, whether or not it has progressed by a full done at reduced expense by focusing the second
action-logic. This permits the leader, debriefing year less on separate programming and more
with a GLA coach, to confirm what specific on team and organizational change initiatives by
Warren Buffett’s progress (if any) has occurred and to clarify the leadership development cohort, including
and Your Own Seven what his or her next challenges are. The GLA participation as staff for the following leadership
Transformations Themes Report takes the feedback from a group development cohort. This article and three
of Leadership of GLP debriefs within a given organization and CDAI-related books can be especially useful
draws out underlying cultural patterns across supports for such initiatives. The three books are
the organization that either facilitate or block Torbert, Action Inquiry (2004), Allen & Gutekunst,
personal and organizational transformation. Streetsmart Awareness and Inquiry-in-Action
Awareness of such patterns is critical for (2018), and Harcus, Transforming Conversations:
leadership success. The Bridge Between Individual Leadership and
Organizational Change (2020).

Conclusion
Since the 2005 HBR “Seven Transformations Transforming leader (Buffett again) interwove
of Leadership” article, much of the research the exercise of multiple forms of power and
conducted in the field of Collaborative inquiry in unique and masterful fashion. We
Developmental Action Inquiry (CDAI) has have closed with two short discussions, first
been third-person research on the first-, and of our current efforts to democratize and
second-person action inquiry of practitioners, intensify the impact of CDAI through the
with increasing attention to leaders at the Transformations and Vertical Self-Estimates card
later action-logics, particularly leaders at the decks and on-line versions; and second, of
two fastest growing action-logics in our GLP the theoretical relationship among Horizontal,
samples — Redefining and Transforming. Diagonal, and Vertical learning.
In this article, we have shared evidence
of the practice of two Redefining leaders A great limitation of this article is that it only
— ‘Janine’ and German Chancellor Angela obliquely points toward the dynamic processes
Merkel. We have also, and at greater length through which developmental transformations
shared evidence of Warren Buffett’s changing occur — the processes of action inquiry,
practice as one quantitative confirmation much more fully described in Torbert’s Action
that the developmental action-logics tend to Inquiry: The Secret of Timely and Transforming
unfold successively. We have also explored Leadership (2004), as well as Bradbury, 2015,
some of the catalytic factors at play in his and Nicolaides and McCallum, 2013).
different transformations, bringing to light the
Our great hope for this article is that it and
remarkable role of Susie Buffett’s mentoring.
the actions of the widening action inquiry
We have focused on the role of fallback, both
community play an increasingly significant role
in impeding and, in some cases, facilitating
in the coming two decades in supplanting both
development. We have introduced the
right wing and left wing political leadership,
different types of power and inquiry that
as well as both laissez-faire and authoritarian
become additionally available with each later
organizational leadership, with deliberately-
transformation, and we have illustrated how
and-spontaneously collaborative and
— in a situation of maximum tension among
developmental leadership.
social institutions and individual players — a

Two of the organisations that have Action Inquiry and the GLP at the core of their work, in
transforming individuals, teams and organisations are Global Leadership Associates (creators of
the GLP) and Amara Collaboration. For more details please visit gla.global and amara.fi.

For more information on

this article or the author,
please visit the
Global Leadership
Associates website
www.gla.global

14
GLOBAL Torbert received a BA, magna cum laude, colleague Hilary Bradbury, entitled Eros/Power:
LEADERSHIP in Political Science & Economics and a PhD Love in the Spirit of Inquiry (Integral Publishers,
ASSOCIATES in Administrative Sciences, both from Yale 2016). His 2004 Berrett-Koehler book, Action
PRESS University, holding a Danforth Graduate
Fellowship during his graduate years. He founded
Inquiry: The Secret of Timely and Transforming
Leadership is still in print and has been translated
the Yale Upward Bound (War on Poverty) into Japanese, Chinese, and Russian.
Warren Buffett’s
program and the Theatre of Inquiry, and taught at
Yale, Southern Methodist University, and Harvard Also a longterm consultant and Board member,
and Your Own Seven
Transformations prior to joining the Boston College faculty in 1978. his recognitions include the 2008 David
of Leadership Bradford Career Teaching Award, the 2013
His eleven books include the national Alpha Center for Creative Leadership Walter F. Ulmer
Sigma Nu award winning Managing the Corporate Jr. Award for Career Contributions to Applied
Dream (Dow Jones-Irwin, 1987), the Terry Award Leadership Research; and the 2014 Chris
Finalist book The Power of Balance: Transforming Argyris Career Achievement Award from the
Self, Society, and Scientific Inquiry (Sage, 1991), Academy of Management.
and his latest, co-authored with action inquiry

References
Allen, J. & Gutekunst, H. 2018. Streetsmart Awareness Nicolaides, A. & McCallum, D. 2013. Inquiry
and Inquiry-in-Action. Amara Collaboration. in action for turbulent times: exploring the
connections between transformative learning
Bradbury, H. (Ed.) 2015. Handbook of Action and adaptive leadership. Journal of Transformative
Research. London, Sage. Learning. 11, 4, 246-260.
Erfan, A. & Torbert, W. 2015. Collaborative Schroeder, A. 2008. The Snowball: Warren Buffett
Developmental Action Inquiry. In Bradbury, H. (Ed.) and the Business of Life. Bantam: New York.
Handbook of Action Research (3rd Ed.). London:
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For more information on
this article or the author,
please visit the *W
 ith deep thanks to all the action inquiry community members who both did so much of the research
Global Leadership cited in this article and offered so much helpful feedback on earlier versions of this writing: Hilary
Associates website
www.gla.global Bradbury, Aftab Erfan, Elaine Herdman-Barker, Richard Izard, Ed Kelly, Valerie Livesay, David
McCallum, Cara Miller, Aliki Nicolaides, Nick Owen, Nancy Wallis,Karen Yeyinmen and my wife Reichi.
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