Repeatedly, during the early years of the Civil War, Lincoln was faced with major pressure from many of the most influential members of his cabinet to oust McCellan. Yet, he determined that morale of the army which McCellan commanded would be shattered if their general was replaced by someone else—and who would replace McClellan? Yet, the pressure remained on Lincoln to watch McClellan carefully and to restrict the scope of his command.
Eventually, Lincoln did have to replace this arrogant (and ultimately incompetent) general. After further failure to find the right person to command the Union forces, Lincoln finally did find competence in Ulysses S. Grant–even if this competence was based in an often-brutal stubbornness. Abraham Lincoln finds guidance from his team of rivals for his challenging navigation of complex waters. Members of his cabinet come from several different political perspectives and offer him support (as well as guidance) from these different points of view.
Diversity and Evolution
In seeking to understand how diversity aides this navigation through complexity, I turn to the field of evolutionary biology and to the study of complex adaptive system. I begin by introducing a classic (sometimes controversial) biological model called the Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium. This model provides some rich insight for not only those interested in evolutionary change, but also those leaders, like Lincoln, who are facing the challenge of navigating VUCA-Plus conditions. The Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium model works backwards regarding evolutionary change—it is about the assumptions that lead to NON-change in terms of biological evolution.
The first assumption is that there are no mutations in a population. This would mean that all of the genes that form the basis of all life forms are the same for all members of one species. There is no room, in other words, for variations or mistakes. I suggest that this assumption (as well as the four other assumptions) can be applied to life in a mid-19th Century—as well as in mid-21st Century world.
If the Hardy-Weinberg assumptions are descriptive of systems (such as an organization, community or even entire nation), then this system is likely to remain in equilibrium and innovation is unlikely to occur. The center might hold, but at the expense of the agility needed for this system to remain viable—especially if it is situated in a VUCA-Plus environment. The key, therefore, for a leader such as Lincoln is to ensure that the first assumption (and other four assumptions) isn’t being met.
Mutations and Organizational Variation
If there are no mutations in a population then evolution will not take place. If there are no mutations (diverse perspectives) in Lincoln’s cabinet, then he is less likely to entertain a new strategy regarding the management of his arrogant general. There is no room for variations or mistakes in a system in equilibrium—or a cabinet composed of men (and no women) with uniform perspectives.
