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King & Wood Mallesons Adaptive Leadership Program 

INDUSTRY: Law (International)

In 2024, King & Wood Mallesons (KWM) partnered with Interchange to tackle a significant adaptive challenge within their organisation. Unlike technical challenges, which have clear solutions based on past experience, adaptive challenges require new ways of thinking and approaches to problem-solving. The primary adaptive challenge KWM faced was managing the differing generational needs and expectations within their workforce. 

A growing clash in work preferences had emerged between senior leaders and younger employees. Senior leaders believed that success required employees to be in the office for face-to-face collaboration, while younger employees, accustomed to flexible and remote working practices, held a different view of what productivity and success look like. 

This generational divide created tension and friction, yet with ongoing labour shortages, KWM couldn’t simply replace employees resistant to traditional methods. Instead, leaders needed to adapt their approach, learning how to manage and integrate different perspectives while ensuring business continuity and productivity. 

A spiral-bound booklet titled 'Embracing Uncertainty: Adaptive Leadership Guidebook,' with part of the cover peeled back to reveal pages with graphics and text.

The Solution

To address this challenge, Interchange began by engaging with KWM’s senior partners, facilitating open conversations to understand: 

  • The challenges leaders were facing in managing multi-generational teams 

  • The impact of these tensions on team dynamics and organisational outcomes 

Through brainstorming sessions, partners identified what approaches had been working and where they were falling short. From these insights, Interchange designed a tailored leadership development program built around Ronald Heifetz and Donald L. Laurie’s Six Principles of Adaptive Leadership. 

The program consisted of two learning labs, each designed to immerse leaders in adaptive leadership theory while applying it directly to real challenges from within KWM. 

In the first Learning Lab, leaders learned to: 

  • Identify the Adaptive Challenge 

  • Regulate Distress 

Using KWM-specific case studies, leaders applied these principles to their day-to-day challenges, guided by structured reflection exercises designed to shift mindsets and behaviours. 

Laptop displaying a virtual meeting with six participants and a presentation slide titled 'The 6 Principles for Adaptive Leadership'. The slide contains color-coded points and behavioral strategies.

In the second Learning Lab, the focus shifted to changing behaviours and empowering teams, including: 

  • Maintaining Disciplined Attention 

  • Giving the Work Back to the People 

  • Protecting Leadership Voices from Below 

Throughout, leaders confronted the risks of inaction, understanding how failure to adapt their leadership style could erode engagement, retention, and business performance. Discussions around deeply held beliefs on workplace norms encouraged leaders to see that compromise—not conformity—was key to bridging the generational gap. 

A diverse group of businesspeople gathered in an office, smiling and applauding during a celebration or recognition event.

The Outcome

The Adaptive Leadership Program empowered KWM leaders to: 

  • Reframe the generational divide as an opportunity for collaboration and growth, not conflict. 

  • Manage uncertainty with confidence, balancing flexibility and accountability. 

  • Create an inclusive environment, where younger and senior employees could co-create a shared vision of success. 

By addressing this adaptive challenge, KWM’s leaders not only resolved an immediate issue but also built long-term leadership capability, preparing them to navigate future challenges. 

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