The Adam Complex

The Adam complex is the colloquial name for a particular type of arrogant attitude. It applies above all to organizations and occurs when an official or leader disqualifies everything that has been done to him so far; its objective is to inaugurate a new reality. In other words, those who have the Adam complex feel like the founders of a new world.

Those who suffer from the Adam complex start from the idea that everything that has been done up to now is invalid; they consider that, within that work, there is nothing profitable. They want to make a “clean slate” and start from scratch. In the vast majority of cases, this attitude has negative consequences. Why? We will see it right away.

The Adam complex

The Adam complex is typical of arrogant people. It is as if they were the first human being on Earth, since they do not know the validity of what has been done until they appear on the scene. This is how they reach a position to make “structural changes” or “total reengineering. ” They support their decision on mistakes that have been made in the past.

This happens, generally, in the positions that agglutinate responsibility. However, it can also happen in all kinds of situations or activities. The most common is that the holders of the Adam complex are people without experience, but with good knowledge. They usually carry the most innovative theories or new trends in vogue under their arms.

In principle, this attitude is a clear sign of immaturity. Likewise, he reveals a strong desire to figure and make himself a defining factor in the history of an organization, a city, a country, or whatever. It is seen with relative frequency in politicians who are elected for the first time, or who are appointed to a position of importance.

Recognize the Adam complex

In principle, a person with the Adam complex can be perceived as someone with great leadership skills, great ideas and great vitality. It is obvious that all previous management has errors to correct. What these people do is emphasize these mistakes and from there they support their proposals for radical change.

It is very important to differentiate this attitude from that of a leader who comes to take charge of an organization or an institution in structural crisis. In the latter case, it is very likely to require profound changes troubleshooting  background.

On the other hand, in the Adam complex there is the intention to change something that, although it has errors, does not represent a critical situation. Likewise, those who use this attitude tend to manifest certain patterns of behavior, such as the following:

• They focus the change on their individual action. They take very little account of the opinions or suggestions of others.
• They have difficulty hearing. These types of people are more focused on promoting their own ideas than on listening to those of others.
• They seek to persuade, rather than evidence. He does not focus so much on the evidence that supports the validity of his proposals, but on a speech promoting his ideas.

Why is it negative?

Why can a leader with innovative ideas and the desire to change everything for the better be negative? Often times, what is indicated is that big changes are the result of joint work and not the decision of an individual. If there really is a need to restructure everything, nothing better than having the opinion and experience of all those involved in the transformation.

Additionally, you must start by weighing the positives and negatives of what already exists. Everything can work better, but in some cases only a few adjustments are required and not a total change. This particular factor can lead to strong instability in an organization.

Likewise, it is advisable to take into account resistance to change and the processes that allow a new structure to be reached. In most cases it is indicated that the changes take place gradually.

Often the difficult thing is to precisely identify the priority points to intervene. Major restructurings are only necessary if there is an obvious crisis. When motivated only by the Adam complex, they tend to cause disagreement, malfunctions and, many times, failures.