Complexity and Leadership

Kiran Chauhan is an organisational consultant at The King’s Fund, a health and care policy think tank in the UK. He is also a visiting lecturer at Hertfordshire Business School, University of Hertfordshire, UK.Emma Crewe is Professor of Social Anthropology at SOAS, University of London, UK. She is also a visiting professor at Hertfordshire Business School, University of Hertfordshire, UK.Chris Mowles is Professor of Complexity and Management at Hertfordshire Business School, University of Hertfordshire, UK.

• 1 Introduction; PART I BEING LEADERS 2 From magico-mythical thinking to making promises and forgiving: A headteacher’s critique of transformational school leadership practice; 3 Acting into the unpredictable future: A project manager’s appreciation of a complexity perspective; 4 Leadership as inquiry: Rhythm analysis as a response to contemporary idealisations of freedom; 5 A dialogue with Adam Habib: Radical pragmatism – navigating social justice in universities in the neo-liberal era; PART II DEVELOPING LEADERS 6 A critical look at corporate leadership development; 7 Leading as practice: Expedition-based learning with NASA in the Canyons; 8 A group analytic approach to executive education: Lessons from the larger group; 9 Can talent be managed? A critical perspective on the practice of talent management; 10 A dialogue with Sewit Haileselassie Tadesse: Developing leadership; 11 Final notes on the practice of leadership

"I have studied and taught leadership for many years, yet I have growing doubts that what I’ve learned is up to the challenges we face. I found my experience of reading this book to be both profoundly disruptive and surprisingly freeing to my perspective on leadership. It has brought me a renewed sense of curiosity and hope to my work."Dan Leahy, Leadership Development Specialist, Waypoint Leadership Consulting, Kirkland, WA, USA"This is a meaningful and timely inquiry about the ways in which we engage with the concept of leadership. The authors lean into the tensions of traditional leadership education with a lens towards the social and collective agreements that are leadership in practice. An interesting exploration of leadership when context, complexities and relational constructs are essential to the experience."Erica Montemayor, Associate Director, The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, PA, USA"'The future ain't what it used to be' – never was American satirist Yogi Berra's quip as relevant as it is to our current age. A global swirl of change, ranging from the digital revolution through to geopolitics, is invading almost every area of our lives. This volume is an indispensable guide to the dilemmas and possibilities of leadership in the context of these complexities, informed both by theory and practice."Anthony Giddens, Member of the House of Lords and Life fellow of King's College, Cambridge, UK"The picture of contemporary leadership is complex, and this volume wonderfully captures this complexity providing valuable insights into the practice of leading people in organizations. The contributors to this book avoid simple recipes and platitudes about leadership, and instead they question the myth of truly harmonious relations between organizational actors. A really engaging bottom-up and participatory approach to research."Sabina Siebert, Professor of Management, Adam Smith Business School, University of Glasgow, UK"If you feel disappointed by literature that idealizes leadership, and if you cannot entirely recognize your own experiences in literature that takes a critical stance towards the very idea of leadership, this book might become an important read for you … By reflecting on the processes of relating they are part of, and by reflecting a diversity of research literature, the authors offer nuanced reflections on the political nature of leadership, with a recognition of own intentions and engagement. As a result, leadership stands out as neither demonized nor idealized but described from within, yet with the critical distance the reflexivity has enabled."Henry Larsen, Associate Professor, Department of Entrepreneurship and Relationship Management, University of Southern Denmark