When we see the world as it really is, a living, constantly evolving ecosystem, full of variation and interdependence, we question many accepted beliefs regarding the way our organisations perpetuate their existence as well as the ways in which they adapt and change. The standard business school models that have become so widely accepted as the only way to consider this begin to break down. Life is not linear, deterministic and pre-planned. It is complex, generative and at times stunningly spontaneous. This raises questions for us as leaders. In a complex, self-ordering world, what is the space for planning and control? How do we influence things for the better and who decides what ‘better’ really means? What is our agency?
These are constant questions that throw up paradoxes and uncertainty. In a world where subtle variations in starting conditions might create significant differences in outcome, how do we develop a capacity for greater leadership? It is no surprise in such a world that ‘leadership’ has never been finally defined. Leadership in the real world is constantly adapting to both subtle and profound changes in the environment. What works one day in one place may not be helpful as circumstances shift. There is no magic formula. Instead we need to stay open, enquiring, recognising that each new event or situation presents us with an opportunity to deepen our learning and increase our wisdom to act.
Leadership in living systems asks us to ’notice our noticing’, to become increasingly aware of how we see ourselves acting in the situations we encounter, and to be able to adapt in the moment to influence them to best effect. We hope you find our website useful. We hope also that you notice your response to it. That will tell you a lot about how much you already know about operating in this way.