Systems Leadership ─ Creating Positive Organisations

The new edition of this influential and bestselling book is concerned with how people come together to achieve a productive purpose. Survival and success in business and social terms has always depended upon our ability to form and sustain social organisations. People have a deep need to be creative and to belong. By creating positive organisations we can fulfil these needs and build a worthwhile society.

Such organisations do not occur by chance; a positive organisation is created by the hard work of leaders and members and influenced by the way the organisation is designed, especially its systems. All this needs to be based on an understanding of sound, general principles of behaviour. This book offers a comprehensive account of this theory, called Systems Leadership Theory; how to build a positive organisation in terms of general principles and practical examples.

Understanding and applying this work requires discipline (not dogma) and creativity. The authors show the significant positive results that can be achieved and detail a range of case studies. Unlike some books which are based on goals, objectives or visions this book concentrates on how this can be achieved. The authors observed and engaged with what good leaders and members actually do and have endeavoured to distil the essence of productive relationships based on core, human values.

This work has been applied in businesses, social service agencies, hospitals, city governments, national governments, armies, churches, public utilities, indigenous communities, schools and other unique organisations. It is intended to help leaders create more humane and productive organisations that can both meet their objectives and improve the human condition. It does so by presenting a coherent theory exemplified by numerous cases and practical experience. As more than one leader has commented, 'this stuff actually works'.

The new edition has been substantially reviewed and updated and includes new material on topics such as structure, safety and levels of work, new complementary theories around networks, holocracy and disruptive organizations as well as a new chapter on the social, technical and commercial aspects of the theory.

The companion website includes a wide range of case studies that explore how the ideas of systems leadership have been applied in a whole range of organizations, across different industries and sectors, right around the world.

Dr Ian Macdonald is founder and director of Macdonald Associates, an international organisational development consultancy. Dr Catherine Burke is Professor at the School of Policy Planning and Development , University of Southern California, USA. Karl Stewart has held various management roles including Managing Director of Comalco Smelting (now Rio Tinto).