Advanced Dynamics

Systems Leadership Theory

An introduction to the concepts and underlying principles

The culture of an organisation is evident in the social interactions that are constantly occurring within. The leaders of an organisation play a decisive role in shaping its culture, whether consciously or not. Systems Leadership Theory provides a set of coherent models to assist in understanding culture and behaviour in organisations. It provides insights into how  leaders can, through an understanding of the tools of leadership (systems, symbols and behaviour), build cohesive organisations that can achieve success and help the individuals within it realise their own potential.

Building on the work of Elliot Jaques and Ian Macdonald, these models start by examining work as a human process, where individuals exercise their judgement and discretion to achieve a task, and the need to match individual capability to the complexity of the work involved. A requisite organisation structure is established through this process, which forms a key system through which the purpose of the organisation is realised over time. Systems Leadership Theory provides the basis on which the technical, commercial and social processes that operate within this organisation structure can be understood and directed, through the design of  systems within which the recurring work activities of the organisation are managed. Because work is a human process, attention is paid not only to the technical requirements of the work system but to how the individual will experience working within it. If that experience is to be positive and build cohesion in the work group, people will need to be treated in accord with core  values (trust, fairness, honesty, dignity, courage and love). A culture is formed when a group of people share mythologies - beliefs or assumptions that a particular behaviour is viewed positively or negatively against these core values.

It is the work of leadership to shape the culture of the organisation in order to achieve its purpose. Understanding of how changes to the organisation’s systems, symbols and leadership behaviour will be viewed against these core values is central to generating new mythologies and cultural change.

A more detailed description of Systems Leadership Theory, by Phillip Bartlett of Maconald Associates, can be downloaded here.