ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces a form of relational leadership that draws upon ideas from complexity science as one of the more developments in relational leadership theory. It explains some of the key assumptions that underpin the nature of social systems, that are characterised as complex adaptive systems (CAS). CAS are key to understanding how change and innovation might occur in organisations, through self-organisation and emergence. Complexity leadership aims to capitalise on the naturally occurring propensity of CAS to move towards greater effectiveness through enhancing order in the system. The chapter presents a model of complexity leadership development. It aims to enhance the internal dynamics within an organisation to generate the necessary conditions for self-emergent organisation. These are identified as: network conditions; shared leadership; organisational learning; and leader behaviours. From a complexity perspective, the need to adopt new managerial behaviours is even more imperative, yet is perhaps its greatest challenge.
