Introduction

This opening chapter seeks to answer the question, “Why is there a need for this book?” The author argues that the way organizations work and are structured continue to be influenced by the almost 400-year-old thinking of Sir Isaac Newton and the philosopher, René Descartes. This latter worldview has led to siloed structures, whose emphasis is on the parts of the organization, instead of the “whole.” Guided by a “new strategic leader,” General Systems Theory (GST) offers the potential to replace the siloed structure with a new interdependent way of working that provides greater nobility of purpose to the worker and greater performance to the organization.