Most
leaders are leading from a 17th century scientific understanding of the world.
What does it mean to be a leader in the 21st century?
Margaret
J Wheatley has been an organization development consultant and researcher since
1973. Through her work, she explores the question, “How might we organize
differently if we understood how life organizes?”
Hailed by several voices as
one of the most thought-provoking leadership books ever, Leadership and the New
Science takes readers on an exploration of new ideas emerging out of the
cutting edge of science; Quantum Physics, Chaos Theory and Field Theory; and
contemplates their application to businesses and management.
The Old
View:
Margaret
Wheatley says the 17th century view is of a predictable, machine-like universe.
In this view, which Wheatley terms Newtonian, she points out that people have
believed that, given time, science can figure out the reasons for everything in
the universe. This view also sees the universe as a material place, where only
objects and phenomena that are directly perceivable by human senses are taken
as real. Just as it is possible to understand machines by understanding their
components individually, Newtonian thinking makes us believe that it is
possible to understand the universe by understanding the smaller parts that it
is made of.
And the
New:
Since
Newton, other scientists have explored the quantum nature of the universe and
found that the rules of Newtonian thinking do not apply to all systems.
Newtonian mechanics applies only to closed systems like machines, but not to
living, open systems that continuously interact with the environment. Open
systems include nature, living things and the universe itself.
Quantum
mechanics, Chaos theory and Field theory (collectively termed by the author as
‘the new science’) have radically changed the way scientists understand the
functioning of open systems.
In the new, 21st century view, she asks readers to
make the shift from seeing organizations as closed systems to viewing them as
open, living systems.
Key
insights for leaders
Insight 1 – Establish a strong identity
According
to new science, open systems grow by a process of self-referencing. This means
that the system has a ‘sense of self’ or ‘identity’ that it uses to keep
replicating itself. The stronger the sense of identity, the better it is able
to face difficult external circumstances, and adapt to them.
In the
organizational context, this strong sense of identity comes from a clear
purpose, vision and values, which are demonstrated with integrity by the
leadership.
Insight 2 – Autonomy within boundaries
The ‘strong sense of
self’ forms boundaries for the whole system, within which individual players
have full autonomy to express themselves. This creates unpredictability within
the system through individual action, but creates overall stability for the
system itself. For example, the forest system of Africa is very stable overall,
but the individual flora and fauna in the system are in a continuous flux.
A
season with low rainfall sees a reduction in the availability of water,
creating massive changes in the behaviors of local animals. Some migrate.
Others die out. Some others hunt different species. But the forest survives the
season, with each of its individuals now more capable of dealing with water
scarcity. New science indicates that in an open system with a strong identity,
individuals with full autonomy organize themselves to respond to challenges
intelligently and creatively, making the entire system stronger.
In an
organizational context, Wheatley encourages leaders to create a strong sense of
purpose – why the organization exists; and a consistent value system – how the
organization behaves; and gives employees full autonomy to bring the purpose of
the organization to life while living together in the overall broad boundaries
of the culture as enshrined by the values.
Insight 3 – Create
disequilibrium with information
Open systems need to keep off-balance to
continue growing and evolving. In nature, ecosystems keep off balance by
interacting with their environment continuously. The new information received
from the environment forces it to keep evolving internally so that it can stay
stable as a system.
For leaders, the lesson is to stop trying to create
stability at all levels of the organization, but to embrace chaos as an
essential part of the organization’s development.
In contrast to the
traditional view of tightly controlling sensitive information that may cause
instability, Wheatley encourages leaders to create a free flow of information
within the organization. If the identity is strong, employees will face the
instability creatively. This will result in a more robust organization overall.
Insight
4 – Enable relationships
Quantum physics shows that atomic particles never
exist in isolation. They will only exist in relation to other particles.
According to this science, the building blocks of the universe are not the
atoms but the relationships between them. Relationships are the building
blocks. Quantum physicists maintain that we do not live in an objective world,
and that each person exists only in relation to another person.
We experience
this in daily life too. We adapt our behaviors based on the situations and
people we encounter. We are never exactly the same person in different
encounters. A good relationship brings out a part of us that is simply not
accessible in a bad relationship.
Wheatley encourages leaders to recognize that
the building blocks of a successful organization are not the individuals but
the quality of relationships between individuals, and the ability of
individuals to meet and co-create. The 21st century leader is more relationship
savvy, and actively designs the organization to enable the right people to meet
at the right time in an environment of respect and trust.
In
conclusion
If you
are a leader who wants to create a lasting organization, we recommend you take
a closer look at these insights. While it is not prescriptive in nature, the
book makes up for its lack of frameworks and ready-to-use tools by taking you
on an exploration of the new science in a relatable manner. It is guaranteed to
provoke your mind into thinking about new and intriguing arenas of leadership.
Deep
Red Ink provides consulting and business solutions for using the power of
relationships to create win-win business results.
