Leadership in Complexity and Change: For a World in Constant Motion

Most leadership books focus on the leadership of individual organisations, leadership of complexity, and of change. They assume that we are independent from one another (we re not) and we can stand outside the flow of events, the pattern of behaviours (we can t).

As the Covid-19 pandemic has dramatically shown, we re in complexity and change, and, whether we like it or not, we re in it together. This book considers leadership in organisational systems, leadership in complexity, leadership in change. It is a small, but incredibly important distinction.

'Leadership in Complexity and Change' draws on complexity science to paint a picture of a world in constant motion, where leadership is enacted in-the-midst of complexity and continuous change. Part One brings complexity science to life by considering the practical challenges of complexity and its implications for leadership. Part Two then considers how leaders can reinvigorate existing tools and approaches with a new mindset, before offering some new tools and techniques for leadership in complexity and change. Part Three concludes by considering the practice and practices of leadership in complexity and change. The key ideas in this book are brought to life through mini-cases and practical examples, which are embedded throughout the book.

When I was studying for my Masters and first came across complexity science, this book was the kind of book I desperately wanted to read. I wanted to understand the implications of complexity science for organisation science and for leadership practice. I wanted to find something that broke through the unfamiliar terminology, imported from multiple disciplines, to make complexity science accessible and applicable. The problem was that the translation of complexity science to organisation science was in its infancy. The rigorous academic work required to translate insights from the physical world to the social world was embryonic. So, while complexity science provided a rich source of inspiration for writers in leadership and organisations, the application was often loose and ungrounded.

My journey has taken me from a practical problem (how to lead change in a complex organisation), to in-depth research in real organisational contexts, and widespread application of those insights to address practical problems of leadership and change. For over 15 years, I have used practice and theory to inform one another.

I have now written the book that I wanted to read. It presents complexity straightforwardly without dumbing it down. It is designed to help leaders, managers, and professionals to apply complexity thinking and tools to inform and evolve their leadership and change practice.

Dr Sharon Varney - a scholar-practitioner who effectively bridges academia and practice. She is Director of The Henley Forum, an applied research centre at Henley Business School, and she teaches on Masters programmes at Henley and beyond. For more than 10 years, Sharon has successfully run her own consultancy, where she specialises in developing organisations and people.
Sharon developed her deep expertise of leadership in large, complex organisations whilst working at the sharp end. She was head of international learning and development at a US bank and then global head of learning in the offshore oil and gas sector. In the early 2000s, she was bitten by the complexity bug, which has shaped her career ever since.
Her award-winning doctoral research, which has a very practical edge, explored the complex dynamics of organisational change and the role of change leaders within it. Sharon now works across a wide variety of academic and business settings, where she applies complexity science insights across her leadership and organisational development (OD) work.