Leading at All Levels: Using Systemic Ideas to Get the Most from the Workplace (The Systemic Thinking and Practice Series: Work with Organizations)

Leading at All Levels: Using Systemic Ideas to Get the Most from the Workplace moves away from traditional perspectives on leadership and, utilising ideas from systemic consultation, provides a rationale for leadership at all levels, emphasising the potential of everyone in organisations to lead in their own area of work. Reviewing the theory of resilience and its place in organisational life, the book provides guidance on how to foster resilience in the workplace.

Written in accessible language, the book is divided into three sections: on work and leadership, on problem solving and finally on approaches to leading at all levels. A variety of perspectives on leadership are explored, as well as barriers to effective leadership and there are many suggestions for improvement. The book discusses the ways in which systemic thinking can contribute to enhance leadership, which includes considering different perceptions and experiences of leadership, the influence of power in workplace relationships and organisational outcomes, the link between positive employee engagement for performance and well-being at work, and the importance of interpersonal and relational behaviour on leadership. The book also considers the importance of everyday workplace interactions to our understanding of leadership and supports a wide understanding of workplace conflict. It contains examples throughout, which are applicable to different types and sizes of organisation, and provides suggestions for readers relating to the practice of leadership at all levels.

Good leadership is of great importance to today’s organisations. The book suggests that by paying more attention to leadership at all levels, organisations can work towards improving productivity, which has been highlighted as a critical issue in the UK since the 2008 recession.

Leading at All Levels will appeal to systemic trainees, practitioners and systemic consultants and to those in related professions, as well as to personal development practitioners and coaches.

Annette MacArtain-Kerr, is a UKCP registered systemic psychotherapist and consultant. She has held management roles in a number of different organisations in the voluntary sector and in education in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. She worked at the Graduate School at Queen’s University, Belfast, from 2008–2017. She works as a freelance lecturer and trainer in organisations, schools and universities, offers consultation and coaching to individuals and organisations, and continues to work as a systemic psychotherapist in the voluntary sector and in private practice.