The global workplace is experiencing a shift in organizational strategies, culture, structure, and challenges. These have been associated with technology and leadership. There are business realities that each corporate entity has to face in the 21st century. This paper looks at the points and theory raised by Margaret Wheatley in her book “Leadership and the New Science: Discovering Order in a Chaotic World” regarding leadership. What follows is an analysis of the main points.
The quantum perspective is that no living entity exists independently at the quantum level and a corporate vision is not owned by one person. Organizations functions the same way small living organism functions. Also, because these groups are made up of living beings, the core of their effectiveness and sustainability depends on how they relate at all levels. Life is about creating and being part of the creation process. Each entity in a system has a unique purpose and vision shared in a corporate capacity. If organizations are to succeed, that individuality and shared vision have to form part of the body or firm. Teams are organized with energies, insights, ideas, coming from members and the wins are celebrated as a team because there is a relationship within a team. Vision is a field of view, perspective. When people within a group understand a vision their conduct changes to align with the vision.
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Control and order are different in presentation. Organizational structure or leadership can create order but not monitor the capacities of each in the system. The generation of order is internal. The chaotic theory is of order in a system, generated from the spontaneity of the living organism or system rather than one which is imposed by control mechanisms externally. The absence of chaos causes humans to depend on old patterns. Chaos makes people uncomfortable, but it is through it that new levels of relationships develop (Wheatley, 1999). The complexities of life arise from the chaotic nature of life that directs and reorganizes us towards the future. It allows for a reconfiguration of things, phenomenon, and relationships. Organizations have self-structuring potentials and leaders do not necessarily have to design their organizations because chaos has its way of reorganizing and changing systems. Thus, people need to embrace the process that is created by chaos.
Information is a critical factor in the accomplishment of change. Information helps us organized our present and future. The seamless flow of information in an organization gives it life for growth. The reverse kills in the long term. Looking at organizational life with new knowledge resources empowers individuals to do thing more efficiently. Corporate decision making should be inclusive of every entity or unit within the organization. As she in London (2016), notes "You can't avoid including people, because life is about the creation of new systems through relationships and through inclusion" (n.p). Learning organizations are very inclusive and take knowledge as a priority. They invest in a process that enhances learning and strengthens relationships for sustainability. The leadership inclusively focuses on the future by paying attention to the present and generating knowledge from the past (DePree, 1992).
I had volunteered for an organization that assists in the rehabilitation of alcoholics. The top-down management model was frustrating and affecting commitment from the junior staff. The resistance to change was because of holding on to old patterns. Also, as a leader of youths in an organization, the leadership wants the teens to embrace the vision. However, there is a challenge causing them to align with the vision without abandoning their vision as individuals. This model creates a conflict of aspirations.
The new business realities of the 21st century are shifting towards the prioritization of knowledge as a necessary capital. This focus is probably due to globalization and increased competition. The discovery that information is central to organizational change has also enhanced the momentum. E-business is becoming the new approach pursued by big corporations (Capella University, 2001). Many large organizations are reducing on paper routines to paperless operations. Technology has changed communication platforms altering the messages and messengers. The future appears to rely on the new modes of communication. Moreover, speed is the new way of business. Any organization that is unprepared for change will be left behind with the changes associated with chaos. Organizations are no longer driven by leadership only but by individuals who form part of the organizational structure internally and externally.
References
Capella University. (2001). New Business Realities of the 21st Century - Five Driving Forces. Pdf.
DePree, M. (1992). Leadership jazz. New York: Doubleday.
London, S. (2016). The New Science of Leadership: An Interview with Margaret Wheatley. Retrieved from http://www.scottlondon.com/interviews/wheatley.html
Wheatley, M. J. (1999). Leadership and the New Science: Discovering Order in a Chaotic World. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
