The New Science and Leadership suggest that organizations should be operated based on various methods. The methods are obtained from the New Science view of management, organization, change, and leadership. Margaret Wheatley believes that the law of nature can be used to manage organizations because it can provide a framework through which we can understand organizations. The power of Wheatley's book Leadership and the New Science: Discovering Order in a Chaotic World is associated with the explanation of various findings regarding New Science and in the application of the concepts in today's organizations. This paper will focus on the main points and theories of leadership reflected in Wheatley's observations. It will also describe examples from my work experience that reflect Wheatley's observations. Finally, the paper will analyze the New Business Realities relative to Wheatley's leadership best practices.
The main points and theories of leadership and personal examples
Wheatley's book is based on the idea that the world is strongly associated with Natural Science. She claims that the way we view the world is caused by science. Science has created a different model of existence, and so organizations need to change and begin to develop their model of reality. She adds that because in the past, classical mechanics dominated science, it led to a mechanistic perception of organizations. She claims that science has changed and so we need to change to the science of our times in order to effectively manage organizations (Wheatley, 2011). Below are the main points and the theories of leaders reflected in Wheatley's observations:
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Quantum Physics
As a branch of physics, quantum physics was developed from quantum theory. Quantum physics is the general mathematical formulation of the theory. Wheatley identifies some specific concepts that can be used in the management of organizations. The first concept is that in quantum physics, the relationship between particles within the subatomic level is vital, meaning that no particle can be separated from the other particles. The second concept is that the link developed between the particles is critical (Wheatley, 2011). In this model, Wheatley identifies 12 variables that will help in achieving change and improving organizational performance namely mission and strategy, external environment, leadership, work unit climate, motivation, task and individual skills, structure, systems, policies and procedures, management practices, organizational culture, individual and organizational performance, and individual needs and values. These factors are interlinked, and changing one will affect the other factors (Wheatley, 2011).
I am an Organization Development (OD) Consultant; I oversee making the idea of Quantum Physics valid in the change management. Sometimes I recognize before time the critical elements in an organization that are most likely being affected in case a step is made in the process of change. On many occasions, I experienced negative consequences as a result of my failure to consider variables within the change process. Just like the relationships that exist between subatomic particles, which can be identified by the use of a high powered Microsoft, other factors within the organization are hidden, which may be recognized as an observant agent.
Self-organizing Systems
The theory of self-organizing systems provides that systems are capable of transforming themselves in terms of identity in order to respond to the changing environment. Wheatley considered the self-transformation as "autopoiesis. The human organizations are often self-organizing, and they form multi-level structures. The organizations can function autonomously as part of the whole system. Each system organizes itself accordingly. Organizations established to last are characterized by self-organizing systems (Wheatley, 2011).
My OD consulting job is coupled with the belief that systems are capable of organizing themselves into adaptive organizations so as to thrive and survive in the new and unique environment. An OD consultant needs to have this faith, and if she lacks it, she should stop the process when change initiatives face resistance from various quarters.
Chaos Theory
The Chaos Theory was developed as a result of the discoveries of fractals and strange attractors. Regarding Strange Attractors, a chaotic system that is characterized by randomness and chaos, a pattern will evolve, thus revealing an order to the chaos. The evolution is considered non-linear, meaning that a small change in the inputs will result in large different outputs. If this is applied in an organization, it will be hard to predict organizational behavior.
Regarding fractals, similar simple patterns can be repeated at various observation levels, thus forming an intricate object. Wheatley claimed that an intricate web of behavior existing in an organization is also as a result of patterns repeated in various parts of the whole. Wheatley considered this as a culture of an organization that can be shaped through intent and values, expectations of purpose, and freedom for responsible personnel (Wheatley, 2011).
I have managed to work in various organizations for over 30 years, and throughout the years, I observed the behavior of people providing inkling associated with non-linear dynamics in the organizations. For instance, I saw each participant taking part in training programs working alone, and they were hiding their activities from each other. This proves that turfing is a reality in various organizations. In addition, during the meetings, managers had a habit of stonewalling and figuratively shoring up, ready to defend themselves from the attacks of the CEO.
Analysis of Business Realities relative to Wheatley's leadership best practices
In the real world, businesses are characterized by obedience and efficiency, and they are managed by bureaucracy. Companies are filled with people who follow instructions from their managers and supervisors (Bateman & Snell, 2007). They depend on standard procedures in every situation, even in chaotic situations (Tetenbaum & Laurence, 2011). In the real world, organizations, people, and the world itself are considered as machines, and they can organize many systems to operate like clockwork. The leaders' responsibility is to create control and stability, and without human intervention, the order will be lost. Consequently, it is assumed that people are not creative, dull, need to be managed, and trained to improve their skills.
In the real world, people learn how to cope with chaos, and develop behavior and strategies that will reduce chaos (Tetenbaum & Laurence, 2011). The world organizes itself without control and command or charisma. When individuals recognize a common interest, they come together and determine how they can make things happen. Self-organizing facilitates creativity and leads to results, robust, and adaptive systems. In the real world, the building blocks of life are not individuals, but relationships (Schöll & Hövel, 2016). Nothing succeeds on its own or has a fixed identity. This supports Wheatley's idea of self-organizing systems and quantum physics. From the two concepts, Wheatley tries to talk about how relationships between elements that help in responding to the changing environment.
Conclusion
Wheatley's book is explanatory, and it provides the framework of how new science can be connected with organizations, change, and leadership. Wheatley uses concepts such as Quantum Physics, Self-organizing Systems, and Chaos Theory to explain how science can be used in organizations to improve productivity. Wheatley claims that because science has changed, individuals need to change too in order to manage organizations effectively. In the real world, people learn how to deal with chaos by developing behaviors and strategies that will reduce chaos. Also, the world organizes itself without control and command or charisma, which proves that science is being applied in contemporary organizations.
References
Bateman, T. S., & Snell, S. A. (2007). Management: Leading & Collaborating in a Competitive World (7th ed.). New York, New York, U.S.A.: McGraw-Hill Irwin.
Schöll, E. K., & Hövel, P. (. (2016). Control of self-organizing nonlinear systems. Springer International Publishing.
Tetenbaum, T., & Laurence, H. (2011). Leading in the chaos of the 21st century. Journal of Leadership Studies, 4(4), 41-49.
Wheatley, M. (2011). Leadership and the new science: Discovering order in a chaotic world. ReadHowYouWant. com.
