Systems Leadership: Creating Positive Organisations

by Macdonald,Ian

• ISBN13: 9780566087004
• ISBN10: 0566087006
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2016-04-07
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

This book is primarily concerned with how people come together to achieve a productive purpose. Human survival has always depended upon our ability to form and sustain social organisations. People have a deep need to be creative and to belong. By creating positive organisations we can fulfil these needs and build a worthwhile society.Such organisations do not occur by chance; a positive organisation is created by the hard work of leaders and members and influenced by the way the organisation is designed, especially its systems. All this needs to be based on an understanding of sound, general principles of behaviour.This book outlines that work; how to build a positive organisation in terms of general principles and practical examples. Understanding and applying this work requires discipline (not dogma) and creativity. The authors show the significant positive results that can be achieved and detail a range of case studies. Unlike some books which are based on goals, objectives or visions this book concentrates on how this can be achieved. The authors observed and engaged with what good leaders and members actually do and have endeavoured to distil the essence of productive relationships based on core, human values.This work has been applied in businesses, social service agencies, hospitals, city governments, national governments, armies, churches, public utilities, indigenous communities, schools and other unique organisations. It is intended to help leaders create more humane and productive organisations that can both meet their objectives and improve the human condition. It does so by presenting a coherent theory exemplified by numerous cases and practical experience. As more than one leader has commented, "this stuff actually works".

Table of Contents

Preface and acknowledgments

Systems leadership: what use is theory?

Principles

Introduction

What is work?

Human capacity

Meritocracy

Associations and employment hierarchies

The work of the board

Leadership, power and authority

Levels of work

The work of leadership: creating a culture

Leadership, policy and systems

Task formulation and assignment

Authorities and role relationships

Key systems

Teams and teamwork

The process of successful change - how it is achieved

SSA

How to design systems

Creating high performance teams

Core social process skills for leaders

What difference has this made?

Implementation - discipline or dogma

Who is there to guard the guards?

Complementary theories and practices

Book conclusion

References

Figures from systems leadership

Case studies

Index

Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.