Leadership and the New Science Discovering Order in a Chaotic World - Book Report/Review Example

Leadership and the New Science Discovering Order in a Chaotic World Seeking to define organizations ultimately breaks down to attempting to understand human behavior in groups. Due to the fact that human behavior is oftentimes unpredictable and can be motivated by a host of different factors, seeking to apply rigid and scientific means of analysis and understanding to organizational behavior is oftentimes fruitless. As compared to scientific management theories that were generated during the era of industrialization and mass production, the current era has been informed by a litany of different philosophers and scholars that have sought to differentiate and point to the key nuances of human behavior. Margaret J Wheatley, an American writer and consultant, is often considered as a preeminent scholar in current organizational behavior and theory. As such, the following analysis will serve as a book review and analytical observation of some of the key theories put forward by Margaret J. Wheatley in her book, Leadership and the New Science Discovering Order in a Chaotic World. Before delving directly into the information that Wheatley puts forward in her book, it would be beneficial to understand the early background and influences that promoted her integration with the subject matter. Wheatley grew up in a family that prized education and scholarship to a very high degree; as such, it is not surprising that Wheatley engaged in her studies with a vigor and interest that captured the notice of her teachers, instructors, and professors. Ultimately, growing up in and around the Boston area led Wheatley to an integration and interpretation of a great many world views that she might not have had elsewhere in the United States. The multicultural atmosphere spurred her interest in the way that organizations worked and the means by which different interests could be managed. As a result of this interest, she began to pursue a course of study that was steeped in the liberal arts. As a direct result of her interest in organizations and impacting a positive influence on the world, Wheatley joined the Peace Corps and travelled to Korea to teach high school English. Upon the completion of her graduate studies and her tour in the Peace Corps, Wheatley was better endowed to write about organizational behavior and understand its key components than most of the subject matter experts that had spent many years in the field already. Like many scholars, Wheatley cannot necessarily be named the creator of an entirely new school of thought. Rather, her greatest achievement is presenting stakeholders, both in the academic and professional communities, a greater and more complete understanding of how previous theories can and should relate to the practice of organizational behavior and management. Although some of the ideas that she has put forward are seemingly constrained to operate only within a specific field, Wheatley is able to appropriately apply them to organizational behavior and management in a way that broadens the means by which they might traditionally be understood. To utilize her own words, Wheatley describes her work and the promotion of these theories as a type of opposition to controlled and mechanistic systems (Darso, 2008). In such a manner, the reader can come to the appreciation of the fact that she completely promotes a more fluid and dynamic theoretical interpretation of how organizations and interpersonal behavior impacts upon future decision-making. Accordingly, the following analysis will discuss and leverage four particular approaches to organizational behavior that Wheatley spends a great deal of time emphasizing. These are as follows: the application of chaos theory to organizational behavior, the means by which learning in an organization is vitally important, the importance of systems theory to explain organizational behavior, and the overall capacity that self organization place in determining the future goals and realities that any collective group of individuals will realize. Firstly, chaos theory is primarily a theory that has been utilized within the field of mathematics. In brief, chaos theory seeks to understand the behavior of systems that are highly sensitive to initial conditions; and thereby reflect future determinacy based upon these initial conditions. Oftentimes, the term “butterfly effect” is used to describe the means by these initial determinants have an impact upon current and future action and reaction. Although primarily used within physics, mathematics, and biology, this particular approach is also extraordinarily useful in understanding and determining the means by which organizational behavior takes place. As Wheatley defines, an organization is not in and of itself a closed system (Madson & Hammond, 2005). Although it may be convenient to assume that once an organization has taken a new course of action, the initial determinants which prompted it into a new course of action are somehow not felt anymore, the fact of the matter is that these determinants continue to be of vital importance. In short, the view and understanding of organizational behavior that Wheatley promotes seeks to emphasize the way in which minute aspects of programs or approaches can continue to have a lasting and impact for relationships that impact upon the way in which the future unfolds (Katz, 1997). As Wheatley promotes, this relationship is all too often forgotten by the firm/entity/organization in question and only current determinants of success or failure are measured. In such a way, Wheatley emphasizes that chaos theory can appropriately be applied to organizational behavior due to the fact that it often allows the entity in question to analyze a situation for the sum of its component parts; rather than merely seeing the situation as the tip of the iceberg. Another level of emphasis that Wheatley promotes within her work has to do with what she terms as the importance of learning within an organization. All too often, stakeholders within the organization are expected to learn via mechanisms of continuing education and/or training. However, there is oftentimes not enough focus placed upon the need for the organization itself to learn from past failures. This is not only an aspect that can be utilized to promote further profitability or efficiency. Depending on what particular service or product the organization seeks to promote, it is also something that has a profound impact in determining the viability of the particular organization/entity in question (Schuyler & Wheatley, 2012). This particular need for organizational learning is something that goes hand in glove with effective leadership at all levels. Whereas it can be promoted via a top-down structure of dynamic leadership, the overall level to which it is likely to succeed is limited. Instead, a far better approach, as Wheatley promotes, is a situation by which management is continually seeking to promote the need for organizational learning (Peers, 2011). By being aware of this approach, Wheatley argues that the manager can seek to affect a type of training and awareness/synergy that will promote the needs of the individual as well as the needs of the entity/organization in question. Moreover, Wheatley also works to integrate a continual and perpetual level of understanding of the means by which systems theory can be appreciated in defining interactional behavior within an organization. In keeping with the reality that so many factors impact upon the organization or entity, Wheatley promotes systems thinking as a means of understanding how each of these nuanced factors acts as something of its own miniature determinacy (Wheatley, 2006). Although it might be convenient to assume that the net effect of internal and external factors should be approached in the same manner, Wheatley promotes the idea that each of these determinates acts in a different way. In each different entity or organization as well as at different times, key approaches should be utilized (Schieffer, 2003). In short, this is just one more manner by which factors outside of the norm can impact upon the way in which organizational and behavioral patterns emerge and are developed, and reinforced within the organization. Of all of this theories that are promoted and put forward by Wheatley to be engaged in order for effective organizational behavior to result, perhaps the most important is what Wheatley refers to as “self organization” (Wheatley, 2013). Whereas management theorists and philosophers of behavior have oftentimes incorrectly asserted that organization in any way shape or form must be affected by a prominent actor, or group of actors, Wheatley promotes the understanding that this “self organization” is something that is innate to all individuals and is represented in a variety of different forms when the confluence of ideals, personalities, and missions collide. Within such a manner, the reader can come to the appreciation of the fact that this “self organization” exists by human nature and is not dependent upon a level of training or the integration of a unique level of factors within the organization. As has been stated previously, Wheatley does not add any of her own theories to the application of behavioral organization or the means by which it should be affected. Instead, her nuanced approach is merely a means by which the individual can leverage many of the theories that have come to a level of prominence over the past several years (Steinberger, 1995). This is a process that differs from individual to individual and from organization to organization. In such a way, the reader can come to the clear understanding that Wheatley promotes an alternative level of integration with organization and management; as has been heavily promoted throughout the past several decades. Moreover, one of the most important aspects of the theories and approaches championed by Wheatley is the fact that they are invariably several years, if not decades ahead, of what the norm in business or sociological studies has integrated. Likewise, it is easy to view Wheatley and her work in a visionary type role. Whereas it is true that she has not created any new theories that have helped to redefine the way in which academia is carried out, the re-analysis and integration of existing theories has prompted many within the field to regard her with a very high level of esteem and seek to integrate her works into course curriculum so that her salient perspectives might be passed on to subsequent generations of professionals. References Darsø, L. (2008). Interview with Margaret Wheatley—7 September 2008. Journal Of Management & Organization, 14(5), 482-485. Katz, R. N. (1997). Higher Education and the Forces of Self-Organization: An Interview with Margaret Wheatley. Cause/Effect, 20(1), 18-21. Madsen, S. R., & Hammond, S. C. (2005). "Where Have All the Leaders Gone?": An Interview With Margaret J. Wheatley on Life-Affirming Leadership. Journal Of Management Inquiry, 14(1), 71-77. doi:10.1177/1056492604273731 Peers, G. (2001). Through a New Lens: A Talk with Margaret J. Wheatley. Leadership in Action, 21(5), 8-11. Schieffer, A. (2003). The Essence of Leadership and the Power of Networks: An Interview with Margaret Wheatley. Reflections, 4(4), 69-71. doi:10.1162/152417303322004238 Schuyler, K., & Wheatley, M. (2012). Ancient wisdom, social science, and the vastness of the human spirit: An interview with Margaret Wheatley. In K. Schuyler (Ed.) , Inner peace — Global impact: Tibetan Buddhism, leadership, and work (pp. 329-341). Charlotte, NC US: IAP Information Age Publishing. Steinberger, E. (1995). Margaret Wheatley on Leadership for Change. School Administrator, 52(1), 16-20. Wheatley, M. (2013). Servant Leaders. Leadership Excellence, 30(5), 12. Wheatley, M. (2006). Leadership and the new science discovering order in a chaotic world. San Francisco, Calif: Berrett-Koehler. Read More