Organizations as complex adaptive systems: Implications of Complexity Theory for leadership research

This article contrasts the assumptions of General Systems Theory, the framework for much prior leadership research, with those of Complexity Theory, to further develop the latter's implications for the definition of leadership and the leadership process. We propose that leadership in a Complex Adaptive System (CAS) may affect the organization indirectly, through the mediating variables of organizational identity and social movements. A rudimentary model of leadership in a CAS is presented. We then outline two non-linear methodologies, dynamic systems simulation and artificial neural networks, as appropriate to enable development and testing of a model leadership under the assumptions of Complexity Theory.