Chapter 6: Dispelling The Myths About Leadership: From Cybernetics to Emergence

Conventional views of leadership are based on the assumption that the world is knowable and that effective leaders can rely on planning and control mechanisms to bring about desired organizational futures. However, complexity science suggests that the world is not knowable, that systems are not predictable and that living systems cannot be forced to follow a linear path. We argue that conventional views of leadership have a cybernetics focus, that is, leaders are the regulators who control organizational behavior in order to achieve intended results. Based on the characteristics of complex adaptive systems we present an emergent view of leadership that dispels the following myths: leaders specify desired futures; leaders direct change; leaders eliminate disorder and the gap between intentions and reality; and leaders influence others to enact desired futures. The implications of emergent leadership for how organizational scientists consider the topics of conflict, information, teams, change, language, and relationships are discussed.