20 Introduction to Systems Leadership

Introduction: Rethinking Agency in Complex Systems

Traditional leadership models have long been dominated by an individual-centric ontology; one that places the leader as a decisive, heroic figure shaping outcomes through force of will, vision, and personal authority. This narrative, embedded in popular culture and mainstream leadership literature, assumes that leadership is fundamentally about the individual’s capacity to control, direct, and impose order on a system. However, when viewed through a systems lens, this assumption begins to unravel.

In complex systems, leadership is not solely about individual influence; rather, it emerges through interactions, relationships, and structural conditions. Agency still matters, but it operates in fundamentally different ways than in the classic command-and-control paradigm. Leaders within complex systems cannot dictate outcomes with certainty, but they can shape the conditions for change, influence system dynamics, and act with an awareness of interdependence. They are not just decision-makers but systems catalysts; figures who navigate complexity by sensing patterns, working with emergence, and leveraging points of intervention.

This section explores what it means to lead in complex systems by critically examining how systems leadership is distinguished in the literature and practice. We begin by locating systems leadership in contrast to dominant leadership paradigms, before examining different conceptualisations of systems agency; asking whether effective systems leaders are more akin to ‘masterminds’ orchestrating change or ‘systems whisperers’ sensing and influencing from within. We then move to an exploration of relational mind, drawing from non-Western epistemologies, including Indigenous knowledge systems, that frame leadership as fundamentally networked, collective, and deeply embedded in the land and community. Finally, we explore systems leadership for global sustainability, considering how leaders work across boundaries to respond to global challenges that defy national and institutional silos.

Throughout, we maintain a critical focus on the nature of agency in systems. While the system itself is our primary unit of analysis, this does not mean leadership dissolves into abstraction. Instead, we ask: In what ways does agency manifest in complex systems? Where do leaders hold influence, and where are they constrained? How can they act with wisdom and ethical responsibility in the face of uncertainty?

These questions will guide our inquiry as we move beyond the strongman and towards a richer, more nuanced understanding of leadership in complex and interdependent systems.