If we needed a reminder that the world is complex and in constant motion, then 2020 certainly delivered. Suddenly, the inherent uncertainties and ambiguities of leadership were starkly revealed for all to see as the dynamics of complexity and change played out intensively, and very publicly, on the global stage. Leadership in Complexity and Change draws on complexity science to paint a picture of a world in constant motion, where leadership is enacted in the midst of complexity and continuous change. We must learn to engage with complexity. If not now, when? Part I of this insightful book brings complexity science to life by considering the practical challenges of complexity and its implications for leadership. Part II considers how leaders can reinvigorate existing tools and approaches with a new mindset, before offering some new tools and practices for learning informed leadership. Part III concludes by considering the person in the practice of leadership in complexity and change. Key ideas are presented through mini-cases and practical examples embedded throughout the book. This book will help executives, managers, and professionals recognise where some of the challenges come from understand why those challenges persist engage with the dynamic patterning of organisational life appreciate the scope for leadership recognise the choices that can be made choose how to manage themselves Events around the bookLink to a De Gruyter Online Event in which the author Sharon Varney together with Jean Boulton, Leading authority on complexity theory and its implications for the social world, and Ian Rodwell, Head of Client Knowledge and Learning at Linklaters LLP, discuss what it means to be an effective leader in an uncertain world and that one should develop the ability to keep an eye on the emerging future:https://youtu.be/vSi732fdqbc

Ethical leadership does not simply emerge from a code of conduct, a good school, or a host of good intentions. It is an individual choice, or rather a series of choices that emerges from the complex interaction of personal values with social imperatives. This book explores how and why some people become ethical leaders in morally challenging and complex social environments. In Ethical Leadership, Aidan McQuade provides insight into the concept of human agency – the individual’s choice of a course of action in response to the options posed by that individual’s engagement with the social world. He puts forth a new model of human agency – the "cruciform of agency" – which recognises that the potential range of individual action emerges from the nature of the resonance that social options strike with personal thoughts. Every action adds to the individual’s personal biography in ways that influence subsequent choices by confirming or changing personal values and hopes, hence influencing the way the individual subsequently thinks about the world. In explaining the potential and limits of human agency for ethical leadership, the book establishes a basis for executives, policy makers and academics to conceptualise and develop more robust and realistic approaches for the mitigation of some of the most pressing moral issues facing humanity today. These include the inter-related challenges of modern slavery and global warming, which pose such critical threats to the Earth itself. In this book McQuade not only sets an agenda for action but empowers individual leaders to find the moral courage to better advance human rights and preserve the environment even when such action requires unpopular choices. Events around the book Link to a De Gruyter Online Event in which the author and independent human rights consultant Aidan McQuade together with Bernd Vogel, Director of the Henley Centre for Leadership at Henley Business School, Joanne Murphy, Director of Research & Co-Director of the Centre for Leadership, Ethics & Organisation at Queen’s Management School; Ambassador Luis C. deBaca, Professor from Practice, University of Michigan Law School discuss topics such as: what potentially deters leaders from making ethical decisions; what can they draw upon both internally and externally to do the right thing when doing so may be unpopular; how, in the light of fake news, can leaders communicate ethically; and much more:https://youtu.be/EYAAGiCX4cI

Shortlisted in the Leadership category at the Business Book Awards in partnership with Pathway Group 2024 Longlisted for the CMI Management Publication of the Year 2024 Finalist in the Leadership - Think Differently category of the Goody Business Book Awards 2023 Experts increasingly recognise that our volatile, complex, and fragile world requires a new type of leadership. More than ever, we need leaders who understand how compassion connects them with their employees, stakeholders and wider communities. Yet compassion in organisations is often misunderstood, with many leaders reluctant to embrace it lest they appear weak. Compassionate Leadership draws on new and established research in psychology, behavioural science, neuropsychology and leadership theory to show that compassion, when correctly understood and applied is, in fact, a formidable and sustainable force for positive leadership. This book explores the common myths, pitfalls, and concerns about leading with a compassionate approach. It discusses the leadership, organisational and individual benefits of compassion and shows how leaders can design an organisation which establishes, then reinforces, a compassionate culture. A practical guide, this book provides evidence-based tools, appraisals, and frameworks which emphasise everyday applications that leaders, managers, and business students can adopt both individually and for their organisations. Compassionate Leadership presents a new model of compassion, an approach based on multidisciplinary research in a variety of organisational settings. It gives leaders a theoretical and practical underpinning they can use for deeper reflection and personal growth to turn their new-found knowledge into action.

Leaderly acts and practices from unexpected places are often overlooked and yet have remarkable power. These spontaneous acts are in sharp contrast to those of formal leaders in governments and leading corporations. Global events like the Covid-19 pandemic and the climate crisis light up these differences. This book delves deeper, exploring these leaderly acts and practices more fully and beyond extraordinary events. The authors describe these as "unleadership", a term defined in this book as a set of acts and practices that are undertaken in a spirit of spontaneity and generosity for social good. Four dimensions of unleadership are identified in this book: paying it forward, living with the unknown, catching the wave, and confident connecting and collaborating. Unleadership exposes the potential that is unleashed when members of the community discover their own power to act and reclaim what they have delegated to their leaders. Based on extensive research, the authors highlight the flourishing of alternative forms of leading that encourage rethinking ideas of leadership and followership. They provide practical guidance to organisations and practitioners for enriching their leaderly capacity and cultivating unleadership practices to co-exist with and complement leadership practices. Unleadership is an invaluable resource for leaders and managers in public and private organisations as well as students of leadership and organisational development.

One of the most significant management challenges in modern companies and organizations is dealing with unavoidable, complex paradoxes. Today’s world is multidimensional, multipolar, and multipurpose, and increasingly, classic management challenges such as leadership vs. management; exploitation vs. exploration, virtual vs. physical presence, economic sustainability vs. environmental sustainability, localization vs. globalization, etc. assume the characteristics of paradoxes rather than problems or dilemmas. Leadership of paradox is not about making a decision once and for all or prioritizing tough trade-offs, but about navigating between opposing considerations. Navigating Leadership Paradox argues that academic knowledge pools can support leaders’ decision-making and sense-making in organizations and navigating paradoxes. The book outlines a practical pathway for management leaders and professionals for steering through paradox using 5 phases, 10 paradoxes, 15 tools, 20 cases, and 25 learning points. It delineates how to identify a paradox by assessing the nature of your challenge and discusses the appropriate courses of action individually as well in collaboration with other stakeholders. It also gives inspiration and advice for professional helpers assisting others in navigating paradox as part of organizational development or other educational purposes. This book will be essential reading for practitioners and academicians in the fields of leadership paradox, complexity management, change management, leadership dilemmas and organizational paradox.

Master complex problems and face radical uncertainty by unleashing the power of small data　 Is your business using data to its optimum potential? In complicated well-structured problem situations, executives rely on Big Data. However, when faced with complexity and uncertainty they are challenged to skillfully handle Small Data. Leading by Weak Signals argues that impending dangers, new business opportunities or innovative ideas may be missed when data are classified as simply not "big enough."　　 This insightful book with its new approach initiates a radical shift in perspective from running the business to changing the business. While Big Data are very well suited to run a business efficiently, Small Data lay open phenomena which are connected to transforming a company, like inflection points, scale changes, or critical transitions.　 The authors present practical business examples and an 8-step framework to implement their ideas in teams and on the individual level. This offers reflective practitioners a guideline for leveraging the enormous potential of weak signals for effective strategy development and operational execution in times of uncertainty – and gives them the competitive edge they need to succeed.

Finalist in the Leadership: Motivation category of the Goody Business Book Awards 2025We are living longer and often healthier lives than ever before in history. Shouldn’t our work lives adapt to this new era of longevity? By introducing a sustainable personal leadership development approach that is fit for purpose in this era, Personal Leadership in the Age of No Retirement addresses the inevitable shift in societal attitudes towards work, health, wellbeing, and expectations around retirement and helps individuals to effectively navigate the coming years of their lives.The book provides a model that is flexible, inclusive, and individualised. The authors, experts in organisational psychology and management, emphasise the need for recalibration of personal leadership goals and actions for sustainable and fulfilling working lives.The book’s scientific research insights combined with the relatable examples and practical exercises will help mid-career business executives, professionals, and the general reader reflect on their career journey to date and adapt their personal developmental needs in light of new aspirations and realities so they can plan purposeful and meaningful actions to unlock the next chapter successfully.

If we needed a reminder that the world is complex and in constant motion, then 2020 certainly delivered. Suddenly, the inherent uncertainties and ambiguities of leadership were starkly revealed for all to see as the dynamics of complexity and change played out intensively, and very publicly, on the global stage. Leadership in Complexity and Change draws on complexity science to paint a picture of a world in constant motion, where leadership is enacted in the midst of complexity and continuous change. We must learn to engage with complexity. If not now, when? Part I of this insightful book brings complexity science to life by considering the practical challenges of complexity and its implications for leadership. Part II considers how leaders can reinvigorate existing tools and approaches with a new mindset, before offering some new tools and practices for learning informed leadership. Part III concludes by considering the person in the practice of leadership in complexity and change. Key ideas are presented through mini-cases and practical examples embedded throughout the book. This book will help executives, managers, and professionals recognise where some of the challenges come from understand why those challenges persist engage with the dynamic patterning of organisational life appreciate the scope for leadership recognise the choices that can be made choose how to manage themselves Events around the bookLink to a De Gruyter Online Event in which the author Sharon Varney together with Jean Boulton, Leading authority on complexity theory and its implications for the social world, and Ian Rodwell, Head of Client Knowledge and Learning at Linklaters LLP, discuss what it means to be an effective leader in an uncertain world and that one should develop the ability to keep an eye on the emerging future:https://youtu.be/vSi732fdqbc

Ethical leadership does not simply emerge from a code of conduct, a good school, or a host of good intentions. It is an individual choice, or rather a series of choices that emerges from the complex interaction of personal values with social imperatives. This book explores how and why some people become ethical leaders in morally challenging and complex social environments. In Ethical Leadership, Aidan McQuade provides insight into the concept of human agency – the individual’s choice of a course of action in response to the options posed by that individual’s engagement with the social world. He puts forth a new model of human agency – the "cruciform of agency" – which recognises that the potential range of individual action emerges from the nature of the resonance that social options strike with personal thoughts. Every action adds to the individual’s personal biography in ways that influence subsequent choices by confirming or changing personal values and hopes, hence influencing the way the individual subsequently thinks about the world. In explaining the potential and limits of human agency for ethical leadership, the book establishes a basis for executives, policy makers and academics to conceptualise and develop more robust and realistic approaches for the mitigation of some of the most pressing moral issues facing humanity today. These include the inter-related challenges of modern slavery and global warming, which pose such critical threats to the Earth itself. In this book McQuade not only sets an agenda for action but empowers individual leaders to find the moral courage to better advance human rights and preserve the environment even when such action requires unpopular choices. Events around the book Link to a De Gruyter Online Event in which the author and independent human rights consultant Aidan McQuade together with Bernd Vogel, Director of the Henley Centre for Leadership at Henley Business School, Joanne Murphy, Director of Research & Co-Director of the Centre for Leadership, Ethics & Organisation at Queen’s Management School; Ambassador Luis C. deBaca, Professor from Practice, University of Michigan Law School discuss topics such as: what potentially deters leaders from making ethical decisions; what can they draw upon both internally and externally to do the right thing when doing so may be unpopular; how, in the light of fake news, can leaders communicate ethically; and much more:https://youtu.be/EYAAGiCX4cI

Shortlisted in the Leadership category at the Business Book Awards in partnership with Pathway Group 2024 Longlisted for the CMI Management Publication of the Year 2024 Finalist in the Leadership - Think Differently category of the Goody Business Book Awards 2023 Experts increasingly recognise that our volatile, complex, and fragile world requires a new type of leadership. More than ever, we need leaders who understand how compassion connects them with their employees, stakeholders and wider communities. Yet compassion in organisations is often misunderstood, with many leaders reluctant to embrace it lest they appear weak. Compassionate Leadership draws on new and established research in psychology, behavioural science, neuropsychology and leadership theory to show that compassion, when correctly understood and applied is, in fact, a formidable and sustainable force for positive leadership. This book explores the common myths, pitfalls, and concerns about leading with a compassionate approach. It discusses the leadership, organisational and individual benefits of compassion and shows how leaders can design an organisation which establishes, then reinforces, a compassionate culture. A practical guide, this book provides evidence-based tools, appraisals, and frameworks which emphasise everyday applications that leaders, managers, and business students can adopt both individually and for their organisations. Compassionate Leadership presents a new model of compassion, an approach based on multidisciplinary research in a variety of organisational settings. It gives leaders a theoretical and practical underpinning they can use for deeper reflection and personal growth to turn their new-found knowledge into action.

Leaderly acts and practices from unexpected places are often overlooked and yet have remarkable power. These spontaneous acts are in sharp contrast to those of formal leaders in governments and leading corporations. Global events like the Covid-19 pandemic and the climate crisis light up these differences. This book delves deeper, exploring these leaderly acts and practices more fully and beyond extraordinary events. The authors describe these as "unleadership", a term defined in this book as a set of acts and practices that are undertaken in a spirit of spontaneity and generosity for social good. Four dimensions of unleadership are identified in this book: paying it forward, living with the unknown, catching the wave, and confident connecting and collaborating. Unleadership exposes the potential that is unleashed when members of the community discover their own power to act and reclaim what they have delegated to their leaders. Based on extensive research, the authors highlight the flourishing of alternative forms of leading that encourage rethinking ideas of leadership and followership. They provide practical guidance to organisations and practitioners for enriching their leaderly capacity and cultivating unleadership practices to co-exist with and complement leadership practices. Unleadership is an invaluable resource for leaders and managers in public and private organisations as well as students of leadership and organisational development.

One of the most significant management challenges in modern companies and organizations is dealing with unavoidable, complex paradoxes. Today’s world is multidimensional, multipolar, and multipurpose, and increasingly, classic management challenges such as leadership vs. management; exploitation vs. exploration, virtual vs. physical presence, economic sustainability vs. environmental sustainability, localization vs. globalization, etc. assume the characteristics of paradoxes rather than problems or dilemmas. Leadership of paradox is not about making a decision once and for all or prioritizing tough trade-offs, but about navigating between opposing considerations. Navigating Leadership Paradox argues that academic knowledge pools can support leaders’ decision-making and sense-making in organizations and navigating paradoxes. The book outlines a practical pathway for management leaders and professionals for steering through paradox using 5 phases, 10 paradoxes, 15 tools, 20 cases, and 25 learning points. It delineates how to identify a paradox by assessing the nature of your challenge and discusses the appropriate courses of action individually as well in collaboration with other stakeholders. It also gives inspiration and advice for professional helpers assisting others in navigating paradox as part of organizational development or other educational purposes. This book will be essential reading for practitioners and academicians in the fields of leadership paradox, complexity management, change management, leadership dilemmas and organizational paradox.

Master complex problems and face radical uncertainty by unleashing the power of small data　 Is your business using data to its optimum potential? In complicated well-structured problem situations, executives rely on Big Data. However, when faced with complexity and uncertainty they are challenged to skillfully handle Small Data. Leading by Weak Signals argues that impending dangers, new business opportunities or innovative ideas may be missed when data are classified as simply not "big enough."　　 This insightful book with its new approach initiates a radical shift in perspective from running the business to changing the business. While Big Data are very well suited to run a business efficiently, Small Data lay open phenomena which are connected to transforming a company, like inflection points, scale changes, or critical transitions.　 The authors present practical business examples and an 8-step framework to implement their ideas in teams and on the individual level. This offers reflective practitioners a guideline for leveraging the enormous potential of weak signals for effective strategy development and operational execution in times of uncertainty – and gives them the competitive edge they need to succeed.

Finalist in the Leadership: Motivation category of the Goody Business Book Awards 2025We are living longer and often healthier lives than ever before in history. Shouldn’t our work lives adapt to this new era of longevity? By introducing a sustainable personal leadership development approach that is fit for purpose in this era, Personal Leadership in the Age of No Retirement addresses the inevitable shift in societal attitudes towards work, health, wellbeing, and expectations around retirement and helps individuals to effectively navigate the coming years of their lives.The book provides a model that is flexible, inclusive, and individualised. The authors, experts in organisational psychology and management, emphasise the need for recalibration of personal leadership goals and actions for sustainable and fulfilling working lives.The book’s scientific research insights combined with the relatable examples and practical exercises will help mid-career business executives, professionals, and the general reader reflect on their career journey to date and adapt their personal developmental needs in light of new aspirations and realities so they can plan purposeful and meaningful actions to unlock the next chapter successfully.