Leadership
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The profound and often times contradicting relationship of leadership and management is a pressing matter that has been examined significantly within the field of organizational leadership and management. In order to fully understand each concept, one must first identify what makes them similar and what sets them apart. One must also bring to light the contributing factors that affect the dynamics of both leadership and management. When these differences and similarities are portrayed in a manner that can be understood, then a basic foundation is formed to grasp the new science theory concepts.
New science, as introduced in Leadership and the New Science by Margaret J. Wheatley (2006) suggests that nature serves up an abundant resource of examples on how human beings and organizations need both order and chaos to exist. Wheatley (2006) suggests that organizations lack faith to accomplish purpose from within. An organization defends itself from its employees and outside threats, by maintaining a rigid chain of command and policies. Because of this fear many organizations possess, organizations tend to use a management approach focusing on control and measurement, rather than a leadership approach, to operate. They do so to avoid chaos and maintain order. However, the new science approach suggests that to thrive and grow organizations must allow chaos. Wheatley (2006) states, “Chaos has always partnered with order — a concept that contradicts our common definition of chaosHowever, in the realm of chaos, where everything should fall apart, the strange attractor emerges, and we observe order, not chaos.” (p. 117). The world we live in today is fast evolving and if organizations want to thrive, they too need to adapt to the changing environment around them. Chaos is necessary for this change because from the destruction created by chaos, elements for the creation of anything new are generated.
There is a new way