Emerging Leadership Conceptualization: The Complexity Leadership Theory

Abstract

This paper looked at leadership concept from a complexity perspective. Although complexity theory has been attributed to many disciplines but it origin and original concept was first theorized in the physical science disciplines as a theory that tries to understand the complexity of nature as it is known and studied in the scientific world. However, complexity leadership theory (CLT) as it is known in the social science disciplines, especially in the leadership theory scholastic community, was first developed by Uhl-Bien et al. Their intent was to conceptualize a leadership theory that can describe a specific type of leadership style. As such, they conceptualized a theoretical framework, CLT; a theoretical framework that was intended to create a leadership paradigm (style) that will enable agents (humans) to have the ability to create, adapt, learn, and acquire the capacity to contextualize knowledge-based and knowledge producing capability vis-à-vis leadership-based capability. In addition, this paper will also discuss similar and relatable concepts such as CSA and CSAT. CAS is an acronym that means complexity adaptive theory and complexity adaptive system theory (CAST) is an acronym that means CAST. As concepts, these conceptualized system and theory have been described as the emergence of system and theory with capacities that arises through the interactions of the system’s interdependent components (agents).

Keywords: Complexity Leadership Theory; Complex Adaptive System; Complexity Adaptive System Theory; Leadership Concept

Australian Academy of Business and Economics Review, vol 3, issue 4, October 2017, pp 200-206