Leadership and the New Science: Discovering Order in a Chaotic World Revised

by Margaret J. Wheatley

Book Overview

The new edition of the bestselling, acclaimed, and influential guide to applying the new science to organizations and management. In this new edition, Margaret Wheatley describes how the new science... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1576751198
• ISBN13: 9781576751190
• Release Date: January 2001
• Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
• Length: 216 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 7.5" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Shocking and motivating

In this brilliant book, Margaret J. Weathley brings parallels between the theory of leadership and the quantum physics. Being an organizational consultant, not the physical by herself, she encourages "to stop seeking after the universe of the seventeenth century and begin to explore what has become known to us during the twentieth century".She exposes the bright conclusions from her experience of working as a consultant, and these conclusions are confirmed by quantum physics as well:- The things we fear most in organizations - disruptions, confusion, chaos - need not be interpreted as signs that we are about to be destroyed. Instead, these conditions are necessary to awaken creativity. - What is critical is the relationship created between two or more elements. Systems influence individuals, and individuals call form systems.- There is no objective reality; the environment we experience does not exist "out there". It is co-created through our acts of observation, what we choose to notice and worry about.- Acting should precede planning.- Instead of the ability to analyze and predict, we need to know how to stay acutely aware of what's happening now, and we need to be better, faster learners from what just happened.- We need fewer descriptions of tasks and instead learn how to facilitate process.- Power becomes a problem, not a capacity. People use their creativity to work against these leaders, or in spite of them; they refuse to contribute positively to the organization.- Those who have used music metaphors to describe working together, especially jazz metaphors, are sensing to the nature of this quantum world. This world demands that we be present together, and be willing to improvise.- If a manager is told that a new trainee is particularly gifted, that manager will see genius emerging from the trainee's mouth even in obscure statements. But if the manager is told that his or her new hire is a bit slow on the uptake, the manager will interpret a brilliant idea as a sure sign of sloppy thinking of obfuscation.- In quantum world, what you see is what you get.- Every time we go to measure something, we interfere.- A place where the act of looking for certain information evokes the information we went looking for - and simultaneously eliminates our opportunity to observe other information.- Every observation is preceded by a choice about what to observer.- We all construct the world though lenses of our own making and use these to filter and select.- It simply doesn't work to ask people to sign on when they haven't been involved in the planning process.- Roles mean nothing without understanding the network of relationships and the resources that are required to support the work of that person. In this relational world, it is foolish to think we can define any person solely in terms of isolated tasks and accountabilities.- What is distinguishable and important, he says, are the kinds of connections. - Our old views constrain us. They deprive us fr

What a find!

Executive Summary for the Leadership and the New Science Presentation Margaret Wheatley opens up a whole new world of thought in her book Leadership and the New Science. She brings about a revolutionary way of thinking about organizations by relating scientific discoveries to organizational behavior. She abandons 17th century Newtonian mindsets to embrace a more holistic and organic view of the world. This book can help give you the tools to successfully navigate the rough waters of rapid change in organizations; you find yourself welcoming change rather than fearing it. A must read for anyone that aspires to succeed and values personal growth.She touches scientific breakthroughs in the areas of quantum physics, chemistry, and biology. Other topics that are covered include chaos theory and change. She uses discoveries in quantum physics to explain that the universe is interconnected and relies on an infinite series of relationships. Biology and chemistry discoveries are used as metaphors to explain that disequilibrium and change are requirements for systems to grow and survive in our ever-changing universe. Chaos theory is used to explain that chaos is needed to create new order. She explains that stability is never guaranteed and should not be desired. Fractals are used as metaphors to explain these concepts.

6 stars if they were available

This may not be the book for everybody. It (like Meg's other) evokes the poetry of science (not the oxymoron one might think) that provokes rather than prescribes.This is not for those pining for the next Martha (Stewart) of linear wisdom. It is for those bold enough to apply new frames to the emerging business landscape.I have required and will continue to require this read to MBA students who want to succeed in a world that at best makes no sense, but must be navigated for its quantum possibilities nevertheless.

A superb new direction in thinking about organizations

I noticed that the other reviewers make much about Wheatley's comments about quantum mechanics vis-a-vis management, but little about her much more relevant comparisons to chaotic behavior. Chaos requires basically two things- at least three variables and a process of feedback. I guarantee that both conditions are met in business. She has hit the mark about why things go wrong in the way they do, despite (or perhaps because of) what managers do to try to prevent them.Some readers have stressed the lack of concrete directions in the book, but that is really much of the point- you CAN'T strategize directly for chaos. You can only set up organizations that are robust enough to grow and change and survive when the chaos comes. One of the most enlightening books I have read in years.

A Book of the Organizational Context of the Next Milenium

The new change in millennium which we will soon be experiencing, will be with out a doubt an era of organizational transition that will break with established ways of thinking and behavior with in the organization. This change will mark the end of the "mecanisista" way of thinking and the arrival of the new organization. Margareth Wheatley in her book "Leadership and the new science" offers new ways to perceive the new organizational dimensions that we might have imagined but have not reflected enough upon them. Ms. Wheatley is with out a doubt a pioneer of the XXI century's organization who help us to experience these little known dimensions in the context of the new organization. This fast pace book has short but profound descriptions of the transcendental stages that science has gone through in the XXth Century. It describes how the principles of Quantum Theory, Cybernetics, and Chaos Theory among others have secure a place in the new organizational context. It does not try to create a new truth but provide new adequate models to interpret our new reality. There are no magic formulas in this book to focus on the customer, or reduce costs or even know how for continuos improvements. This book however will provide the spark for deep reflection on the basics for the new organization. It is about the new rules to play in a rapid changing environment through "administracion inteligente", that develops in a nonlinear world. It is about the communication that must take place internally between all relevant parties to adapt to the ever changing requirements of the business climate. A business climate that is ever more competitive and that --- changes the rules of the natural selection at a faster pace. Wheatly talks about living organizations capable of self-direct when they are free from the excessive controls that tight them. This new vision of the future organization underlines the importance of the focused participation of every part of the organization. Only then will it be able to exec