Looking at Leadership Through Complexity

Leading knowledge-based companies is different from leading industrial-based companies (Uhl-Bien & Marion, 2008). The authors noted "complexity leadership theory, a leadership paradigm that focuses on enabling the learning, creative, and adaptive capacity of complex adaptive systems (CAS) within a context of knowledge producing organizations" (pp. 185-186). The perspective from knowledge-based organizations is different from the industrial paradigm as complexity leadership is concerned with organizational outcomes. These outcomes, are learning, innovation, and adaptation, while industrial-based organizations are more focused on outcomes that provide physical production of products or services.

Post an explanation of how you might lead or manage using complexity theory in an era of accelerating change and increasing competition. Then, explain the benefits and challenges of leading using complexity theory.