Leading Through Complexity

Session 1: Welcome and overview of systemic thinking 

In-person session at London Interdisciplinary School, 10.00am–4.00pm  

During this session we will give an overview of systemic thinking and what this means to you in your role and looking at how to approach complexity.  

The session will cover: 

• attention practice: using our whole bodies (not just our cognitive processes) to generate new learning and perspectives to enhance our leadership  

• core interdisciplinary activities 

• an overview of systemic leadership. 

Session 2: Leading beyond our formal authority 

This session will look at what it means to lead beyond formal authority. What’s the distinction between authority and leadership? When we hold formal roles in a system, what does it mean to lead beyond authority? What can we learn from multiple other cultural perspectives on leadership and authority?  

This session will cover:  

• adult development: The stages of leadership growth. 

• inner skills: looking at leadership from the inside–out and understanding ourselves as leaders, including leading beyond authority, perspective shifting and opposable thinking, and immunity to change. 

• links between systemic thinking, complexity and our own internal meaning-making.  

Session 3: Mind shifts – approaching complex problems 

We will explore how we think about complex problems. You will take part in a small system group activity to explore what perspectives are missing from the table and the value these perspectives could add to addressing the challenges you face. How might we include a wider range of perspectives on these complex problems – particularly the people most impacted? 

This session will cover: 

• construal level theory: understanding psychological distance and its impact on collaboration. 

• the ladder of abstraction – a tool to help you strengthen your thinking skills 

• the benefits of communicating and operating on different levels of abstraction. 

Session 4: Leading ‘from the outside–in’ – making the most out of collective intelligence 

Develop the skills and knowledge needed to communicate and collaborate with different experts more effectively. You’ll learn how leading from the outside–in enables you to make sense of the complex systems and the communities you’re serving. 

This session will cover:  

• systems thinking – building your capacity for complexity 

• global thinking beyond cultural contexts 

• tests of change and safe to fail experimentation 

• interactional expertise  

• threshold concepts. 

Session 5: Leading ‘from the inside–out’ – getting out of your own way 

How can we work across and between spatial levels – local, national and global – while optimally working with others? 

This session will cover: 

• inner game activities focused on collaboration, working with others 

Session 6: Integration and synthesis 

Synthesise your learning from the course and deep dive into how the concepts and methods apply to your specific context and wider organisation.