Leadership and the New Science: Discovering Order in a Chaotic World, 3rd Edition

Margaret Wheatley; Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc., San Francisco, 2006, 193 pages

In Leadership and the New Science, Margaret Wheatley builds on the previous two

editions of the book by incorporating the reality that war makes veterans of us all and

natural disasters evoke un-natural responses through static government mechanisms. In

turn, chaos is a familiar villain in most of our lives. Wheatley argues that this chaos may

be harnessed through the worldview of systems thinking or quantum physics.

Rather than compartmentalizing ourselves into silos of Newtonian organizations,

Wheatley suggests that we connect the dots between our leadership activities regarding

terrorism and disasters in the public, non-profit, and for-profit sectors. She encourages us

to be leaders who are consciousness raising, aware of how change happens, and riddled

with curiosity. Through such a leadership lens or style, we will be able to apply quantum

physics (the New Science) to our work and society will re-orientate itself organically

towards systems thinking.

The chain of connections and consequences between actions and reactions is apparent in

nature, yet muted in our homosapien centric societies. While quantum physics was used

to cage the powerful energy of the atom with a Cartesian approach to applying the new

science, the generous point of quantum physics was missed entirely: the systems of

matter found in stardust are also found in us. If we apply this principle to leadership,

management, and organizations then the same systems of problems found in

organizations are also found within us. The key is in recognizing organizations as

learning opportunities towards creating whole systems of self, work, science, and society.

Therefore, we can stop the dominos of insurmountable problems from falling by

embracing change and chaos as connected systems with webs of interdependent

predictability. However, first we must recognize the consistent change and chaos within

ourselves as welcome, natural, and scientifically questioned through open curiosity

without definitive findings.

In science and in leadership, Wheatley asks that we embark on journeys of enlightened

continuations rather that finite ends. The systems of connections in the world could never

be mapped because all linkages beget more lines of association (relationships between

events, decisions, people, form, function, and thought patterns). It may be uncomfortable

for many scientists and leaders to see themselves as explorers who are always asking new

questions rather than conquerors who divide, discover, and answer. However, Wheatley

claims that closed certainty will be our downfall while open curiosity will be humanity’s

saving grace. This means that science and leadership becomes highly context and person

specific because the questions you may ask might not be within my realm of curiosity.

Unfortunately, this creates a paradox between the individual freedom necessary for chaos

theory to thrive and the inter-connectivity required amongst individuals for quantum

physics and systems thinking to be fully deployed. In sum, objectivity, universal truths,

and best practices are no longer an option. Yet, Wheatley is proposing that we replace an

old paradigm with a new one…which technically is a universal and a proposal for a best

practice.

Leadership and the New Science is organized into ten chapters, not including a prologue,

introduction, epilogue, supporting resources, bibliography, and extensive index. The first

four chapters focus on explaining three areas of science: quantum physics, self-

organizing systems, and chaos theory. Specifically, these chapters serve the purpose of

deconstructing Newtonian scientific thinking about complex systems. All points are
applied to public and private organizational structures, processes, and practices. Chapters

five and six focus on the natural world of self-organizing systems as supported by

biology and chemistry. Chapter seven explores chaos theory while chapter eight outlines

the case for change being a requirement of all life. Chapter nine emphasizes the

importance of quantum physics as a new science with chapter ten being the backbone of

the 3rd edition illustrating how the new science is essential for our need to respond to

disasters and stop terrorism.

Wheatley’s Leadership and the New Science left more questions than offered answers

(which was likely intentional). While some interpretations to points of confusion may

have gotten lost within the dense metaphoric language of the book, the reader may be left

with a variety of insightful pauses and few tangible moments of clarity. For example,

Wheatley focuses a lot on the structures and processes within organizations. However,

can an organization look Newtonian by design/structure, but be Quantum by

organizational culture and leadership dynamics? Also a common comment is that

sometimes we have too much data in organizations and we don’t know how to use it.

This is where the skill of translating data into information is essential. However, if the

process of organizing information is continuous as Wheatley argues, then are we

inherently bound to always make decisions based upon the best available information in

that moment? If this is the case, how can we engage in forecasting or strategic planning?

Further, Wheatley claims that chaos is necessary for change. Yet, Wheatley’s book is

based on the premise that we need to see the order in chaos. In turn, science and

hierarchical structures in organizations are founded on the principle of keeping chaos out.

Therefore, is the old science really that different from the new science when it comes to
ushering in change? Finally, Wheatley contends that science is all around us, that science

is inherent in how we think and create in leadership, and that the impacts of science in

organizations are undeniable. However, she believes science is difficult for some to

embrace. Why is science the act of a few if it is ingrained in our modalities of being in

the world?

Leadership and the New Science is an interesting read for students who are intrigued by

traveling down the rabbit hole of meta-physical reality and systems thinking. It is written

in a streaming style with repetition and eye catching photos. The text would work well

for undergraduate and graduate students within courses focused on the following topics:

research methodologies and methods, scientific inquiry, public administration, business

science, organization theory/development/behavior, leadership and management,

American government, or International Relations. Wheatley gifted a great service to the

fields of social science by open a space for dialogue about chaos theory, systems

thinking, and quantum physics. However, a space with no boundaries offers the reader

few opportunities to embrace the concepts presented. We cannot get our mental net

around that which cannot be caught: the unknown quantum unknowns of change,

relationships, and chaos.

Amy E. Gould, Ph.D.

The Evergreen State College
2700 Evergreen Parkway NW
Olympia, WA 98505