Empowering organizational leadership: a complexity and evolutionary theory approach

What is complexity, and how can it help in developing a better leadership model? What is the anthropological origin of leadership, and what can we learn from it regarding the complexity of the modern world? How can we educate and train new leaders to better face modern challenges? To answer these questions, this thesis analyses the topic of management, and more in detail, leadership, integrating two different field of research: Complexity Theory, which provides insights about complex systems and their dynamics, and Evolutionary Psychology, a branch of Evolutionary Theory which studies, among other things, the origin of leadership from the evolutionary standpoint. What emerges is that the complex approach identifies groups as complex systems, naturally suited to tackle complex problems. On the other hand, from the evolutionary standpoint, humans have a strong predisposition for working in groups, since collective action usually overcomes that of individuals. In sum, group working emerges as the key to face complexity. Moreover, the ancestral human ability to work in teams can be leveraged through a specific leadership education. The thesis is organized in three main chapters: Chapter one describes the systematic literature review embracing complexity theory and management studies, which highlights leadership as one of the main topics. Chapter two is a case study of leadership action within a military organization, seen through the lens of complexity. To conclude, the third chapter integrates Complexity and Evolutionary theory in a unified vision which explains innate leadership behaviours as complex dynamics. The chapter also provides an example of a modern leadership model adopted by a military organization.