This report draws on the experiences of 10 senior leaders to look in depth at the skills needed to be a system leader. Interviewees' background and experience differed, but they identified a number of key themes around how to go about achieving system change and the barriers that need to be overcome.

The new edition of this influential and bestselling book is concerned with how people come together to achieve a productive purpose. Survival and success in business and social terms have always depended upon our ability to form and sustain social organisations. People have a deep need to be creative and to belong. By creating positive organisations we can fulfil these needs and build a worthwhile society. One of the failures of organisations is precisely the lack of efficient and effective social organisation, which is what this whole book is about. Poor social organisation, including poor leadership, are major drivers of poor productivity and lead people to give up or retreat into a minimalist approach of just doing what is needed to get by and survive. The authors provide a language for developing, discussing, thinking and working with propositions about organisations and management. They do not tell you what decision to make but rather present tools to help you consider, analyse and predict the consequences of your decisions. This new edition is much broader in its application areas – public, private and not-for-profit sectors. It contains new models and propositions with regard to types of social organisation, domains of work and the nature and use of authority. It contains a range of new case studies, and throughout looks at how these ideas can be used to achieve an organisation’s purpose while encouraging creative working. It is not a book about fads or fashion but an integrated approach that offers the user the benefit of foresight.

This book is the first to explore the application of system leadership to promote sustainable solutions for contemporary and future environmental and social problems. The combination of synthesized research summaries and case studies of individuals and organizations contribute considerably to the field by expanding system leadership concepts from theory to practical application. System leadership has been identified as a method by which complex societal problems can be addressed, but it has as yet not been applied to sustainability. The first chapters introduce the background and fundamentals of system leadership and its relevance to sustainability. The chapters that propose methods of developing system leadership, examples of system leaders, and practical application of system leadership in industry, academic, government, nonprofit, and NGO settings. Each chapter includes a chapter case, interview, and/or reflection questions in order to stimulate critical thinking and provide instructional tools for academic use and practical application. The book is particularly relevant to researchers and students internationally in the fields of social development and sustainability. It is also relevant to public, private, and nonprofit/NGO management practitioners who are curious about the leadership styles and skills necessary to develop a sustainable future.

This book explores what specialists are saying about system leadership for school improvement. Case studies examine innovative approaches to sharing leadership and to leadership development programmes for system improvement.

"With all the current interest in system reform and the spread of leadership, System Leadership in Practice is the only book in existence that treats the topic thoroughly and with insight. The authors have written a gem - a book that presents clear conceptual clarity linked to case after case example. They answer the burning question, how can we establish multi-faceted leadership that produces deep and sustained effectiveness." Michael Fullan, Professor Emeritus of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto "Leaders at all levels in schools and elsewhere in the public sector will readily engage with the issues and examples discussed in this book, and through doing so will understand more fully the new professional environment within which they work." Learning and Teaching Update System leadership is a new, exciting and growing phenomenon in education. It refers to leadership that goes beyond a single school, where leaders work directly for the success and welfare of students in other institutions as well as their own. In this inspirational book, the authors offer you new perspectives, support and guidance – whether you are a school leader, policy-maker or advisor – and show how working collaboratively and leading networks can bring about positive change. They encourage you to innovate, develop rigorous partnerships, take managed risks and deploy resources creatively in order to build sustained improvements in student learning and well-being. This much-needed book provides the first in-depth analysis of a term on the lips of many in the educational world. There is detailed reference to real cases of system leadership in practice, as well as recent legislation and relevant literature. At a time when prescription, bureaucracy and targets remain for many an impediment to the aims of education, school-led system leadership is seen to offer a means for professionals to take more control of educational renewal. This book is indispensable reading for school leaders and senior teachers, educational policy makers and advisors, as well as anyone involved or interested in education and its leadership.

'System leadership' (defined as 'leading beyond a single institution') is a feature of the English education system which has been heralded as both the solution to school improvement and an extension to the school leadership career ladder. However, claims that it evidences a change of governance towards increasing self-regulation of the education system are contested. Susan Cousin explores the governance and policy perspectives of system leadership. She captures rich narratives over several years from the lived experience of system leaders, headteachers they worked with and those brokering the relationships. The daily realities of the challenges they faced include tensions arising from conflicted governance environments where autonomy coexists with accountability and collaboration with competition. Identifying four types of system leader: the Hero-head, the Auditor, the Protector and the Collaborator, she presents a conceptual model of system leadership practice. A clear explanation of how different approaches affect power relationships, the nature of trust and types of learning, the model can be used to inform decisions made by current and future system leaders, and those who make policy. The book concludes by reaffirming the power of system leadership to deliver educational reform and the need to avoid unintended consequences including the fragmentation of the system and increased inequality.

A hands-on, practical guide, "Practice of Adaptive Leadership" contains stories, tools, diagrams, cases, and worksheets to help managers develop their skills as leaders who are able to take people outside their comfort zones and address the toughest challenges.