This book provides a timely and comprehensive response to the widely acknowledged serious failings in our current knowledge of organizational leadership and culture, providing an ecologically inspired approach which unifies knowledge and practice across all of the pivotal organisational elements of leadership, culture, teamwork, creativity, complexity and wisdom. Drawing on case studies from Australia and New Zealand, Branson and Marra argue that just as ecosystems are systems of connected elements through which the energy needed to maintain the health of the system must readily flow, an organisation is also a connected system that equally requires a healthy flow of energy in order to achieve its core purpose. Their theory of organizational ecology describes how organizational connectivity, as revealed by the quality of the relationships among the people and the parts of the organization, provides the conduit through which the essential energy (in the form of knowledge, information, ideas, innovation, and support sharing) must flow. Through the application of the theory of organizational ecology, Branson and Marra illustrate how a leader must grow their leadership knowledge and wisdom in order to develop the organization's people and culture so that it is fully able to accomplish the desired vision, mission and core purpose.

There is an abundance of research saying that not only is leadership in higher education ineffective but also that it actually undermines the essential work that should be happening in universities. Christopher M. Branson, Maureen Marra, Margaret Franken and Dawn Penney provide a new insight into leadership that has proven to be far more effective for all involved - the transrelational approach to leadership. This new way of leading places an emphasis on the importance of the relationships that the leader develops with each and every person they are leading. However, in order to apply this new way of leading, higher education institutions must change some of the key ways they work. This book provides direction in how this can happen, what benefits would result, and offers a view on what the future for higher education might be if such changes to leadership are not made. Leadership in Higher Education from a Transrelational Perspective both critiques the likely implications of adopting this transrelational form of leadership into a higher educational institution and discusses the implications of not doing so. Although a transrelational approach to leadership might seem daunting for higher education institutions to adopt, is there any other choice? The authors argue that it is inconceivable for institutions founded upon promoting human development as a consequence of research to ignore such research that not only questions the suitability of current leadership practices but also offers a more effective alternative.

There is an abundance of research saying that not only is leadership in higher education ineffective but also that it actually undermines the essential work that should be happening in universities. Christopher M. Branson, Maureen Marra, Margaret Franken and Dawn Penney provide a new insight into leadership that has proven to be far more effective for all involved - the transrelational approach to leadership. This new way of leading places an emphasis on the importance of the relationships that the leader develops with each and every person they are leading. However, in order to apply this new way of leading, higher education institutions must change some of the key ways they work. This book provides direction in how this can happen, what benefits would result, and offers a view on what the future for higher education might be if such changes to leadership are not made. Leadership in Higher Education from a Transrelational Perspective both critiques the likely implications of adopting this transrelational form of leadership into a higher educational institution and discusses the implications of not doing so. Although a transrelational approach to leadership might seem daunting for higher education institutions to adopt, is there any other choice? The authors argue that it is inconceivable for institutions founded upon promoting human development as a consequence of research to ignore such research that not only questions the suitability of current leadership practices but also offers a more effective alternative.

This book provides a timely and comprehensive response to the widely acknowledged serious failings in our current knowledge of organizational leadership and culture, providing an ecologically inspired approach which unifies knowledge and practice across all of the pivotal organisational elements of leadership, culture, teamwork, creativity, complexity and wisdom. Drawing on case studies from Australia and New Zealand, Branson and Marra argue that just as ecosystems are systems of connected elements through which the energy needed to maintain the health of the system must readily flow, an organisation is also a connected system that equally requires a healthy flow of energy in order to achieve its core purpose. Their theory of organizational ecology describes how organizational connectivity, as revealed by the quality of the relationships among the people and the parts of the organization, provides the conduit through which the essential energy (in the form of knowledge, information, ideas, innovation, and support sharing) must flow. Through the application of the theory of organizational ecology, Branson and Marra illustrate how a leader must grow their leadership knowledge and wisdom in order to develop the organization’s people and culture so that it is fully able to accomplish the desired vision, mission and core purpose.