Complexity Leadership

European Society for Research in Adult Development

What does it mean to lead in increasing complexity, and does place shape how that complexity is experienced?

This interactive session presents findings from original research undertaken by Aiden M. A. Thornton, PhD, and commissioned by Tasmanian Leaders, which examines the challenges and opportunities of leading in a geographically isolated yet tightly interconnected Australian state. Drawing on qualitative data from an in-person Complexity Leadership Lab and quantitative findings from a cross-sector leadership skills survey, the research examines different conceptions of complexity and the diverse domains in which it is experienced, including intrapersonal, interpersonal, systemic, and foundational dimensions.The session presents a draft complexity leadership skills framework built from this evidence, alongside practical recommendations for strengthening leadership capability. It will also introduce a revised research methodology designed to enable cross-contextual and cross-cultural comparison of how complexity is experienced across different people, sectors, and geographies.Participants will be invited to apply these findings to their own leadership contexts.The report "Leading in Complexity, An Initial Inquiry in Tasmania", can be accessed here: https://www.tasmanianleaders.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Complexity_Leadership_Aiden_MA_Thornton_-2025_WEB.pdfThis is an online event and is hosted on Zoom._________BiographyDr Aiden M. A. Thornton is a complexity leadership scholar, management consultant, psychometrics entrepreneur, street epistemologist, and Board Director.He holds an interdisciplinary PhD in leadership, complexity, and cognition. He currently serves as Adjunct Associate Professor of Complexity Leadership at Swinburne University of Technology and Lead Complexity Scientist at Self-Stacked Systems, a global research collaborative focused on theoretical exposition, measurement, and applied research on the Model of Hierarchical Complexity.Alongside his academic work, Aiden brings 25 years of international management consulting experience and runs a consulting practice specialising in leadership development, change management, organisational culture, and organisational design. As an entrepreneur, Aiden has founded a psychometrics start-up that will offer an innovative suite of instruments designed to measure contemporary leadership capabilities such as sensemaking, systems thinking, truth discernment, and engagement with diverse worldviews.As a street epistemologist, he creates conditions for diverse groups to constructively explore controversial socio-political issues, examining what people believe, why they hold these beliefs and the epistemological foundations that underpin them.Aiden hosts podcasts and blogs on leadership, complexity, and epistemology. He serves on the Board of ACMP Australia and New Zealand. Aiden brings intellectual intensity, pragmatic insight, and wicked humour to all his work.

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Complexity Leadership

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Complexity Leadership

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