Systems Leadership Association

About the SLA

Systems Leadership (SL) is a coherent and integrated theory of organisational behaviour developed over several decades by Dr Ian Macdonald, Dr Catie Burke, Karl Stewart and others building on work with Elliott Jaques. It is described in the book “Systems Leadership, Creating Positive Organisations – 2nd Edition” written by Ian Macdonald, Catherine Burke and Karl Stewart. SL supports the leaders in an organisation to create the conditions where people at all levels willingly give of their best. It uses sound principles about human behaviour to create models of good leadership, organisational strategy, systems design and social process. Use of the SL has become and continues to be embedded in many organisations throughout the world.The SLA is a not-for-profit organisation that exists for the benefit of its members. SLA acknowledges that there may be overlapping areas of interest with Macdonald Associates Consultancy and Systems Leadership Community Interest Company. Membership of the SLA comprises a contemporary mix of individuals with a range of knowledge and experience in the use and application of SL who share a desire to develop that understanding and application.
 
The purpose of the SLA is to assist each other in the understanding and application of Systems Leadership.
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SLA Charter

This group initially became the Systems Leadership Development Association (SLDA) in 2014. In 2024 our name has been updated to Systems Leadership Association (SLA).

The Charter has been developed to provide a clear description of the Association, its purpose, scope, guiding principles and how it works. View a copy of the Charter.

Annual Conference 2027

Watch this space and the Newsletters for updates on timing and location for our 2027 Annual Conference.

Webinar event for members

How do SLT Practitioners help embed and sustain systems change? What does the Maturity Model add?

When: Wednesday 14th October 6.00pm – 7.00pm QLD Time

We are excited to share with you that the SLA is hosting a this webinar. It will be an interactive session, hosted by Joe Hopkirk, who will start with sharing some context on his experiences of embedding systems and how the maturity model works with this, followed by opportunities for discussion and Q&A. 

This event will be hosted on our Circle Community. Click here to go to our Development Activities page for more details on how to register.

SLA Newsletter

To view the latest newsletters click on this link SLA Newsletter. This includes articles from some of our members on their work, as well as details of planned events.

Book Publication

“Organisations and Leadership during Covid-19: Studies using Systems Leadership Theory”

The SLA (SLDA) published book authored by several of our members looking at organisational and leadership responses to the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Click here to see more details including how to purchase the book.

Contact Us/Enquiries

If you would like more information or to enquire about joining the Systems Leadership Development Association please contact us.

Become A Member

Thank you for your interest in becoming a member of the Systems Leadership Development Association.