New development: System diplomacy—an alternative to system leadership

Given that public services are part of complex adaptive systems, it is increasingly assumed that senior officials need to be trained as system leaders. However, there are limits to the system leader model within public management. Complex systems can’t be led and system leadership may teach people lessons which are hard to incorporate into their current roles. It risks being an overly individualist model and can be part of a depoliticization strategy which takes existing public service configurations for granted. Drawing on research and practice in the field of international relations, the authors propose the concept of system diplomacy as a new way of thinking about and tackling the intractable differences and controversies within complex systems. System diplomacy pays attention to micro-politics and soft power. Being a system diplomat requires skills that are expressly concerned with recognizing and dealing with the pluralistic, diverse and competing agendas inherent in complex social systems.