A book that aims to make a connection between organisational and leadership development is timely, given the profession’s preoccupation with organisational development (OD) as an essential element of HR. The author’s key proposition is that leadership is not a function of individual talent, but of organisational culture, which determines the extent to which that leadership can be exercised.

The author’s linkage of OD and “systems thinking” appears tautological, since systems thinking is itself an OD approach; but his broader paradigm, placing leadership within the organisation rather than within individuals, makes sense. All too often organisations assign responsibility for leadership to individuals, but overlook the cultural context. An analogy here is looking at a goldfish while ignoring the quality of the water in which it swims.