Exploring Complexity Leadership Theory: A Single-Case Study of Leading and Developing Others in a Public Electric Utility

This qualitative case study explores leadership emergence and adaptation within a complex organizational system embedded in the Texas electric power sector. Grounded in Complexity Leadership Theory (CLT), this case study examines the leadership practices of a seasoned executive, referred to as "Howard," who, at the time of the study, served as Director of Generation Operations in a municipal electric utility in Central Texas. With a four-decade career that spans engineering, mid-level management, and executive leadership, Howard's experience offers a compelling example of leadership in complex, dynamic environments. Using a qualitative single-case study design, data were collected through interviews, observations, and artifact review, then analyzed through an iterative, interpretive process informed by Creswell's Data Analysis Spiral and Stake's technique of Categorical Aggregation. Analysis was guided by the core propositions of CLT: adaptive leadership, emergence, interdependence, and shared leadership. Findings indicate that Howard engaged in ongoing sensemaking and adaptation, often blending structured organizational control with emergent, collaborative approaches. His leadership was marked by deep contextual awareness, responsiveness to system interdependencies, and a preference for informal mentoring over formalized training. These behaviors fostered distributed decision-making and enabled others in the system to recognize and navigate complexity more effectively. A central insight from the study is the persistent tension, for a leader in a complex system, between maintaining structure and enabling emergence. This tension in the current case study, rather than being resolved, was navigated as part of effective complexity leadership. The findings contribute to the fields of Human Resource Development and Adult Education by demonstrating how leaders in complex systems can cultivate adaptive capacity and support system-wide learning in the face of uncertainty and changing dynamics.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Educational Human Resource Development

Grantor

Texas A&M University

Year dc:date.issued

2025

Author dc:creator

• Sheppard, Liam 1962-

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Kim, Junghwan

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Megan Patterson
• Khalil Dirani

• Energy
• Education, Philosophy of
• Education, Industrial
• Education, Adult and Continuing

Language dc:language.iso

English

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/1600375

OAI record oai:identifier

https://oaktrust.library.tamu.edu/server/oai/request?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=dim&identifier=oai%3Aoaktrust.library.tamu.edu%3A1969.1%2F1600375