The literature

A companion piece for the Systems Leadership synthesis paper, this work reviews the published literature on systems leadership, seeking particularly to ascertain whether there is a clear agreement of how to define the subject of systems leadership and whether there is any consensus about the desirable characteristics for it to be effective. The paper seeks a specific emphasis in relation to children’s services and, more generally, into wider public services. The search criteria for the review have been influenced (rather than directed) by this focus, and the researchers have explored what learning can be drawn from the broad themes of systems leadership across all sectors.