Today we talk about schools as complex systems. Michael tries to convince Will that every school has the conditions that are inherent in a complex system: numerosity of interactions, disorder, feedback and non-equilibrium (a fancy way of saying nothing stays still).

Michael argues that disorder as something leaders can't, and shouldn't, always try to fix. It's a feature, not a bug. When things don’t go exactly to plan, people adjust, experiment, and learn. The become more resilient. This is the space where innovation happens.

In complex systems, leadership isn’t always about control.

Whether you’re leading the school or your own classroom, it’s about recognising patterns, noticing relationships, and adjusting the conditions that shape behaviour.