1st Edition

Leadership and Management Learning from Experience

By Alan Wilson Copyright 2026
208 Pages
by Routledge

208 Pages
by Routledge

208 Pages
by Routledge

Spanning a stellar career as the leader of large organisations across government, industry and education, Sir Alan Wilson has developed a deep insight into what 'actually' works in practice through the lens of systems analysis. Leaders and managers face daily challenges but need to articulate and communicate their objectives and plans for the longer term in a complex and rapidly changing... Read more

Preface, Chapter 1: Core concepts, Chapter 2: Pillar 1: systems, and the big picture, Chapter 3: Pillar 2: strategy, Chapter 4: Pillar 3: finance – read every line, Chapter 5: Pillar 4: structures for delivery, Chapter 6: Integration: what works?, Chapter 7: Future challenges: radical change, Annex 1. Analytics: what does management need to know?, Annex 2. Experience: employment and key publications, Annex 3. Working life: a personal memoire

Biography

Alan Wilson has had leadership and management responsibilities in universities as a Vice-Chancellor, in the civil service as Director-General for Higher Education, as CEO of The Alan Turing Institute, and in industry as a director in spin-out companies.

"Alan Wilson has produced a book that focuses on solving problems based on his extensive experience in research, as a civil servant, a Vice-Chancellor and in industry. His framework provides a useful way to solve problems that commonly occur in many types of organizations." 
Catherine BurkeUniversity of Southern California, USA

"A timely and insightful synthesis of systems thinking and real-world leadership practice. This is a book that bridges the academic and professional divide with rare authority." 
Susan Kinnear, University of Dundee, UK

"A fascinating reflection of a personal journey in research, education, administration, public service, and entrepreneurship. It aptly shows Wilson’s managerial skill and leadership in the wide spectrum of his professional engagements throughout the years. An impactful reference for many years to come." 

Yee Leung, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong