218 Int. J. Complexity in Leadership and Management, Vol. 3, No. 3, 2016 Copyright © 2016 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd. Power relations and complex organisational development Pieter S.J. Avenant and Kurt A. April* Graduate School of Business, University of Cape Town, Breakwater Campus, Portswood Road, Greenpoint, 8001 Cape Town, South Africa Email: avenant.pieter@gmail.com Email: kurt.april@gsb.uct.ac.za Email: kapril@licmconsulting.co.za *Corresponding author B.K.G. Peters Ashridge Business School, Brownlow Walk, Ashridge Estate, Berkhamsted, Hertforshire, HP4 1NS, England, UK Email: kai.peters@ashridge.hult.edu Abstract: Human interaction is so important because, in the workplace, you always have to work with other people. As a leader, the way in which you and others relate to each other, authentically and inauthentically and use personal- and collective power within those relationships can create positive, enabling workplace environments, or be places of exclusion and negative engagement. Our research was a qualitative study, informed by complexity theory, of the construct of power relations, investigating the lived experiences of leaders within the complexity of the emerging economy of South Africa. It also further explored the challenges of such an approach in terms of the implementation and openness of people within organisations to engage with power relations, and not just to treat it unconsciously. Key features of our research were unpacking the relevance for leaders, as well as the impact of social dynamics, concepts of power, leader attributes, personal traits and organisational features on power relations. Keywords: leadership; power; power-relating; organisation; complexity; empowerment. Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Avenant, P.S.J., April, K.A. and Peters, B.K.G. (2016) ‘Power relations and complex organisational development’, Int. J. Complexity in Leadership and Management, Vol. 3, No. 3, pp.218–243. Biographical notes: Pieter S.J. Avenant is a researcher in the leadership domain at the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business in South Africa. He is also the Lead Engineer at Veolia Water Technologies coordinating engineering activities in a multidisciplinary design-engineering environment, focusing on special projects and project teams. Previously he was the Commissioning Manager at the same company, as well as a Process Engineer at Tenova in the Water & Effluent Division.