"Complexity Theory" is the accepted name for an approach in science that attempts to explain phenomena in various fields of scientific research. "Chaos", for instance, is one of the important concepts used in Complexity Theory to describe a certain type of natural behavior patterns. Complexity Theory basically deals with the continuous behavior of certain types of complex systems.
Over the past 35 years, the behavior of such systems have come into the focus of attention of a number of scientific fields. These include, among others, Physics, Meteorology, Mathematics, Evolutionary Biology, Brain Research, Ecology, Geology and more. It is not as if there is a united body of research called "Complexity" but rather several research fields that share many similarities and areas of congruence. Over the time, these fields of research developed and defined a set of unique scientific concepts that are common to the research of complexity in all the different fields.
The systems that are of interest to Complexity researchers seem to behave, under certain conditions, in regular and predictable patterns, while under different conditions they demonstrate a seemingly chaotic and unpredictable behavior. Minute changes in the initial conditions may lead to extremely opposite reactions of the system. A well-known example is that the air movement produced by butterfly wings may eventually crucially affect weather phenomena around the globe.
The concept of Chaos in Complexity Theory relates to the chaotic behavior of systems - although the systems may be bound by certain rules, their emerging behavior is unpredictable. This state is described as an intermediate state between a stable system behavior and a completely unexpected behavior. That intermediate state is called "The Edge of Chaos".
Before Complexity Theory, such behaviors were seen as rising from randomality, and they were usually dealt with statistical calculations to predict the systems' behavior. The research of Complexity has shown that these seemingly random results may also emerge in situations that adhere to clear rules. A significant part of the behavior of such systems is described by the term "Positive Feedback" among the elements of the system. This means that the actual rules on interactions among the system's elements change as a result of the system's activity. For that reason the systems are said to be non-linear in nature, or "Complex Adaptive Systems" - the changes they go through are not in one constant direction but it different directions - "back and forth". The science of Complexity thus attempts to explain the mechanisms that drive the behavior of such non-linear systems.
Complexity Theory and Organizations
Many authors have written about the relevance of Complexity Theory and its concepts to the theories that explore the field of organizations in general and the theories on management in organizations in particular. Some of these writings are of the type of 'popular science', presuming to offer new magic tricks in the hands of managers. Still, an increasing amount of serious scientific research and publications challenges some of the basic assumptions about organizations and their management.
Ralph D. Stacey is one of the leading researchers in the field of Complexity Theory in Organizations. To offer but s small demonstration of his interpretation (and that of other authors) on the meaning of Complexity Theory in Organizational Studies, here are some of his major claims:
* Long term planning in organizations is impossible since cause and effect lose their meaning.
* Concensus and a strong organizational culture are dangerous.
* Statistical analysis of information is dubious.
The major inputs that Complexity Theory offers to organizations are attempts to explain how learning occurs in organizations, a view of how organizational instability may be perceived, and what a common internal culture means. As mentioned above, one of the major findings of the Theory of Complexity is that in complex systems the future is unpredictable in principle. Therefore, long-term planning becomes irrelevant or even a liability. In the absence of a possibility for long-term planning, organizational learning becomes extremely important. It also suggests a constant examination of the underlying assumptions that rule the relationships among members of the organization.
Amir Elion is a management and innovation consultant and facilitator. http://www.amirelion.com/organizational_development_and_complexity_theory.shtml
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