an online book by David Gurteen
Complexity characterizes the behavior of a system or model whose components interact in multiple ways and follow local rules, leading to non-linearity, randomness, collective dynamics, hierarchy, and emergence.
Credit: Wikipedia - complexityJohn Hagel is a management consultant and author who specializes in helping executives to anticipate and address emerging business opportunities and challenges. He is the founder and co-chairman of Deloitte‘s Center for the Edge. I don’t know John but I love his work, especially his blog posts (see this post on spirit set), not only Continue reading John Hagel Management Consultant & Author
Nora Bateson is a filmmaker, writer, and educator, as well as President of the International Bateson Institute, based in Sweden. Understanding Complexity | Nora Bateson WebsiteThe International Bateson InstituteLinkedinNora BatesonBlogNora BatesonRSS FeedNora BatesonX (Twitter)@norabatesonYouTubeNora BatesonGoogleNora BatesonBooks: Nora Bateson (3)Complex Problems Require an Entirely Different Approach in Assessment, and Action Nora BatesonWe Each Perceive Things Differently Continue reading Nora Bateson Filmmaker, writer, and educator
Posts where this video is embedded Navigating Complexity with Safe-to-fail Probes The power of safe-to-fail probesPeople: Jennifer Garvey Berger (1)Jennifer Garvey Berger Developmental coach and authorBooks: Jennifer Garvey Berger (3)Jennifer Garvey Berger Developmental coach and authorListening to Learn Jennifer Garvey Berger (2017)Making Sense of Complexity – an Introduction to Cynefin Jennifer Garvey Berger (2017)Videos: Jennifer Garvey Continue reading Safe-to-fail Experiments Jennifer Garvey Berger (2018)
We can no longer see ourselves as separate from the natural world or our technology, but as a part of them, integrated, codependent, and entangled. Credit: Danny Hillis Comment: When we accept our entanglement with nature and technology, we shift from control to collaboration. This is the essence of Conversational Leadership in a complex world.Source: Continue reading The Entangled Age Danny Hillis (2016)
The major problems in the world are the result of the difference between how nature works and the way people think. | Gregory Bateson Continue reading What Is the Root Cause of the Major Problems in the World? Gregory Bateson
Dr. Glenda Eoyang is an author and the founding director of the Human Systems Dynamics Institute. What makes human systems dynamics different? | Glenda Eoyang WebsiteHuman Systems Dynamics InstituteWikipediaGlenda EoyangX (Twitter)@glendaeoyangYouTubeGlenda EoyangGoogleGlenda EoyangTags: complexity (100) | Glenda Eoyang (1)Google Web Search Photo Credits: Midjourney (Public Domain)This page is part of a blook on Conversational Leadership. It is Continue reading Glenda Eoyang Author and founding director of the Human Systems Dynamics Institute
Unlike a journalist, almost surely you are using your writing process to help yourself think. In other words, the thinking that you’re doing is at such a level of complexity that you have to use writing to help yourself do your thinking. | Larry McEnerney Continue reading You Have to Use Writing to Help Yourself Do Your Thinking Larry McEnerney
The problems the world is facing now, including ecological damage, natural disasters, poverty, species loss, political upheaval, refugee trauma, and even health epidemics, can all be described as complex, that is, they are born of circumstances that are multi-causal and non-linear. This complexity vexes the traditional problem-solving model of … | Nora Bateson Continue reading Complex Problems Require an Entirely Different Approach in Assessment, and Action Nora Bateson
In an increasingly complex world, appointed leaders simply don’t know enough to decide what is new and better. Leadership is a group sport, not an individual heroic activity. | Edgar Schein Continue reading Leadership Is a Group Sport, Not an Individual Heroic Activity Edgar Schein
This book Cynefin – Weaving Sense-Making into the Fabric of Our World chronicles the origin story and historical evolution of the Cynefin Framework, including personal vignettes where network members share how it has impacted their lives, and reflections by practitioners on how they have applied it across many diverse contexts. AustraliaAustriaBrazilCanadaChinaCzech RepublicEgyptFranceGermanyGlobalIndiaItalyJapanMexicoNetherlandsPolandSaudia ArabiaSingaporeSpainTurkeyUAEUnited KingdomUnited Continue reading Cynefin – Weaving Sense-making Into the Fabric of Our World by Dave Snowden & friends (2020)
Sonja Blignaut is the founder of More Beyond and has been working in the fields of narrative and complexity since 2002. I have followed Sonja’s work for almost 20 years but only personally know her a little. What I like about her work in complexity is her ability to talk about it in everyday language Continue reading Sonja Blignaut Complexity consultant
Karl Popper, the great philosopher of science, once divided the world into two categories: clocks and clouds. Clocks are neat, orderly systems that can be solved through reduction; clouds are an epistemic mess, “highly irregular, disorderly, and more or less unpredictable.” The mistake of modern science is to pretend that everything is a clock, … | Jonah Lehrer Continue reading Clouds Not Clocks Jonah Lehrer
Many people believe that complexity is just higher-order complicatedness i.e. that there is a continuum and that the difference is one of degree, not type. When one considers however how very different these states are from each other, I tend to agree with Dave Snowden when he says that there are in fact phase shifts between them i.e. they are … | Sonja Blignaut Continue reading Complex and Complicated Systems Are Fundamentally Different Sonja Blignaut
Unintended consequences get to the heart of why you never really understand an adaptive problem until you have solved it. Problems morph and “solutions” often point to deeper problems. In social life, as in nature, we are walking on a trampoline. Every inroad reconfigures the environment we tread on. | The Power of Positive Deviance Continue reading We Are Walking on a Trampoline Richard Pascale, Jerry Sternin, Monique Sternin
Patricia Shaw was formerly a professor at the Business School of the University of Hertfordshire, where she co-founded the Complexity and Management Centre in 1995 with Ralph Stacey and Doug Griffin. She was also formerly a Visiting Professor at the Copenhagen Business School. She is now a fellow at Schumacher College. YouTubePatricia ShawGooglePatricia ShawPosts: Patricia Continue reading Patricia Shaw Fellow at Schumacher College
What is complex leadership? It starts by understanding the strengths and vulnerabilities of group dialogue. It uses this knowledge to leverage cognitive diversity within a group. | Ted Cadsby Continue reading What Is Complex Leadership? Ted Cadsby
Long-term planning is irrelevant, if not a hindrance. Strategy should not be about the realisation of prior intent, but rather emphasis on the importance of openness to accident, coincidence and serendipity. Strategy in this case is the emergent resultant. Successful strategies, especially in the long term, do not result from fixing an … | Mee-Yan Cheung-Judge Continue reading Long-term Planning Is Irrelevant, If Not a Hindrance Mee-Yan Cheung-Judge
Jean Boulton is a director, strategy consultant, and part-time academic at both Bath and Cranfield universities. She writes, teaches and, researches in the area of complexity theory as applied to strategy, organization development, policy, and social change. Jean Boulton: Complexity as Worldview WebsiteEmbracing ComplexityLinkedinJean BoultonYouTubeJean BoultonFacebookJean BoultonGoogleJean BoultonBooks: Jean Boulton (2)Embracing Complexity Can Actually Makes Continue reading Jean Boulton Visiting Fellow, Cranfield School of Management
In this book, Leadership in Complexity and Change, Sharon Varney draws on complexity science to paint a picture of a world in constant motion, where leadership is enacted in the midst of complexity and continuous change. We must learn to engage with complexity. If not now, when? Part I of this book brings complexity science Continue reading Leadership in Complexity and Change: for a World in Constant Motion by Sharon Varney (2021)
AustraliaAustriaBrazilCanadaChinaCzech RepublicEgyptFranceGermanyGlobalIndiaItalyJapanMexicoNetherlandsPolandSaudia ArabiaSingaporeSpainTurkeyUAEUnited KingdomUnited States As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission when you purchase a book via this site. People: Jean Boulton (1)Jean Boulton Visiting Fellow, Cranfield School of ManagementBooks: Jean Boulton (2)Embracing Complexity Can Actually Makes Things Easier, Simpler, and More Straightforward Jean BoultonJean Boulton Visiting Fellow, Cranfield School Continue reading Embracing Complexity: Strategic Perspectives for an Age of Turbulence by Jean G. Boulton, Peter M. Allen, Cliff Bowman (2015)
The Cynefin Framework | Dave Snowden Posts that link to this post We Humans Are Complex Human socio-technical systems are complexPeople: Dave Snowden (1)Dave Snowden Management ConsultantPosts: Dave Snowden (6)Carpe Diem – Seize the Day Seize the day everyoneChanging People ** The challenge of trying to change peopleConversations Through the Cynefin Lens Unraveling the intricacies of Continue reading The Cynefin Framework Dave Snowden
The world is a thing of utter inordinate complexity and richness and strangeness that is absolutely awesome. I mean the idea that such complexity can arise not only out of such simplicity but probably absolutely out of nothing, is the most fabulous extraordinary idea. And once you get some kind of inkling of how that might have happened, it’s just wonderful. And the opportunity to spend 70 or 80 … | Douglas Adams Continue reading The World Is a Thing of Utter Inordinate Complexity and Richness Douglas Adams
What is easy to miss in saying all this is that embracing complexity can actually makes things easier, simpler, and more straightforward! How much time gets spent by organizations making cases, forming detailed plans, completing analyses, and demonstrating outcomes? How much of this really gets to the heart of the situation and really determines … | Jean Boulton Continue reading Embracing Complexity Can Actually Makes Things Easier, Simpler, and More Straightforward Jean Boulton
Jennifer Garvey Berger is a developmental coach and author. WebsiteCultivating LeadershipLinkedinJennifer Garvey BergerBlogCultivating LeadershipX (Twitter)@jgbergerYouTubeJennifer Garvey BergerGoogleJennifer Garvey BergerBooks: Jennifer Garvey Berger (3)Listening to Learn Jennifer Garvey Berger (2017)Making Sense of Complexity – an Introduction to Cynefin Jennifer Garvey Berger (2017)Safe-to-fail Experiments Jennifer Garvey Berger (2018)Videos: Jennifer Garvey Berger (3)Listening to Learn Jennifer Garvey Berger Continue reading Jennifer Garvey Berger Developmental coach and author
The whole process of nature is an integrated process of immense complexity, and it’s really impossible to tell whether anything that happens in it is good or bad — because you never know what will be the consequence of the misfortune; or, you never know what will be the consequences of good fortune. | Alan Watts Continue reading Nature Is an Integrated Process of Immense Complexity Alan Watts
Dave Pollard is a writer on culture, complexity, deep ecology, civilization’s collapse, and the sharing economy. Although I have only ever met Dave once, many years ago, through his writing, he has had a considerable influence on me over the years. His insights into the nature of conversation and complexity never cease to provoke my Continue reading Dave Pollard Writer on culture, complexity, ecology, civilization’s collapse and the sharing economy
Daniel Kahneman is a psychologist and economist notable for his work on the psychology of judgment and decision-making, as well as behavioral economics. Thinking, Fast and Slow | Daniel Kahneman WikipediaDaniel KahnemanYouTubeDaniel KahnemanGoogleDaniel KahnemanBooks: Daniel Kahneman (3)Belief Coherence Daniel KahnemanFor Some of Our Most Important Beliefs, We Have No Evidence at All Daniel KahnemanThinking, Fast Continue reading Daniel Kahneman Psychologist and behavioral economist
I have long argued, and repeated ad nauseam that in complexity we start journeys with a sense of direction we don’t try and achieve goals. We remain open to the evolutionary opportunities of the here and now, the present and the adjacent future states. | Dave Snowden Continue reading In Complexity We Start Journeys with a Sense of Direction Dave Snowden
Tags: complexity (100) | strategy (22) Great Leadership Is a Network, Not a Hierarchy In Conversation: Episode 18: What Is the Relationship Between Storytelling & Conversational Leadership? Google Web Search Photo Credits: Midjourney (Public Domain)This page is part of a blook on Conversational Leadership. Parts of this book have restricted access. You can learn more about the Continue reading What Is Complexity Informed Strategy? Jen Briselli
Chris Rodgers is an organizational change consultant, facilitator, and coach. I have known Chris for many years and have been greatly influenced by the insights in his blog into complexity, conversation, and leadership. LinkedinChris RodgersBlogInformal CoalitionsX (Twitter)@ChrisPRodgersYouTubeChris RodgersGoogleChris RodgersTags: Chris Rodgers (1) | complexity (100)Google Web Search Photo Credits: Midjourney (Public Domain)This page is part of Continue reading Chris Rodgers Organizational change consultant
Dan Kahan is the Elizabeth K. Dollard Professor of Law & Professor of Psychology at Yale Law School. His primary research interests are risk perception, science communication, and the application of decision science to law and policymaking. Motivated numeracy and enlightened self-government WebsiteDan KahanWikipediaDan KahanBlogThe Cultural Cognition ProjectRSS FeedThe Cultural Cognition ProjectX (Twitter)@cult_cognitionYouTubeDan KahanGoogleDan KahanPosts: Continue reading Dan Kahan Professor of Psychology at Yale Law School
A culture is emergent and is the result of millions of interactions, behaviours, artifacts and stories that people build up over time. It is unpredictable and results in surprise. The idea that a “culture change initiative” can be rolled out from the top of an organization is not only a myth, it’s a hidden form of colonization. And worse, the idea that people need to be changed in the way the … | Chris Corrigan Continue reading Culture Is Emergent Chris Corrigan
Dr. Naomi Stanford is an organization design practitioner, teacher, and author. I don’t know Naomi but have seen her speak at the Henley Forum on complexity and was impressed with her work. I have been following her blog ever since and learned a great deal from her. Exploring workplace bravery | Naomi Stanford LinkedinNaomi StanfordBlogNaomi Continue reading Naomi Stanford Organization Design Consultant
Abstract The 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda includes 17 inter-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), each representing complex systems — such as climate, food, health, cities — with myriad stakeholders. Achieving progress on this agenda requires a departure from traditional top-down, hierarchical and linear approaches to implementing change. Instead, it requires innovative and adaptive approaches that engage Continue reading Systems Leadership for Sustainable Development Lisa Dreier, David Nabarro and Jane Nelson (September 2019)
To really work conversationally, I think, is potentially to be really open to the complexity of what being human is like. | Johnnie Moore Continue reading To Really Work Conversationally Johnnie Moore, 2023
Dave Snowden is a Welsh management consultant and researcher in the field of knowledge management. Known for the development of the Cynefin framework, he is the founder and chief scientific officer of The Cynefin Company, a Singapore-based management consulting firm specializing in complexity and sensemaking. I have known Dave for many years and follow his Continue reading Dave Snowden Management Consultant
A clear, succinct 5 minutes introduction to Dave Snowden’s Cynefin Framework by Jennifer Garvey Berger. Making Sense of Complexity – an introduction to Cynefin | Jennifer Garvey Berger Posts where this video is embedded Jennifer Garvey Berger Developmental coach and author The Cynefin Framework A conceptual framework to help make decisionsPeople: Jennifer Garvey Berger (1)Jennifer Garvey Berger Continue reading Making Sense of Complexity – an Introduction to Cynefin Jennifer Garvey Berger (2017)
Abstract Although innovation is one of the most commonly mentioned concepts in social science unintended undesirable consequences of innovation are rarely studied. This study does a literature review of all articles in the EBSCO database, with innovation in the title and which study undesirable consequences. We found only 26 such articles; 1 per 1000, a Continue reading Unintended and Undesirable Consequences of Innovation Karl-Erik Sveiby, Pernilla Gripenberg, Beata Segercrantz, Andreas Eriksson, Alexander Aminoff (2009)
Posts where this video is embedded Dave Snowden Management Consultant Exploring Uncertainty – the Role of Catalytic and Safe-to-fail Probes Essential Tools for Understanding and Influencing Complex SystemsPeople: Dave Snowden (1)Dave Snowden Management ConsultantPosts: Dave Snowden (6)Carpe Diem – Seize the Day Seize the day everyoneChanging People ** The challenge of trying to change peopleConversations Through the Continue reading How to Organize a Children’s Party Dave Snowden
Ralph Stacey is an organizational theorist and Professor of Management at Hertfordshire Business School, University of Hertfordshire, in the UK. Complexity and Paradoxes | Ralph Stacey WikipediaRalph StaceyYouTubeRalph StaceyGoogleRalph StaceyPosts: Ralph Stacey (3)Complex Responsive Processes Ongoing patterns of interaction between peopleConversations Are Complex Responsive Processes Conversations are dynamic, emergent interactions shaping organizational realityWe Humans Are Continue reading Ralph Stacey Professor of Management
Ted Cadsby is an author and researcher, writer and speaker on complexity and decision-making. I don’t know Ted and although he does not use the term Conversational Leadership, he does get close when he talks about Complex Leadership. He is one of a handful of people who are writing and talking about the power of Continue reading Ted Cadsby Author and researcher, writer and speaker on complexity and decision-making.
Listening to Learn | Jennifer Garvey Berger People: Jennifer Garvey Berger (1)Jennifer Garvey Berger Developmental coach and authorBooks: Jennifer Garvey Berger (3)Jennifer Garvey Berger Developmental coach and authorMaking Sense of Complexity – an Introduction to Cynefin Jennifer Garvey Berger (2017)Safe-to-fail Experiments Jennifer Garvey Berger (2018)Videos: Jennifer Garvey Berger (2)Making Sense of Complexity – an Introduction Continue reading Listening to Learn Jennifer Garvey Berger (2017)
In this book, Future Minds, Richard Yonck challenges our assumptions about intelligence — what it is, how it came to exist, and its place in the development of life on Earth and possibly throughout the cosmos. Taking a Big History perspective — over the 14 billion years from the Big Bang to the present and Continue reading Future Minds: the Rise of Intelligence From the Big Bang to the End of the Universe by Richard Yonck
Don’t pursue complex goals directly; adopt an oblique approach. Start by solving specific problems iteratively, remain open to serendipity, and adapt as circumstances change. Embrace uncertainty, see failures as learning opportunities, and trust that by keeping your values in focus, you’ll ultimately arrive at a rewarding destination, even if unexpected. Pursue Complex Goals Obliquelyaudio … Continue reading Pursue Complex Goals Obliquely Change Insight
Esko Kilpi was the founder and principal of Esko Kilpi Oy, a research and consultancy firm based in Finland working with the challenges of knowledge work and digital work environments. I knew Esko for many years and was particularly influenced by his thinking on the future of organizations and of work. I was so sad Continue reading Esko Kilpi Researcher and strategist
We have always struggled as human beings. But our struggle today is exacerbated by a gap between the increasingly complicated world we have created and the default ways we think about it. Twenty-first-century challenges are qualitatively different from those that generations of our ancestors faced, yet our thinking has not evolved to keep pace. We Continue reading Closing the Mind Gap: Making Smarter Decisions in a Hypercomplex World by Ted Cadsby (2014)
Abstract Many executives are surprised when previously successful leadership approaches fail in new situations, but different contexts call for different kinds of responses. Before addressing a situation, leaders need to recognize which context governs it -and tailor their actions accordingly. Snowden and Boone have formed a new perspective on leadership and decision making that’s based Continue reading A Leader’s Framework for Decision Making David J. Snowden and Mary E. Boone (2007)
Understanding the distinction between ‘complicated’ and ‘complex’ is crucial. This insight transforms our approach to problem-solving, highlighting that complicated problems need expert solutions, while complex issues require adaptive, emergent strategies. Complex Is Not the Same as Complictedaudio Complex Is Not the Same as ComplicatedWe tend to use “complex” to describe things that are actually … Continue reading Complex Is Not the Same as Complicated Change Insight
The sciences of complexity change our perspective and thinking. Perhaps, as a result we should, especially in management, focus more attention on what we are doing than what we should be doing. Following the thinking presented by the most advanced scientific researchers, the important question to answer is not what should happen in the future, but … | Esko Kilpi Continue reading The Sciences of Complexity Change Our Perspective and Thinking Esko Kilpi
There is a gap between the complicated world we have created and the default ways we think about it. We need greater complexity in our thinking to match the complexity in our world. | Ted Cadsby Continue reading A Complex World Demands Complex Thinking Ted Cadsby
Complex problems aren’t actually problems at all. They are non-determinate systems, systems that change based on how we engage with them. Push on one part of a complex problem and a different part will change the system. Healthcare, climate and technology systems are all complex problems. | Seth Godin Continue reading Complex Problems Aren’t Actually Problems at All Seth Godin
Ralph Stacey’s book, “Complex Responsive Processes in Organizations: Learning and Knowledge Creation,” delves into the intricacies of organizational dynamics, focusing on the interplay between human behavior, decision-making, and knowledge generation within complex systems. Drawing from complexity theory, Stacey explores how organizations are not merely static structures but evolving, adaptive entities shaped by the actions and Continue reading Complex Responsive Processes in Organizations: Learning and Knowledge Creation by Ralph Stacey (2001)
The world is fast-changing and increasingly more turbulent. Continue reading Introduction: Complexity The world is fast-changing and increasingly more turbulent
The Cynefin Framework categorizes problems into distinct domains. Understanding the difference between ‘complicated’ and ‘complex’ is critical. This clarity enhances decision-making and problem-solving strategies. Continue reading Complex Is Not the Same as Complicated We tend to use “complex” to describe things that are actually just complicated or challenging.
We live in a highly connected world where human, social, and technical complexity keeps increasing across organisations and societies everywhere. Attempts to control, simplify, or plan our way through it often fail and leave people disengaged. Conversational Leadership offers a practical response by using dialogue, shared responsibility, and participation to make sense and act together. Continue reading Introduction: Conversational Leadership Practice Areas Conversational Leadership Practice Areas
The book “Changing Conversations in Organizations” by Patricia Shaw explores a complexity-informed approach to organizational change that focuses on the self-organizing and emergent properties of conversation. Shaw suggests that real change happens through the ongoing, everyday conversations and interactions between people in organizations rather than through structured change programs or interventions designed and controlled by Continue reading Changing Conversations in Organizations: A Complexity Approach to Change by Patricia Shaw (2002)
We live in overlapping layers of meaning: personal, cultural, emotional, and historical. The challenge is that most data ignores this complexity, offering facts without context. Warm data provides a different approach: attending to the subtle, relational patterns that shape how things work and what truly matters in any situation. Continue reading Warm Data Understanding meaning through context, not just information
Business language often assumes the world is stable, measurable, and controllable. In complex contexts, words like maximize, minimize, and optimize quietly overclaim what can be known or achieved. A more honest approach treats decisions as hypotheses, focuses on direction rather than endpoints, and keeps learning open as situations change. Continue reading The Trouble with Optimization in a Complex World What maximizing and minimizing get wrong in complex contexts
This blook is not just about me. Numerous people, some living, some not, have understood the power of conversation, appreciated the complexity of the world, and have influenced my thinking. You will find the profiles of a few of these people here. The list below is a subset of these people, whose prime focus is Continue reading Complexity Thinkers It’s the fringe thinkers who change the world
Our political views resist neat categorization. Rigid ideological thinking reduces complexity and limits understanding. Embracing nuance and engaging thoughtfully with diverse perspectives enables more authentic political engagement. Continue reading The Complex Nature of Political Identity Beyond left and right
Nurturing an innovative culture goes beyond traditional management and control methods. Many initiatives fail by trying to enforce change through rigid directives, which can backfire. Instead, culture should be seen as emergent, evolving naturally through interactions, flexibility, and supportive environments where creativity can thrive. Continue reading Nurturing an Innovation Culture Allowing emergence, not imposing change
Distinguishing between complex systems and complex adaptive systems is essential. The challenge is that these terms are often used interchangeably. By understanding the key differences, we can better analyze and predict system behaviors in diverse domains. Continue reading Complex Systems and Complex Adaptive Systems ** Complexity
Traditional change management methods, with their rigid plans and fixed outcomes, often struggle in today’s complex, unpredictable environments. Dave Snowden’s Vector Theory of Change offers a more adaptable solution by focusing on setting a broad direction (vector) rather than a specific goal. Continue reading The Vector Theory of Change Navigating change in a complex world
What are complex adaptive systems? | James Watson Continue reading Complex Systems ** Many parts interacting with each other in multiple ways
Many of the systems we work with today comprise numerous interacting components that evolve over time. Traditional ways of analysing systems treat those parts as stable, separate, and predictable. A complex adaptive systems view shifts attention to interaction, emergence, and adaptation as the basis for understanding and action. Continue reading Complex Adaptive Systems ** Complexity
Organizations are dynamic entities shaped by the interactions and relationships of their members. Traditional systems thinking often fails to account for this complexity. Complex Responsive Processes offer an alternative approach, emphasizing local interactions, the emergence of patterns, and the importance of relationships to better understand organizational behavior and change. Continue reading Complex Responsive Processes Ongoing patterns of interaction between people
The Cynefin framework helps you make better decisions by helping you understand your situation/context and use an appropriate decision-making method. Continue reading The Cynefin Framework A conceptual framework to help make decisions
Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS) Overview Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS) are systems composed of many interacting components or agents that adapt or learn based on their interactions with each other and their environment. These systems exhibit emergent behavior, meaning that the collective behavior of the system is more complex than the sum of the behaviors of its individual parts. Key … Continue reading Complex Adaptive Systems Vs. Complex Responsive Processes ** Complexity
Conversations are a familiar part of daily life, yet their complexity often goes unnoticed. Beneath the surface, they function as complex, responsive processes, where participants continuously react and adapt to each other. By recognizing the sophisticated dynamics at play, we can better understand these everyday interactions. Continue reading Conversations Are Complex Responsive Processes Conversations are dynamic, emergent interactions shaping organizational reality
In today’s complex world, the ability to effectively navigate and respond to different situations and contexts is crucial. This is where the concept of dispositional states is particularly important. The world we live in is no longer neatly compartmentalized into simple, obvious contexts. Instead, we are constantly faced with intricate, interconnected systems and situations that exhibit complex … Continue reading Dispositional States ** Complexity
Emergence in a complex system refers to the phenomenon where new patterns, behaviors, or properties arise at the system level that cannot be easily predicted or explained by analyzing the system’s individual components in isolation. In other words, the system’s collective behavior is different from and often more complex than the sum of its parts. Key Features of Emergent Properties 1. … Continue reading Emergence in Complex Systems ** Complexity
Navigating complex systems requires innovative problem-solving approaches. Traditional linear methods often prove ineffective in unpredictable environments. Safe-to-fail probes offer a valuable tool for gaining insights, building resilience, and driving sustainable change through small-scale experiments. Continue reading Navigating Complexity with Safe-to-fail Probes The power of safe-to-fail probes
Navigating complexity requires experimental techniques. Catalytic probes stimulate system reactions, while safe-to-fail probes allow controlled failure. Both enable learning and adaptation through small-scale interventions in unpredictable environments. Continue reading Exploring Uncertainty – the Role of Catalytic and Safe-to-fail Probes Essential Tools for Understanding and Influencing Complex Systems
Navigating challenges is crucial, but the type of challenge matters greatly. There are two categories: technical challenges with known solutions and complex adaptive challenges that are messy, ambiguous, evolving, and require flexibility. Recognizing the distinction is essential for effective responses and meaningful outcomes. Continue reading Technical Challenges and Complex Adaptive Challenges Distinguishing between straightforward and complex challenges
Complex systems defy simplistic problem-solving. Rather than definitive solutions, we can only respond to the intricate web of interconnected elements. In a complex environment, there are no solutions, only an endless series of adaptive responses. Continue reading There Are No Solutions to Complex Challenges Only an endless series of adaptive responses
Unintended consequences are outcomes of an action that are not intended or foreseen. Most such consequences are undesirable. Continue reading Unintended Consequences In a complex system, every purposeful action produces unintended consequences
In an unpredictable world, achieving complex goals through direct methods often fails. Traditional, rigid planning can fall apart under changing circumstances. Embracing obliquity—an indirect, adaptive approach—leads to success by allowing flexibility, learning from failures, and focusing on meaningful pursuits. Continue reading Obliquity in a Complex World In a complex world, goals are often best achieved indirectly
Actor-network theory (ANT) deepens our understanding of complex systems by recognizing the role of non-human entities. However, focusing solely on these can overlook the role of human agency. By incorporating human interpretation and decision-making, ANT offers a richer, more nuanced view of how change unfolds in complex systems. Continue reading The Role of Human Agency Within Actor-network Theory Actor-network theory
Systemic intelligence refers to the emergent adaptive capacities that arise within complex systems composed of interacting components. It is the system’s ability to self-organize, adapt, and respond to dynamic conditions in its environment. Continue reading Systemic Intelligence The adaptive, self-organizing ability within complex systems
Understanding complexity in today’s world requires a new perspective. Traditional methods struggle with the deep interconnectedness of modern systems, leading to unpredictable outcomes. Embracing the concept of entanglement helps us navigate these complexities by recognizing the need for adaptive and integrated approaches. Continue reading From Enlightenment to Entanglement Adapting to the complexities of an interconnected world
Human history spans 200,000 years, marked by a significant shift from survival in the natural world to today’s entangled, complex socio-technical world. Our brains, shaped for simpler times, struggle to navigate this new complexity. To survive, we must adapt our thinking to better understand and manage the interconnected challenges of today’s world. Continue reading Two Worlds Learning to live in an entangled world
We often construct false narratives in complex situations to make the past seem predictable. This habit, called retrospective coherence, hides the actual uncertainty of past events. Understanding this bias allows us to see complexity more clearly and avoid oversimplifying decisions and outcomes. Continue reading Retrospective Coherence in a Complex World How oversimplified narratives distort the past and hinder decision-making
Rethink Change: In complex environments, change is not driven by individuals but by interaction. Plans fail when they ignore direction and the system’s readiness for what’s next. Real progress comes through shared movement, guided by interaction and small steps into the adjacent possible. Continue reading Rethink Change A Conversational Leadership Practice Area
Embrace Complexity: The world is increasingly unpredictable and interconnected. Traditional approaches to problem-solving often fail to address the uncertainty and emergence found in complex systems. By understanding complexity, we can respond more effectively with adaptive strategies that evolve alongside changing conditions. Continue reading Embrace Complexity A Conversational Leadership Practice Area
Strategy is often viewed as a plan to achieve a specific objective. But in a changing world, plans rarely work as expected. We need to view strategy as a flexible process that begins with the present, adapts to change, and evolves through incremental steps and a shared understanding. Continue reading Strategy in a Complex World Strategy is much more than a plan
In our hyperconnected world, complexity has surged, leading to heightened volatility, uncertainty, and ambiguity. This increased complexity poses significant challenges in predicting outcomes, planning for the future, and understanding global events. Continue reading Our World Is Complex It is a VUCA world
The world is changing in ways that are tangled and unpredictable. We continue to rely on habits of control and certainty that no longer work. To see more clearly, we need to understand why these old ways keep failing in the face of complexity. Continue reading Why Our Responses Fail the Metacrisis Our old ways of thinking and acting collapse under complexity
Life is short and uncertain, yet much of our thinking remains fixed on distant goals. The future is unpredictable, and plans often falter in the face of complexity. Paying attention to what is happening now may be the wiser path, acting in the present rather than waiting for the perfect moment. Continue reading Carpe Diem – Seize the Day Seize the day everyone
