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The Idea of Emergence

What is Emergence?

Emergence is THE central construct of the Complexity Perspective.

It is best thought of as a phenomenon of the context.

Emergence in the business context is the spontaneous creation of
something new.

How Emergence Works

Emergence is generated by the spontaneous interaction of

individual agents/actors each pursuing their own interests and seeking
to develop a synergy that creates something new (usually with
higher order functionality). Specifically:

Something ‘new’:

The dictionary definition of the term emergence
comes from the Latin word meaning ‘bring to
light’. In this sense, it means the process of
becoming visible or coming into existence. In its
most abstract and metaphorical sense, Emergence
describes the universal process of creation that is
both a fundamental and pervasive feature of our
world
Emergence, then, involves the creation of
something new that could not be expected from a
description of the parts prior to its creation.
Indeed, the 17th Century Latin meaning of the
word emergence meant something similar to
'unforeseen occurrence'.

Derived from Complexity Labs

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