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The Idea of a “Complexity
Perspective”
What is the Complexity Perspective?
A Complexity Perspective from a business viewpoint is a generic
insight into the implications for businesses of being embedded in a
constantly evolving context.
If we had to summarize in a more lofty
fashion, the Complexity Perspective
is about the dynamics of the way the world
‘becomes’. The Complexity Perspective is
about how the business context is in a
constant state of Emergence and the effect
that has on business survival and success.
Complexity theory, which underpins the
Complexity Perspective is comprised of at
least six major constructs that operate
together to create the business context
to which organizations must adapt or die.
The dynamic nature of complex contexts leads to outcomes that are
not necessarily predictable; there is no linear connection between an
apparent cause and an apparent effect. This means that interventions
by business leaders can lead to unintended consequences both
positive and negative. A corollary to this is that complex
contexts are difficult to forecast, but by understanding the underlying
dynamics a leader can make intuitive sense of what is happening.
The Complexity Perspective uses Complexity Theory constructs as
metaphors. It is useful in the fields of strategic
management and organizational studies, and lies (largely
unacknowledged) behind many theories in economics, organizational
behavior, sociology, and political theory.
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