Complex Adaptive Systems: Who's doing it?
Hub Member Bren just asked me if anyone in The Hub knows of an organization or organizations that use theories of Complex Adaptive Systems (or Intelligent Complex Adaptive Systems) to help 'run' and 'lead' the organization. I put 'run' and 'lead' in inverted commas, because the very basis of the theory behind all this is that you don't lead or run an organization in the traditional sense when you recognize that it is a complex adaptive system.
The Hub itself is meant to be a complex adaptive system, actually, in that weak forces or weak links become stronger over time as members connect with each other or particular areas of The Hub get most traffic (the Inspire Me Group and the Book Club are examples of areas of The Hub where initially weak forces became strong, as they are the most popular parts of The Hub).
The Internet, the world's ecology, fast-changing military situations are all examples of Complex Adaptive Systems. Increasingly, organization-think based on simple cause and effect eg "The leader says 'do this' and so this gets done and it achieves the desired effect" is just too crude to explain & anticipate the complex web of forces that act on any organization or situation.
Surowiecki's book The Wisdom of Crowds, Gary Klein's book on decision-making, 'Souces of Power', even sections of Malcolm Gladwell's book Blink all feed into the thinking on Complex Adaptive Systems (particularly if we include that people - how they make decisions and interact - are a great source of complexity and so instinct, gut reactions, etc. stuff is relevant).
The sharpest thinker I know on Complex Adaptive Systems is Dave Snowden, whose thinking I sometimes read, as Johnnie Moore often points in his direction. We used some of Dave Snowden's thinking to help us shape The Hub initially as an 'emergent community' - One where the way people use it and interact with it shapes the community itself; using it 'builds' it, if you will. I think, in practice, we may have ended up just confusing a lot of people.
I've added as an attachment a Powerpoint on learning in ICAS model organizations that is interesting and helps clarify what a complex adaptive system is. (Click on the blue ppt link, below). Â
Anyway, what organizations are putting the theory of Complex Adaptive Systems into practice? That's what Bren wants to know.
Do you know of any? All input gratefully received. Just use the Comment area, below.
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Yahoo| Attachment | Size |
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hi!
i've been constructing some workshop exercises around resilience and adaptability in complex systems, in helping organisations to integrate sustainability strategies into business strategy.  A couple of really useful sources of information i have found are:
 "the resilience aliance". headed by Buzz Holling among others
http://www.resalliance.org/1.php
 and a "world of possibilities" who recently ran a conference in Stockholm, Sweden, entitled "Resilience: adaptation and transformation in turbulent times".Â
http://www.aworldofpossibilities.com/details.cfm?id=328
I know that Crawford Stanley (Buzz) Holling is looking to work with bright leaders in organisations to further research and better understand adaptability in evolving complex systems. He is a globally respected and one of the conceptual founders of ecological economics.
Good luck. I hope this helps.
oli
CAS - potential organizations
CAS is probably used in organizations that are adapting the "Agile Software Development methods", places like Rallydev.com, PatientKeeper and Richard Sheridan's company, http://www.menloinnovations.com/founders/sheridanbio.htm
Agile methods such as Scrum have many of the CAS attributes built into them and as a result the organization has to have adaptation built into its operations.
Dan
Holonics
Hi there,
I am involved in this. In particular, I am putting a lot of research and development through Holonics. Much of that research was developed for the sake of creating man-made systems that can exhibit the same adaptive charactersitic living systems show under pressure. In a nutshell, the research incorporates everything from quantum mechanics to manufacturing systems. The basic idea is to break things down into component cells and understand how they self-organize to form complex adaptive systems. Two essential attributes have been defined that serve as a great starting point- autonomy and cooperation.
I relate to your interest. I'm applying my study of holonics to social networking applications and wiki knowledge base development. Regarding Bren's question, I would be interested to know of any organizations that are living up to the pure definition. If there are none known now, I expect they will start to be recognized soon enough. I will also posit the distinction of a business as self-contained and all inclusive may be outdated. The question may be more relevantly addressed by asking, "What businesses are driven or driving complex adaptive systems?"
Consequently, even those involved with Holonics research have pretty much branched off in other directions applying aspects of the research in their inventory of tools to solve dynamic business challenges. CAS or Holonic Systems research can really get into the deep end of science and math which are hard for most people to "get". I think more attention right now is going into computer based intelligent controls. However, the applicability to social systems including business remains understated. Check the news on some of the movements going on in the higher order natural sciences. The people who really have an understanding of the nuts and bolts of complexity are starting to move over to social sciences.
I thought I'd add an interesting notion I recently covered in my research. In biological systems, internal management can be driven by enzyme signals and qeues generated and received from local states almost anywhere in the system. However, when external requirements/ problems come into play, central nervous systems can kick into gear.
Consider fractal organization systems where the lower tier hierarchies develop a cross-functional balance of auotonomy and cooperation. From the bottom up, most management requirements are met as a matter of necessary probability. Only when special functions needs arise that are not supported by that self-organization, do the higher tier or specialized management functions emerge...so "running" or "leading" a CAS model might be more likely found as an adaptation after the fact.
Best,
Anthony Reardon
CEO/ Imagineer
Nascent Dynamics ( ) Modern Business for the Modern Environment