The seeds for complexity science have been
around for a long time. The founding parents of complexity science were often far ahead of
their time. Why is now the right time for complexity science? More specifically, why is
this the time for complexity science studies of human organizations? Turbulence,
change, adaptability and connectedness are not new to the late 20th century. There are at
least four reasons why now is the time for complexity science:
The first three reasons
will be outlined briefly in this section. The last reason, the compression of space and
time, will be described in the next section.
Complexity science is a direct challenge to the dominance of the machine metaphor. Since
Newton, the machine metaphor has been used as the lens to make sense of our physical and
social worlds, including human organizations. The machine metaphor has been a powerful
force in creating manufacturing, medical and organizational advances. However, its limits
are now becoming more obvious. It is as if we have collectively learned all we can from
the machine metaphor and will continue to use that knowledge where appropriate. But we
have more and more instances where the machine metaphor is simply not helpful. For
example, it does not explain the emergent aspects of an organization's strategy or the
evolution of an industry. Complexity science, with its focus on emergence,
self-organization, inter-dependencies, unpredictability and nonlinearity provides a useful
alternative to the machine metaphor.
In addition to changing
the metaphor to interpret events, complexity science is gaining momentum because of the
coming together of biology and technology. Biologists are using technology to understand
biology, for example, in biotechnology. Computer technologists are using biology to create
computer software which has some life-like characteristics. Without the technological
advancements, due in part from the machine metaphor, we would
not be able to replicate nature's fractal forms, or understand the implicit process rules
that allow flocks of birds to move as one, or explain the chaotic heart rates of healthy
humans. Complexity science is understandable to us now because of both the advances in
technology and the increased respect for biological lessons.
Complexity science brings together the two solitudes of micro-studies and macro-analysis.
For example, the micro studies of the human genome and the macro studies of evolutionary
biology are coming together with complexity science. The lessons from the micro studies
are informing the macro analysis and the lessons from the macro studies are informing the
micro. This second learning - the macro informing the micro - has been underplayed in our
search for applying Newtonian scientific thinking to life. A Newtonian perspective
suggests that the parts can explain the whole. Therefore, the quest is to study the parts
in greater and greater detail. Complexity science suggests that the whole is not the sum
of the parts. Emergent properties of the whole are inexplicable by the parts. In
complexity, studies of natural and human systems are explained by both kinds of analysis -
micro (or analysis of the parts) and macro (or holistic analysis).
Bibliography
Gell-Mann:
Quark
Wilson:
Naturalist
Murray Gell-Mann, a Nobel Prize winner, discovered and named the quark - clearly a study of micro parts. But his journey of discovery into the tiniest parts led him to a path of holistic understanding and an appreciation for ecology. His book "The Quark and the Jaguar" exemplifies this coming together of the appreciation of the micro and macro analysis. E.O. Wilson, a renowned biologist, argued that we are seeing the confluence of the two major foundations of biology: (1) the molecular basis of life, and (2) the evolutionary basis for human (and ecosystem) behavior. This has profound impacts on both clinical and organizational aspects of health care. Some health care interventions are seen to be context dependent - we cannot explain the micro functioning without understanding the macro context. Community health impacts the well-being of the individuals within the community. Complexity provides us with the opportunity to look at problems with multiple perspectives, studying the micro and macro issues and understanding how they are interdependent.
This section provided some
explanations for the complexity science movement in the physical and natural sciences. But
there is an additional explanation for its power in social systems - the compression of
time and space. The next section describes this seemingly esoteric issue. Some readers may
not feel the need to understand the roots of complexity from this perspective and may skip
ahead to the section which addresses the paradoxes of complexity.
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All Components of Edgeware Primer Copyright © 2000, Brenda J. Zimmerman.
Schulich School of Business, York University, Toronto, Canada.
Permission to copy for educational purposes only. All other rights reserved.