Bill, complexity has not been studied in relationship to corporations
like it has in the other areas you mention at least in part because
the science is new and there is almost no rigor in any studies of
corporations comparable to those other fields. I suspect that there
is also an anit-corporate bias in the communities that do such
studies or at least an corporate blind spot.
The approach that I take to complexity (with Howard Sherman and
a few others) is that it refers to a way of understanding or making
sense of the world - not to the world itself. That is, it is a way
of speaking about the relationship of the world and human
intelligence or language.
In line with what you said, it is a way that provides a "deep
simplicity" which is not simplistic or reductionist.
The cause and effect of a complex understanding of the world is
emergence. This is in contrast to the linear, reductionist, single
cause and effect of classical science. (Emergent evolution was an
approach developed about 100 years ago - and traceable to Greek
thinking in 600 BC - that was a direct challenge to the cause and
effect thinking of classical Western science.)
The example of "just take care of the customers and the financials
will take care of themselves" is simplistic and can be dangerous.
That practice has led to some bankruptcy of significant companies.
The speaker Barry quoted was probably was using it intuitively in
the sense of complexity and emergence.
IBM, as an example of complexity and attractors, had a number and I
suggest it is more powerful to consider the interplay of those
elements rather than a single expression. IBM valued and
respected individuals, they demanded integrity in all things, they
made use of computers easy for the customers and they promoted
listening. That is not a bad set to create a robust presence in the
marketplace.
Michael McMaster : Michael@kbddean.demon.co.uk
book cafe site : http://www.vision-nest.com/BTBookCafe
Intelligence is the underlying organisational principle
of the universe. Heraclitus
--Michael McMaster <Michael@kbddean.demon.co.uk>
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>