Complexity science posits that organisations are complex adaptive systems, which implies seven key changes to traditional organisational thinking. Firstly, planning and control are less effective due to the system’s unpredictable nature. Instead, enabling constraints should be set to guide behaviour. Secondly, the system’s emergent nature means that outcomes cannot be directly controlled, but the conditions that foster desirable outcomes can be influenced.
Thirdly, cause and effect are not linear or predictable. This necessitates a shift from ‘managing’ to ‘stewarding’ and from ‘directing’ to ‘nudging’. Fourthly, diversity is a strength, not a weakness. It fosters resilience and innovation. Fifthly, the focus should be on relationships and interactions, not individual parts.
Sixthly, learning and adaptability become crucial for survival. Organisations need to be ‘safe to fail’ rather than ‘fail-safe’. Finally, leadership is about influence, not control. Leaders should set direction and boundaries, but also allow freedom within those boundaries. This approach to complexity in organisations challenges traditional management thinking and requires a fundamental shift in mindset.
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