Complexity

Complexity Management

What is complexity?

There are a lot of definitions about complexity and even at the class we saw some of it, but I have created myself a definition according to all our discussions: My definition of Complexity is: “Complexity is a situation or a phenomenon composed by many interconnected elements where each change in one element affects the other related elements in a uncertain way causing a chain reaction and generating a high level of uncertainty.” And some people could think “Why is important to know the definition of complexity and study about it in a Business School?” A business school is a school for managers and leaders. We leaders deal with the uncertainty of complexity on a daily basis. The economy, the market and even the behavior of people in an organization are complex systems we must deal with. Complexity is the way the real world presents itself to our experience and although we cannot control complex systems, we can manage in some way these complex situations with the application of complex thinking to managerial purposes. The traditional approach to management does not consider complexity because it sees the things in a traditional linear perspective over simplifying the situations. This traditional approach works well in a past scenario (modernity/modernism), where changes were constant and always for the better, at that time there were little innovation and only a few points of creation. Today, the pace of changes is increasing and it’s not always for the better, science and technology are evolving in an incredible pace, where ethics and politics are not getting along. Deal with these changes is a major concern of many leaders. If the managers cannot control a complex system how they can manage in a Complex World? “We managers need to orchestrate like a conductor in a symphony orchestra.” And is not easy be a conductor, but there are many tools in which we could use to do this and I will try to summarize it below.