Harnessing ComplexityHarnessing Complexity will be indispensable to anyone who wants to better comprehend how people and organizations can adapt effectively in the information age. This book is a step-by-step guide to understanding the processes of variation, interaction, and selection that are at work in all organizations. The authors show how to use their own paradigm of "bottom up" management, the Complex Adaptive System-whether in science, public policy, or private commerce. This simple model of how people work together will change forever how we think about getting things done in a group."Harnessing Complexity distills the managerial essence of current research on complexity.…A very valuable contribution to the emerging theory of competition and competitive advantage."-C.K. Prahalad, University of Michigan, coauthor of Competing for the Future"A brilliant exposition that demystifies both the theory and use of Complex Adaptive Systems."-John Seely Brown, Xerox Corporation and Palo Alto Research Center |
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
Variation | 32 |
Interaction | 62 |
How Interaction Works | 68 |
External Methods of Changing Interaction Patterns | 78 |
Selection | 117 |
Conclusion | 152 |
References | 161 |
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Common terms and phrases
actions activation agents or strategies approach artifacts attributing credit attribution of credit barriers biological Carl Simon chapter Cohen Complex Adaptive Systems complex systems complexity research computer virus concepts conceptual space consequences context cooperation copying costs create criteria dynamics effective elements example exploitation exploration factors failures forkball framework genetic algorithm Grameen banking harnessing complexity ideas imitation important improvement increase Information Revolution interaction patterns interventions kind learning Linux measures of success mechanisms ment military natural selection neighborhood networks occur open source operating system organizations patterns of interaction performance measures physical space plex policy makers populations of agents possible prediction problem processes proximity recombining result Riolo risk Robert Axelrod selection self-organized criticality signal simulation social capital social design social systems spread tags teraction tion Tit for Tat tive trade-off types users variation variety virus