[go: up one dir, main page]
IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/inm/ororsc/v10y1999i3p278-293.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Through the Looking Glass of Complexity: The Dynamics of Organizations as Adaptive and Evolving Systems

Author

Listed:
  • Benoit Morel

    (Department of Engineering and Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213)

  • Rangaraj Ramanujam

    (Graduate School of Industrial Administration, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213)

Abstract
This paper examines how organization theory can benefit from advances made in the interdisciplinary field of complex systems theory (CST). Complex systems theory is not so much a single theory as a perspective for conceptualizing and modeling dynamic systems. The field of complexity is described in terms of the characteristics of systems that are typically the subject of its study, the type of analytical tools used by researchers in this field, and the recurring paradigms that characterize this research perspective. The concepts of self-organized criticality and self-organization and their relevance to organizational studies are examined. The potential usefulness of these concepts is illustrated in the context of organizational evolution and social network analysis. An alternative model of organizational evolution, based on biological evolution, is proposed and propositions are developed. Unlike traditional models for organization, this model does not rely on an algorithm of optimization of a fitness function. The problem of self-organization is approached from the viewpoint of random graph theory and is applied to the analysis of social networks. Finally, important issues in using concepts from the field of CST are discussed. It is suggested that the immediate benefits of CST may be as a framework that facilitates conceptual elaborations and encourages formal modeling; both activities may provide fresh and deep insights into organizational phenomena.

Suggested Citation

  • Benoit Morel & Rangaraj Ramanujam, 1999. "Through the Looking Glass of Complexity: The Dynamics of Organizations as Adaptive and Evolving Systems," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 10(3), pages 278-293, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:ororsc:v:10:y:1999:i:3:p:278-293
    DOI: 10.1287/orsc.10.3.278
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/orsc.10.3.278
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1287/orsc.10.3.278?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Cohen, Michael D., 1984. "Conflict and Complexity: Goal Diversity and Organizational Search Effectiveness," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 78(2), pages 435-451, June.
    2. Daniel A. Levinthal, 1997. "Adaptation on Rugged Landscapes," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 43(7), pages 934-950, July.
    3. Yu-Ting Cheng & Andrew H. Van de Ven, 1996. "Learning the Innovation Journey: Order out of Chaos?," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 7(6), pages 593-614, December.
    4. Ralph D. Stacey, 1995. "The science of complexity: An alternative perspective for strategic change processes," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 16(6), pages 477-495.
    5. R. A. Thiétart & B. Forgues, 1995. "Chaos Theory and Organization," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 6(1), pages 19-31, February.
    6. Benoit Mandelbrot, 2015. "The Variation of Certain Speculative Prices," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Anastasios G Malliaris & William T Ziemba (ed.), THE WORLD SCIENTIFIC HANDBOOK OF FUTURES MARKETS, chapter 3, pages 39-78, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    7. Kathleen Carley, 1992. "Organizational Learning and Personnel Turnover," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 3(1), pages 20-46, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Bill McKelvey, 1999. "Avoiding Complexity Catastrophe in Coevolutionary Pockets: Strategies for Rugged Landscapes," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 10(3), pages 294-321, June.
    2. Monika Winn & Manfred Kirchgeorg & Andrew Griffiths & Martina K. Linnenluecke & Elmar Günther, 2011. "Impacts from climate change on organizations: a conceptual foundation," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(3), pages 157-173, March.
    3. Goldsmith, Peter D. & Salvador, Antonio & Knipe, Dar & Kendall, Elaine, 2002. "Structural Change Or Logical Incrementalism? Turbulence In The Global Meat System," 2002 Annual meeting, July 28-31, Long Beach, CA 19704, American Agricultural Economics Association (New Name 2008: Agricultural and Applied Economics Association).
    4. Faggini, Marisa & Parziale, Anna, 2011. "Fitness landscape and tax planning: NK model for fiscal federalism," MPRA Paper 33770, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    5. Sendil K. Ethiraj & Daniel Levinthal, 2009. "Hoping for A to Z While Rewarding Only A: Complex Organizations and Multiple Goals," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 20(1), pages 4-21, February.
    6. Kevin J. Dooley & Andrew H. Van de Ven, 1999. "Explaining Complex Organizational Dynamics," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 10(3), pages 358-372, June.
    7. Zi-Lin He & Poh-Kam Wong, 2004. "Exploration vs. Exploitation: An Empirical Test of the Ambidexterity Hypothesis," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 15(4), pages 481-494, August.
    8. John C. Butler & Jovan Grahovac, 2012. "Learning, Imitation, and the Use of Knowledge: A Comparison of Markets, Hierarchies, and Teams," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 23(5), pages 1249-1263, October.
    9. Thomas Keil & Rita Gunther McGrath & Taina Tukiainen, 2009. "Gems from the Ashes: Capability Creation and Transformation in Internal Corporate Venturing," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 20(3), pages 601-620, June.
    10. Accard, Philippe, 2015. "Complex hierarchy: The strategic advantages of a trade-off between hierarchical supervision and self-organizing," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 33(2), pages 89-103.
    11. Bill McKelvey & Benyamin B. Lichtenstein & Pierpaolo Andriani, 2012. "When organisations and ecosystems interact: toward a law of requisite fractality in firms," International Journal of Complexity in Leadership and Management, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 2(1/2), pages 104-136.
    12. Qu, Guannan & Chen, Jin & Zhang, Ruhao & Wang, Luyao & Yang, Yayu, 2023. "Technological search strategy and breakthrough innovation: An integrated approach based on main-path analysis," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 196(C).
    13. Luigi Marengo & Corrado Pasquali, 2012. "How to Get What You Want When You Do Not Know What You Want: A Model of Incentives, Organizational Structure, and Learning," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 23(5), pages 1298-1310, October.
    14. Philip Anderson, 1999. "Perspective: Complexity Theory and Organization Science," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 10(3), pages 216-232, June.
    15. repec:dau:papers:123456789/3109 is not listed on IDEAS
    16. Luigi Marengo & Corrado Pasquali, 2010. "How to get what you want when you do not know what you want. A model of incentives, organizational structure and learning," LEM Papers Series 2010/08, Laboratory of Economics and Management (LEM), Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy.
    17. Shelley D. Dionne & Hiroki Sayama & Francis J. Yammarino, 2019. "Diversity and Social Network Structure in Collective Decision Making: Evolutionary Perspectives with Agent-Based Simulations," Complexity, Hindawi, vol. 2019, pages 1-16, March.
    18. repec:dau:papers:123456789/13444 is not listed on IDEAS
    19. Chang, Myong-Hun & Harrington, Joseph Jr., 2006. "Agent-Based Models of Organizations," Handbook of Computational Economics, in: Leigh Tesfatsion & Kenneth L. Judd (ed.), Handbook of Computational Economics, edition 1, volume 2, chapter 26, pages 1273-1337, Elsevier.
    20. Kent D. Miller & Shu-Jou Lin, 2015. "Analogical reasoning for diagnosing strategic issues in dynamic and complex environments," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(13), pages 2000-2020, December.
    21. Goldsmith, Peter D. & Kane, Samuel, 2002. "The Farm Business Environment and New Generation Cooperatives as an Innovation Strategy," 2002 Annual Meeting, November 13 31826, NCERA-194 Research on Cooperatives.
    22. Jerker Denrell & James G. March, 2001. "Adaptation as Information Restriction: The Hot Stove Effect," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 12(5), pages 523-538, October.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:inm:ororsc:v:10:y:1999:i:3:p:278-293. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Chris Asher (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/inforea.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.