Complexity Advantage

by Mary Ann Allison and Susanne Kelly

Published 1 January 1999
This text provides examples from multinational businesses to show readers concrete and practical methods, based on complexity theory, for solving practical business problems. The book also seeks to demonstrate how discoveries from the new sciences can help businesses and organizations get out of destructive practices, and embrace constructive ones. Traditional business management models have proved unsuccessful, according to the authors, including the well-mentioned "quality" and "empowerment" programmes. The book argues that in a world growing more complex, understanding complexity theory can make the difference. The text recommends specific business evolution methods and principles which use concepts from the new sciences to make business more effective and profitable.
Recommendations include: understanding key concepts from the new sciences and from higher mathematics; developing a practical working knowledge of people and businesses as complex adaptive systems; engaging a "few simple rules", simple and elegant, but not simple-minded; and adopting their "14 principles of business evolution", founded on an understanding of self-organizing systems and concepts from the new sciences.