The Complex Adaptive Organization
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The document discusses the need for organizations to evolve into complex adaptive organizations in order to effectively manage growth-induced changes and unpredictable economic conditions. It emphasizes the concept of 'complexity creep', which leads to rising costs and stagnant decision-making, and highlights key principles for transformation, such as self-organization and adaptive leadership. The piece also draws parallels with the dynamics of a marching band to illustrate how embracing complexity can lead to improved organizational efficiency and effectiveness.
The Complex Adaptive Organization
- 2. THE COMPLEX ADAPTIVE ORGANIZATION As enterprises and organizations grapple with growth-induced change and an unpre- dictable global economy, rigid and outmod- ed organizational processes and structures are ill equipped to deal with the complexities fostered by those changes. The answer is to transform into a complex adaptive organiza- tion.
- 3. DISCOVERING THE COMPLEX ADAPTIVE ORGANIZATION Methodologies that transform an organization into one that changes with its environment, adapts to unforeseen events, and makes complexity itself a sustainable, competitive advantage is said to be a complex adaptive organization.
- 4. COMPLEXITY CREEP Complexity creep is when complexity infiltrates organizations bit by bit in ways that are hidden or even ignored. This leads to stubborn rising costs, unmanageable unpredictability and uncertainty as well as stagnant decision making.
- 5. COMPLEXITY CREEP Complexity creep is when complexity infil- trates organizations bit by bit in ways that are hidden or even ignored. This leads to stubborn rising costs, unmanageable unpredictability and uncertainty as well as stagnant decision making. KEY PRINCIPLES TO DEVELOPING A COMPLEX ADAPTIVE ORGANIZATION Using applied complexity theory and complexity management, self-organization, and emergent behavior methodologies, businesses can start the transformation process to a complex adaptive organization.
- 6. EMBRACING THE NEW REALITY Our new global economic and cultural reality is one of serious shocks that are interdependent, complex and unpredictable. Solutions to the complexity issue come from embracing it, managing for it, and building systems to accommodate it and adapt to it rather than trying to remove it.
- 7. LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES Adaptive leadership traits are the engine that propels an organization’s transformation toward a Complex Adaptive Organization by creating an organizational culture of emergent behavior. This means among other methodologies, giving people and teams goals, a few parameters and some tools with the freedom to create their work environment and methods. This is opposed to outmoded, non-adaptive leadership structures that attempt to exert rigid control over people, processes, and technology in a futile attempt to constrain complexity.
- 8. WHY BAND KIDS GET IT A marching band that must learn and navigate complex performance parameters week after week serves as a perfect example of a com- plex adaptive organization. The shared traits they exhibit are: purpose, emergence, simple rules, leadership style, competency-based leadership, networks, feedback, flexible en- sembles and adaptability. If band kids get it, then those of us in businesses can surely em- brace and adapt to the complexity of the new business reality.
- 9. COMPLEXITY CREEP Complexity creep is when complexity infil- trates organizations bit by bit in ways that are hidden or even ignored. This leads to stubborn rising costs, unmanageable unpredictability and uncertainty as well as stagnant decision making. PARTNERING WITH MSS CAN YIELD BIG TRANSFORMATION By using careful and granular analysis and then holding up a mirror to organizations, we can collectively identify the challenges of complex organizations and the ways in which they are holding back your business. We can then provide the customized methodologies, processes and technology that build the clear structural change that transform people, processes and technology to create an adaptive complex organizational structure.
- 10. EVEN BIGGER REWARDS As a transformed organization that embraces change and complexity, you are structured to maximize efficiency through transformed processes, people, and technology in ways that create transparency, better communication and most importantly, a healthier bottom line and business structure.
- 11. ABOUT MSSN Are you interested in working for a business management consulting firm in one of the fastest growing cities in the country? If so, contact MSS – a top regional management consulting firm. To learn more about our service offerings, products and industry experience, or to have a MSS representative contact you directly, contact us online at MSSTech.com or call us at (877) 677-4636.