Corporation: An Intelligent Complex Adaptive System

Human Systems Management, a journal of the IOS press group, has published a special issue (23-2) titled "Corporation: An Intelligent Complex Adaptive System". It gives multiple examples of applications of complexity theory in business. I would just like to cite a paragraph out of the guest editorial of Prof Thow Yick Liang.

The paradigmatic shift in mindset is inevitable because of the focus has to be changed drastically.  For business organizations, the priority has to be changed from the traditional economic entities to the human mind, intelligence, knowledge, collective intelligence, and other intelligence associated attributes. For human organizations in general, the change is from a machine-like to a mind-like structure and dynamic.  Therefore, human relationships, organizational structures and economic and social dynamics are no longer the same.  The whole of humankind is moving into the core of the knowledge era, the intelligence era.

Comments

[Ramos sébastien]

The question is to know if the whole of humankind will have the possibility to acces to the knowledge. It's obvious the intelligence isn't a question of study. But those who don't have access to the comprehension keys of the environment of the world in which we live, these latter won't be able to participate to this intelligence era.

[Jérémy BREOT]

I don't agree with you Sébastien.

I think the article speaks about a general evolution. In fact, individually, it's sure that those who don't have access to the comprehension keys will be underprivileged.

But generally speaking, there are more and more communication means with the development of Internet for example (this blog is the best example): information has never been so easy to find and the culture is all the nearer.

Well, it's my opinion.

Jérémy

[Nicolas.Bouteiller]

jérémy,
I agree with you when you say that information has been developed those last 10 years ( particularly thanks to internet). More and more people can pick informations from these new ways of communication.
But what about culture?
Nowedays, everybody can go on internet to see informations on what they are interested in. but what we call culture (books, art, news of the world) isn't the main objective of the majority of people who go on internet.
by this explication i just whant to make understand that even if communication has been developed, the quality of information is not really better.
This depends on people..
nico

[Mathias]

I can sort of feel, what the author means by saying: Things are not the same no more...
We realize step by step that something "horrible" is happening. It is like losing ones virginity (sometimes more, sometimes less voluntarily):
We slowly discover that all these nice, rather mechnic models based on causal logic, these recipes used to deal with the (complex)world, lose their security spending warmth. We are free- falling into the unknown, and we see that our tools don´t fit the problems to be solved. In fact, it is the expansion of our minds towards a new reality.
Why?
It is difficult to explain why, and i guess it´s the law of synchronizity in action: At a certain point of time, mankind seems to collectively realize that there is a new truth.Inventions are curiousely not made exclusively by one inventor, but there is evidence that similar ideas are developped all over the world at the same time.
There are even more creative and "bright" epoches (the old greece) followed by darker ones (medieval time), and evolution seems to be unlinear.
Right now we have entered a new era in which the "old" mechanical model that has a taste of "Newton- ism" (my own word creation, hope it´s understandable)seems to have had its best days, and now we want to eat something with different spices. We understand the world more and more as an organic interdependent system with too many causes, reactions and interrelations- the chirurgical dissection of events into cause- result relationships has proven to be insufficient. We try to set the framework for a more holistic approach and leave our well known territory for an adventure.
this is why things are not the same no more, and
we should be prepared for rough but exciting surprises...

[Carole Mallet]

This article reminds me that throughout the generations people need to know more and more because the world is constantly innovating from a technical point of view.
Human possibilities are the same but more and more knowledge is required that's why more studies are needed for young people to understand the society and be attractive for companies.

Now, the development of communications; such as internet which is a tremendous radical innovation; made the companies deal with an environment in constant and rapid evolution.The synchronisation of all these new elements make companies live in a complex environment where social and human relationship are more and more important.

Knowledge and mechanism era is probably the basis for a new step based on a more new organisational mind and dynamic vision.

I do agree with you Mathias.
Actually,The "law of dynamic synchronizity in action" (thank you Mat) makes it really hard to guess where new elements and trends can lead us.

[Bartosz]

I do agree that for business organizations, the priority will be to the human mind, intelligence, knowledge, collective intelligence.
Actually, there is another analysis made in 1958 by Herbert Simon and Allen Newell. That analysis has shown that 50 years ago, there were theories that explained that the world would be increasingly automated. The theory of Heuristic thought that even the human behavior could be simulated by digital computer. And it was true that some program could do it (ex: the digital chess player)... At that time, that authors thought that one day even the decision makers (the executives) would be replaced in the companies because of the computers' ability to lean the human behavior...But that has never happened. I think that as the environnement is increasingly complex, the human mind is more difficult to simulate. There is no doubt that more and more tasks in business will be replaced by machines (production, logistics...). But the added-value will always be the human mind.
The problem is that I think that there will be fewer human minded required (but at a highest level)...
And today, there is no doubt that even if the information has never been so rich, everybody doesn't benefit from this because it is a matter of skills. For example, everybody has an acces to internet today but on 80% Use it only for Emails !!!
So if we are in the era of intelligence, the percentage of people really hired for their intelligence in business organizations hasn't increased. I just think that we are just in a progress cycle that is logical. Human minds and intelligence have always been important in all organization. Today, there is just a rise of the average knowledge and skills.

[LEROUX]

At first, I think it is relevant to take into consideration the human ressources. Human has a big value which can be exploited by the business world. We mustn't forget, to my mind, that human values is the first step toward action.

Companies should highlight human minds and intelligence in order to become more reactive and more adaptative, sensitive to the shift in the mood in the business world.

Consequently, everybody should try to acceed to the knowledge. But it implies that we stay all the time aware of the knowledge evolution, because the knowledge is evoluting so fast.

[Manu Bey]

This reflexion about the evolution of human knowledge is very interesting and deserves to be highlighted.

I agree that there are many innovations that enable people to acces to knowledge (internet, development of education systems everywhere in the world even if it is very restricted in some countries).
However, I am a little bit pessimistic about one thing. The develpment of knowledge is nowerdays focused on commercialism, technologic innovations. People are not innovating to really develop our knowledge but to sell more and more products. Our system need innovation to grow but it has bad consequences on our minds.I speak about materialism, people only considered as potential consumers... Our goal is to manage to be efficient in what we do (at work) keeping in mind that all of us have got a role to develop humankind. (what a complex thing!)

[Emmanuel NORVEZ]

I totally agree with you Manu. Indeed it's a thing to take into consideration the fact that we are embedded agent, that the holistic point of view provides key to understand the world.
Nevertheless, having a "complex" way of thinking is very different from making society choice.
Even if
The paradygm of complexity might help us to do the right choice.

[Marc Fleury]

I am not totally agree with you Manus. In fact, it's true that culture is under the dictature of consumption and profitability. But new ways of share of knowledge and culture are being set up : get a look at http://fr.wikipedia.org. It's an encyclopeadia written by... everybody who wants to write an article ! You can add a new definition of a term, or correct, update a old definition, etc... The concept of wiki (everybody can change the page he's viewing) is very important to my mind : we can share in real time our knowledges, and bring our brick to the huge building. And the results are here : Wikipedia is actually the most important encyclopaedia in the world (see http://linuxfr.org/comments/469274.html#469274). Maybe it's the new way of innovation for humanity, and I hope it represents the future of our social life : share in a spirit of non-profitability ; share with the only goal to... share.

[Emmanuel NORVEZ]

why not sharing more and more especially when we talk about knowledge.
Nevertheless i'm not sure that Wikipedia is a so huge intellectual building. First of all,we do not always measure the quality of a concept, a creation by the number of its adherants.
Then, from a holistic point of view, it's the whole group in his environement that must be considered and not only the sum of its individuals. Thus the sum of all those individual ideas which contributes to describe a word, a concept is maybe far from reality.
But from the other side the reality might be not unique ;-)
And to be honest i like the website...

[Praful MENDAPARA]

Author says that “Human organizations in general, the change is from a machine-like to a mind-like structure and dynamic”

But if we think about reality, is it right? No doubt whole of humankind is moving towards the core of knowledge era. But now already we are habituate for computers and specially internet for knowledge and other machines to make our daily life easy. Can you imagine life without machines? So tell me up to which limits it’s right to say “for human organizations in general, the change is from a machine-like to a mind-like structure and dynamic”.

[RATHOD Priyen]

As per my opinion,
Its 21st century,its an era of knowledge and intellegence. Without it difficult to position oneself in this dymanic market.

The conditions are not more static,both human mind creativity and todays information system brings new discovery everyday. Invention is no more stick to scientists.

Complicated information can be available with one mouse click,hence its an era of rising sun which lighten the human minds,society and way of living.

But as moving towards new era, we have to sustain our culture (that's what our ancient gifted us).

i agree with above paragraph.

Priyen

[Neeraj Dabral]

A Complex Adaptive System is one that not only self organises, but has the capacity to direct its activity towards its own optimisation. It is poised between order and chaos.
We humans and our identity are Complex Adaptive Systems, with the ability to respond to our environment and developing strategies to continually improve our fitness both mentally and physically. Human civilization continues to face internal and environmental challenges.
In this context it is important to recognize that the complexity of a system's behavior is fundamentally related to the complexity of challenges that it can effectively overcome. Historic changes in the structure of human organizations are self-consistently related to an increasing complexity of their social and economic contexts. Further, the collective complexity of human civilization is directly relevant to its ability to effectively respond to large scale environmental challenges.
Humans are the epitome of the belief called “survival of the fittest”. Humans have already entered into the era of knowledge and intelligence. Today the world is changing and becoming highly competitive arena to survive in. The corporate world today has a watchword that goes like you come out with something new, useful and competitive or find yourself extinct. Intelligence, information, knowledge and adaptability are some of the weapons in vogue today in the corporate world for corporate sustenance.
Well the only thing constant is the ‘Change’ and human relationships, organizational structures and economic and social dynamics are not exception to this fact. Hence, I do agree with Prof Thow Yick Liang about this changing world.