Complexity, Management and the Dynamics of Change

Our planet was not designed using command and control principles, yet they still underpin much of today's management practice. This approach is now 300 years behind the times! – Elizabeth McMillan

When I was searching for books in the theme of complexity science I stumbled upon this amazing book! As soon as I started reading it I could not stop… which is kind of rare when reading a book that is no novel or thriller.  This book is a definite recommendation. It offers a great foundation for Imagineering and other perspectives on the paradigm shift, which we have been discussing multiple times last year.

I present you:

Complexity, Management and Dynamics of Change

Challenges for practice

Author: Elizabeth McMillan

McMillan starts with a very clear introduction in which she explains the reason for writing the book and her view on the world and its organizations nowadays.

This book seeks to build a practical bridge between the world of science and the world of management. In McMillan’s opinion far too many books are based on a way of thinking that does not reflect the way the world actually works. This mindset (way of thinking) is especially unhelpful in the fast-paced globalized world of the twenty-first century. Books with those mindsets draw their materials on current best practice- and so they are only able to reflect what is already out there and happening. McMillan also states that these books have their roots in a worldview that developed over 300 years ago.

The historic timeline of organizations also provides the connecting thread throughout the book in which she explains why science became such a big deal and why control and command used to be the focus of organizations.

McMillan states ‘ So if there are few organizations out there that are truly successful when it comes to managing change, authors and managers are not left with many role models to consider and possibly emulate. Is there a danger that we may be endlessly repeating ourselves?’ You could say McMillan here states the emerging themes of Kim and Mauborgne. Blue ocean strategy for seeking new markets instead of existing, repeating markets. However, even in change, it is hard not repeating other successful companies in change.

What is in the book?

Complexity science is a new science that only emerged during the last half of the twentieth century and although it is now well accepted in the scientific community it had taken longer for it to make into the thinking and practice of other non-scientific communities, including business and management. Complexity science-derived ideas can impact upon the way you work on a daily basis and the way that organizations function and survive, and expect to function and survive.

What theme’s are in the book?

·      The outline of the historical relationship between science and organizations

·      Reviewing current perspectives on organizational change and best practice

·      Citing real-life examples of the use of complexity science ideas

·      Discussing issues, which may arise when using ideas from complexity

Keywords: Chaos theory, fractals, the butterfly effect, non-scientific, strange attractors, the edge of chaos, change models, single loop- double loop, self-organizing

Chapters:

·          The Clockwork manager

·          Complexity science

·          Change and the dynamics of change

·          Complexity in practice

·          Complexity in action: a case study of the open university

·          Self-organizing change dynamics

·          Essential principles

·          New perspectives, opportunities for innovation

The content:

McMillan is taking us to the historic Newtonian-Cartesian view of the world in which some organizations are still stuck, although they sometimes believe they are not. Too many managers and writers on management are still influenced by old ways of thinking. These ways of thinking are essentially laboratory based and while very useful for the hard sciences and the creation of new technologies, they are extremely unhelpful for dealing with the real, very volatile world of people and organizations that exists ‘outside the lab’.

Change is the underlying essence of life…

Sometimes we may thing that the world is a stable place but that is because we are not observing the implicate order, only the explicate order. The planet is, in fact, in a state of permanent change.  If we would think like Chinese and Greek philosophers then we would appreciate that nothing is fixed, nothing exist forever in a permanent state of being. Paradoxically, the only permanent thing in the universe is change.

We are human ‘becomings’ rather than human ‘beings’…

Doing things differently and introducing change, using complexity based principles. McMillan also provides the reader with a lot of extra interesting articles and books to read.  (See extra information).

Companies like Oticon, SEMCO, Sears, 3M, St. Luke’s and many other organizations are presented in the book.

How to change?

A manager considering change from a complexity standpoint will realize that it is pointless to attempt to control all the key variables in a given situation and will instead focus on what it is possible to know and understand. You will need to reflect ultimately on how they may best engage with the human dynamics of the organization and all their many complexities and nuances.

The practical side of complexity theory is also discussed in the last part of the book. Models that were used, workshops, frustrations of involved people and much more very insightful information are explained. It provides you with ideas, models and very use full information to analyze you own organization. It helps u to get to the ‘structured spontaneity’.

McMillan ends the book with very useful insights on leadership, Human Resource Management, innovation and the future of organizations.

Review: this book is very closely related to the Imagineering perspective. It covers the paradigm shift, chaos theory, leadership and self-organizing systems.

Pro: the book is an easy reader and is especially great if you need a basis for your organization to understand the dynamics of change.

Book reviewer Clint Witchalls wrote the following about this book; the problem with complexity science is that it spans a number of fields, including chaos theory, fractals, strange attractors and emergence. The mathematics is often abstruse, although, to McMillan’s credit, she gets these difficult ideas across without resorting to a single equation. But her advice to ‘practitioners’ is complexity-lite and often vague.

Con: I agree with this review of Clint and I think you should read this book to have your story complete and clear. For methods and theories that will help you further with the actual transformation within an organization or city you need to read extra books that match your situation and organization. Of course there is no holy grail on organizations and the world. Many other writers have other views and theories, which also need to be taken into account.

Remark: I was able to explain the book to my grandmother on the contrary had difficulties putting it into 1000 words. I am convinced this is partly because I am excited about the book, but mainly because Elizabeth writes to us in non-scientific words which makes it a lot easier to understand the complexity of the world and her organizations. Service-dominant logic has Vargo and Lusch, complexity theory has Elizabeth McMillan!

Speaking of the butterfly effect and self-organizing systems. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41QKeKQ2O3E&feature=related

Enjoy,


Carlijn

References:

•    McMillan, E. 2008. Complexity, Management and the Dynamics of Change.
•    Book review: Can science save the day? By Clint Witchalls: http://www.spectator.co.uk/books.
• Extra
•  http://www.elizabethmcmillan.co.uk/
• Article: Allen, P.M. (2001) ‘ a complex systems approach to learning in adaptive networks’.
•  Knowles, R.N. (2002) The leadership dance: Pathways to Extraordinary organizational effectiveness.
• McMillan, E. (2004) Complexity, Organizations and Change.