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Complex adaptive system

About: Complex adaptive system is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 3190 publications have been published within this topic receiving 111947 citations. The topic is also known as: Complex adaptive system, CAS.


Papers
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The internal make‐up of eight organizations that saw their environment the same way – as rapidly changing, complex and requiring aggressive change strategies were examined – and the organizations pursuing a complexity absorption response outperformed those organizations with complexity reduction responses.
Abstract: This paper uses a complex adaptive systems view to examine two different organizational responses to turbulent, complex environments. We examined the internal make‐up of eight organizations that saw their environment the same way – as rapidly changing, complex and requiring aggressive change strategies. Half of these organizations chose a complexity absorption response to environmental turbulence, and half chose a complexity reduction response to environmental turbulence and complexity. The organizations pursuing a complexity absorption response outperformed those organizations with complexity reduction responses.

178 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A reflective change process that treats organizations as complex adaptive systems may help practices make sustainable improvements.

178 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A relationship-centered practice development approach to understand practice and to aid in fostering practice development to advance key attributes of primary care that include access to first-contact care, comprehensive care, coordination of care, and a personal relationship over time is presented.
Abstract: PURPOSE Numerous primary care practice development efforts, many related to the patient-centered medical home (PCMH), are emerging across the United States with few guides available to inform them. This article presents a relation- ship-centered practice development approach to understand practice and to aid in fostering practice development to advance key attributes of primary care that include access to fi rst-contact care, comprehensive care, coordination of care, and a personal relationship over time. METHODS Informed by complexity theory and relational theories of organiza- tional learning, we built on discoveries from the American Academy of Family Physicians' National Demonstration Project (NDP) and 15 years of research to understand and improve primary care practice. RESULTS Primary care practices can fruitfully be understood as complex adaptive systems consisting of a core (a practice's key resources, organizational structure, and functional processes), adaptive reserve (practice features that enhance resil- ience, such as relationships), and attentiveness to the local environment. The effectiveness of these attributes represents the practice's internal capability. With adequate motivation, healthy, thriving practices advance along a pathway of slow, continuous developmental change with occasional rapid periods of trans- formation as they evolve better fi ts with their environment. Practice development is enhanced through systematically using strategies that involve setting direction and boundaries, implementing sensing systems, focusing on creative tensions, and fostering learning conversations. CONCLUSIONS Successful practice development begins with changes that strengthen practices' core, build adaptive reserve, and expand attentiveness to the local environment. Development progresses toward transformation through enhancing primary care attributes.

173 citations

Book ChapterDOI
01 Jan 2008
TL;DR: This paper argues for a paradigm shift through the development and implementation of integrated and adaptive water management approaches.
Abstract: Numerous arguments have been put forward regarding the need for a major change in water resources management. In particular increasing awareness of the impacts of climate change has lead to the insight that water management must be become more flexible in order to deal with uncertainties and surprise. This paper argues for a paradigm shift through the development and implementation of integrated and adaptive water management approaches. Adaptive management is defined here as a systematic process for improving management policies and practices by learning from the outcomes of implemented management strategies.

173 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Recent theoretical developments in the philosophy of complexity theory provide a basis for gaining insight into the proposition that multi-project management is neither an extension nor a scaled up version of single project management.

166 citations


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Performance
Metrics
No. of papers in the topic in previous years
YearPapers
202336
202269
2021120
2020132
2019152
2018191