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.

Complex adaptive systems as metaphors for organizational management

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the concept of complex adaptive systems (CAS) from the perspective of managing organizations, to describe and explore the management principles in a case study of an organization with unconventional ways of management and to present a tentative model for managing organizations as CAS – system management. There is a need for the development of knowledge, metaphors and language for management of the new forms of organizing, for example, value networks, which are evolving as a response to the increased demand for efficiency, flexibility and innovation.Design/methodology/approach – The frame of reference is based on a literature review of the area of CAS and an inductive and interactive approach is used to identify the management principles in the case study.Findings – A classification of the components of a CAS is suggested and described as properties of, and approaches for, managing CAS. The identified management principles in the case study are: a clearly f...

Gaming and Simulation: Principles of a Science of Design

Abstract: The science of design deals with synthesis. It is both the world of engineering and the world of social construction of reality,as for example in education, policy making,or ganization, and management. Science is concerned with analysis and decomposition. Engineering and technology pay attention to natural objects: objects that refer to matter. Their claims about material artifacts are universal and therefore context independent. Constructionism deals with objects that are established by our practices. Both branches of the science of design emphasize the building metaphor of assembling parts,the systematic arrangements of elements,whic h become part of a whole. In this article,the author pays attention to organized complexity, especially to complex adaptive systems and their emergence from double interacts between individuals. The author elaborates on the idea of reflexive actors in social systems,faces of knowledge, and the interplay between design-in-the-large and design-in-the-small.

Effects of a Trust Mechanism on Complex Adaptive Supply Networks: An Agent-Based Social Simulation Study

Abstract: This paper models a supply network as a complex adaptive system (CAS), in which firms or agents interact with one another and adapt themselves. And it applies agent-based social simulation (ABSS), a research method of simulating social systems under the CAS paradigm, to observe emergent outcomes. The main purposes of this paper are to consider a social factor, trust, in modeling the agents' behavioral decision-makings and, through the simulation studies, to examine the intermediate self-organizing processes and the resulting macro-level system behaviors. The simulations results reveal symmetrical trust levels between two trading agents, based on which the degree of trust relationship in each pair of trading agents as well as the resulting collaboration patterns in the entire supply network emerge. Also, it is shown that agents' decision-making behavior based on the trust relationship can contribute to the reduction in the variability of inventory levels. This result can be explained by the fact that mutual trust relationship based on the past experiences of trading diminishes an agent's uncertainties about the trustworthiness of its trading partners and thereby tends to stabilize its inventory levels.

Complexity and food hubs: five case studies from Northern Ontario

Abstract: This paper reports findings from the Northern region of a province-wide initiative aimed at better understanding local food hubs in communities throughout the province of Ontario. Drawing on case studies of five key hubs in the emerging Northern local food system, we explore from the theoretical framework of complex adaptive systems theory the emergence and development of each hub as they collectively give shape to a regional local food system. This analysis focuses on the four phases of the adaptive cycle which describes the typical developmental sequence of complex systems and reveals how they emerge, self-organise, adapt to change and harness innovation for new cycles of growth within the shadow of the dominant food system.

Thinking about complexity in health: A systematic review of the key systems thinking and complexity ideas in health.

Abstract: Rationale, aims, and objectives As the Sustainable Development Goals are rolled out worldwide, development leaders will be looking to the experiences of the past to improve implementation in the future. Systems thinking and complexity science (ST/CS) propose that health and the health system are composed of dynamic actors constantly evolving in response to each other and their context. While offering practical guidance for steering the next development agenda, there is no consensus as to how these important ideas are discussed in relation to health. This systematic review sought to identify and describe some of the key terms, concepts, and methods in recent ST/CS literature. Method Using the search terms “systems thinkin * AND health OR complexity theor* AND health OR complex adaptive system* AND health,” we identified 516 relevant full texts out of 3982 titles across the search period (2002-2015). Results The peak number of articles were published in 2014 (83) with journals specifically focused on medicine/healthcare (265) and particularly the Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice (37) representing the largest number by volume. Dynamic/dynamical systems (n = 332), emergence (n = 294), complex adaptive system(s) (n = 270), and interdependent/interconnected (n = 263) were the most common terms with systems dynamic modelling (58) and agent-based modelling (43) as the most common methods. Conclusions The review offered several important conclusions. First, while there was no core ST/CS “canon,” certain terms appeared frequently across the reviewed texts. Second, even as these ideas are gaining traction in academic and practitioner communities, most are concentrated in a few journals. Finally, articles on ST/CS remain largely theoretical illustrating the need for further study and practical application. Given the challenge posed by the next phase of development, gaining a better understanding of ST/CS ideas and their use may lead to improvements in the implementation and practice of the Sustainable Development Goals.