Emergence vs. Planned Change Deliberate vs. Emergent Strategy Organization / Control vs. Self-organization Fish / birds / termites Organizational whirlpools The economy?

Four “Logics of Change” 1) Autopoesis 2) Complexity Theory 3) Mutual Causality 4) Dialectics

Autopoesis Egocentric organizations Survival must always be with, not against, the environment Example: depletion of fish stocks

Complexity Theory Attractor patterns Self-reinforcement holds systems in place Edge-of-chaos situations can flip patterns Small changes = BIG effects

Ideas from Complexity for Guiding Change 1.Rethinking Organization 2.Managing Context 3.Using Small Changes to Create Large Effects 4.Emergence is Natural 5.Open to Self-organization

Mutual Causality Positive and Negative Feedback Loops Deviation amplifying and stabilizing loops Understand the system, not just linear cause and effect Intervention

Dialectics Yin and Yang Symmetry / balance Solving one problem contains the seeds of the next problem: Greiner’s model Managing paradox Creative destruction

Organizational Life Cycle ORGANIZATION STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT 1. Entrepreneurial Stage 2. Collectivity Stage 3. Formalization Stage 4. Elaboration Stage Crisis: Need to deal with too much red tape Crisis: Need for delegation with control Crisis: Need for leadership Creativity Provision of clear direction Addition of internal systems Development of teamwork Crisis: Need for revitalization Decline Continued maturity Streamlining, small-company thinking SIZESIZE Large Small Sources: Adapted from Robert E. Quinn and Kim Cameron, “Organizational Life Cycles and Shifting Criteria of Effectiveness: Some Preliminary Evidence,” Management Science 29 (1983): 33-51; and Larry E. Greiner, “Evolution and Revolution as Organizations Grow,” Harvard Business Review 50 (July-August 1972):

Management and Emergent Change Powerless power A loss of control or a loss of perceived control? Shaping patterns instead of planning Understanding limits of control & points of intervention