Complexity and Creativity in Organizations
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Complexity and Creativity in Organizations

Ralph D. Stacey
Berrett-Koehler, 1996
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Editorial Rating

8

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  • Innovative

Recommendation

Organizations are adaptive structures that respond creatively to changing circumstances. This responsive evolution takes place on an official, surface level, and also on a deeper, personal level composed of interactions between people. So says Ralph D. Stacey, who combines insights from psychoanalysis, behavioral research, the new science of complexity and other disciplines to suggest ways for your organization to become better at learning and adapting. While the basic concepts of complexity theory presented in this book are steadily gaining popularity, the actual complexity of the book’s content might make it difficult for non-experts to follow. Although the book’s tight organization keeps chaos at bay, some of the language might leave you at "the edge of disintegration." Nevertheless, getabstract strongly recommends this book to executives and managers looking to build a theoretical foundation for their organizational approach, in addition to the many academics who will appreciate its systematic explanation of the organizational consequences of systems thinking.

Summary

The Vicious Cycle of Management

Executives and managers want to stay firmly in control of their organizations. That’s why you call them managers - They want to manage. Therein lies a problem for today’s changing organizations. Unfortunately, the dominant management approach, one generally based on control, leads to a vicious circle in which increasingly tighter controls have an increasingly alienating impact on individuals in the organization. The result is that managers look for still another savior recipe, which provides other kinds of controls, which further alienate individuals.

Managers and executives believe that success depends on being in control. The theory is that by knowing where the organization is going and by planning its future, managers can control the process of moving toward and realizing this vision. Using this framework, you think it is possible to know what is going to happen. Thus, you believe you can foresee and control events, so you seek to set up rigid guidelines for people to follow. This kind of model doesn’t work. Rather, the control steps you take to cope with increasing uncertainty and dissension only provoke more uncertainty and dissension...

About the Author

Ralph Stacey is a professor of management and director of the Complexity and Management Center at the Business School of the University Hertfordshire. He is also a visiting lecturer at universities in Sweden and the Netherlands, and a visiting professor at the University of Malta. He is an active consultant to major companies and the author of several books on management and organization, including Dynamic Strategic Management, Chaos Frontier, Managing Chaos, Managing the Unknowable and Strategic Management and Organizational Dynamics.

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