February 2018
Digital Globalization
The process of globalization is entering a new era characterized by soaring flows of cross-border information. As the locus shifts from physical networks of production and trade to global information networks
Human-Machine Relation
Human Machine Relation The rise of machine learning and smart systems raises profound questions about the [...]
Data-Driven Organizations
Data-Driven Organizations A new class of organization that uses data and analytics to find business solutions [...]
Smart Systems Security
Smart Systems Security The consolidation of control operations in data centers and the proliferation of autonomous [...]
Autonomous Agents
Autonomous Agents Delivery drones may well soon be operating as autonomous agents This next generation [...]
Smart Platforms
Smart Platforms Machine learning capabilities are increasingly being offered as-a-service via cloud platforms making the technology [...]
Smart Systems
Smart Systems Smart systems - like industrial robots - can perform the functions of sensing, control [...]
Limitations of Algorithms
Limitations of Algorithms Algorithms are coming to coordinate an ever larger swath of human activity from [...]
Deep Learning
Deep Learning Deep learning methods have found widespread application, one of the most used examples being [...]
Neural Networks
Neural Networks Artificial neural networks are directly based upon the architecture of the human brain as [...]
Machine Learning Approaches
Machine Learning Approaches Machine learning has now found widespread application in many industries Machine learning [...]
Machine Learning Overview
Machine Learning Overview Machine learning refers to the capacity of a software system to build models [...]
Cloud Algorithms
Cloud Algorithms With the growth of cyber physical systems and online platforms expanding to more spheres [...]
Data Privacy
Data Privacy As more and more of our lives and activities become datafied and technology provides [...]
Dataism
Dataism Dataism is the belief that mining data can reveal complete insights without need for prior [...]
Data-Driven Decision Making
Data-Driven Decision Making Data has always been important within organizational decision-making processes but today big data's [...]
Dark Data
Dark Data The term dark data describes the expanding universe of unstructured data that is inaccessible [...]
Big Data
Big Data Scientific research was the original producer of big data structures but today increasingly all [...]
Datafication
Datafication The advent of mobile computing has been a key technology in the process of datafication [...]
Complex Analytics
Complex Analytics Complex analytics deals with how we capture data about a complex system and process [...]
Data Analytics
Data Analytics Data analytics is the use of data to make decisions within an organization [...]
Complex Data Analytics Overview
Complex Data Analytics Overview Complex analytics involves the processing of many different parameters across large data [...]
Blockchain The Institutional Technology
Blockchain The Institutional Technology Blockchain technology has the capacity to enable the emergence of totally new [...]
Blockchain & Society
Blockchain & Society Blockchain technology is set to have a huge impact on how we organize [...]
Blockchain & Environment
Blockchain & Environment Blockchain technologies could greatly strengthen our capacities to quantify and track the value [...]
Blockchain & Internet of Things
Blockchain & Internet of Things Security is a major issue with IoT development. As a single [...]
Blockchain & Economy
Blockchain & Economy Blockchain has many economic applications but probably its most important usage will be [...]
Decentralized Autonomous Organizations
Decentralized Autonomous Organizations Decentralized coordination via automated blockchain networks could enable the formation of organization on [...]
Token Economies
Token Economies Bitcoin and Ethereum are two of the most popular token economies With the [...]
The Internet of Value
The Internet of Value The secure nature of blockchains makes them ideally suited to the tracking [...]
Big Data & Advanced Analytics
Big Data & Advanced Analytics Big data includes data types that may be hugely varied coming [...]
Distributed Applications
Distributed Applications Distributed applications - like the social network Steemit - are executed on the distributed [...]
Smart Contracts
Smart Contracts Contractual agreements have for centuries formed the infrastructure to inter-organizational cooperation, automating the workings [...]
Distributed Ledgers
Distributed Ledgers A ledger is a book or other collection of financial accounts of a particular [...]
January 2018
Blockchain Distributed Organization
Distributed Organization Blockchain is a key infrastructure that can enable the formation of distributed systems of [...]
Decentralized Web
Decentralized Web The decentralized web describes the next generation of the internet based upon distributed networks [...]
Evolution of Blockchain
Evolution of Blockchain The blockchain is an emerging technology that is currently developing very rapidly [...]
Blockchain Technology
Blockchain Technology Overview Blockchain differs from many other forms of technology in that it taps into [...]
Blockchain Overview
Blockchain Overview Blockchain is a new class of information technology that combines cryptography and distributed computing [...]
October 2017
Global Cities Documentary
This documentary explores the development of urban networks as the emerging geography of connectivity in an age of globalization
September 2017
Urban Networks - In Numbers
This short video explores the ongoing rapid process of urbanization through numbers and images
August 2017
Knowledge Society
With the advent of information technology today there are major changes in how people look at knowledge, create it and apply it. This time is now widely recognized as the beginning of what has come to be called the Knowledge Age; an advanced form of economy in which knowledge and ideas are the main sources of economic value added.
Network Society Short Film
The information revolution is often identified as the most profound driver of change in our world today, enabling an ongoing disruptive transformation in the deep structure to our Industrial Age social institutions as we move further into the 21st century.
July 2017
Political Complexity Overview
Advocates of complexity theory describe it as a new scientific paradigm. Complexity theory suggests that we shift our analysis from individual parts of a political system to the system as a whole; as a network of elements that interact and combine to produce systemic emergent behavior. Such new insight helps us to better approach
The VUCA Framework
The VUCA Framework More and more, organizations are forced to operate under the VUCA framework [...]
Agile Project Management
Agile Project Management Fast prototyping and execution When we are operating within a stable and [...]
Complex Projects
Complex Projects Traditional project management methods become obsolete as complexity goes up In 2009, the [...]
Wicked Problems
Wicked Problems Unclean sources of energy With developed economies reaching the end of the process [...]
Network Organizations
Network Organizations People connected through gadgets The rise of networks and hyperconnectivity is one of [...]
Self-organization
Self-organization Thousands of Starlings gathering in a flock or murmuration Self-organization is one of the [...]
Collaborative Organizations
Collaborative Organizations Tennis players is a zero-sum game As a recent research paper on the [...]
Open Platform Organizations
Open Platform Organizations Complex systems are fundamentally open systems. That is to say, they have such a [...]
Systems Dynamics
Systems Dynamics Dynamic stock and flow diagram of New product adoption model. Wikipedia The emphasis [...]
Emergence
Emergence Our general conception of organization and the profession of management is built around the idea of [...]
Systems Thinking
Systems Thinking Complexity management is an alternative paradigm to our traditional management approach. If we are going [...]
Complexity
Complexity Complexity management, as opposed to traditional practices, may be defined simply as the management of complex [...]
Management
Management People working with computers Complexity management is an alternative approach or paradigm to more [...]
Decentralized Autonomous Organization A Short Film
A short film about the rise of Decentralized Autonomous Organization with narration by Shermin Voshmgir. This video is for educational purposes only.
Sociocultural Evolution
Sociocultural evolution describes the process of evolution as it acts on macro-scale social systems of all kind. Sociocultural evolution through a process of variation, selection, and duplication of social structures and cultural constructs leads over time to create complexity
Social Adaptive Landscape
A social adaptive landscape is a model to social systems that tries to map out the entire environment within which individuals, social groups or societies are interacting and adapting to each other's behavior as they try to find optimal solutions to a given social context.
Social Network Diffusion
The study of network diffusion tries to capture the underlying mechanism of how events propagate through a complex network.
Community Structure
Community structure refers to the local structures that form within social networks as some agents interact more frequently and intensely forming specific substructures within the overall network.
Social Attractors & Chaos Theory
Social attractors define a specific subset of states that a social system may take, which corresponds to its normal behavior towards which it will naturally gravitate.
Social Feedback Loops
Social feedback loops describe a relationship within a social system where events feedback on themselves to create relationships of interdependence where different events work to balance each other or amplify each other.
Critical Thinking Skills
Critical thinking is the capacity to distinguish between valid and invalid processes of inference and information sources; it requires the formation of beliefs based upon sound reasoning.
Systems Engineering
Systems engineering is an interdisciplinary, holistic approach to dealing with large and complex engineering projects through the application of systems theory
Technology Infrastructure Resilience
Resilience refers to the capacity of a system to effectively respond to, and adapt to, changes without significant degradation to its overall functioning and structure
Technology Network Analysis
Technology network analysis is the study of systems of technology via the lens of network analysis. It uses models and analytical tools to study how connectivity shapes technologies; particularly within complex engineered systems that
Multi-Level Engineered Systems
Multi-level engineered systems are technologies that involve many different emergent levels to their overall structure.
Technology Path-Dependency
Path-dependence refers to how current events and choices are contingent on, and conditioned by, past events.
Self-Organizing Engineered Systems
Self-organizing engineered systems refers to the process through which engineered systems can self-organize to create global functional technologies.
Information & Control Systems
Information technology is an integral part of the whole theory and science of complex systems. It is essentially the only way through which we can access data,
Political Systems Resilience
Political Systems Resilience Resilience is directly proportional to environmental adaptation The term resilience refers to [...]
Sociopolitical Dynamics
Sociopolitical Dynamics People's individual actions and collective interactions form dynamic patterns adapted to the environment [...]
June 2017
Sociopolitical Networks
Sociopolitical Networks Connectivity is one of the main features of the postmodern world Sociopolitical networks [...]
Political Regime Shifts
Political Regime Shifts Greek Parliament Session A regime is a characteristic set of behaviors of [...]
Political Field Theory
Political Field Theory Visual representation of a field Political field theory is the application of [...]
Nonequilibrium Political Systems
Nonequilibrium Political Systems Social and political systems can be characterized as being linear or nonlinear in their [...]
Nonlinear Political Science
Nonlinear Political Science The use of nonlinear models in the social sciences makes it possible to [...]
Political Micro-Macro Dynamic
Political Micro-Macro Dynamic All social systems involve a fundamentally irreducible relationship between the individual and the [...]
Emergent Political Processes
Emergent Political Processes Emergent sociopolitical processes can be seen to play an increasingly important role in politics [...]
Open Political Systems
Open Political Systems Open political systems are able to adapt and respond to changes both within [...]
Political Self-Organization
Political Self-Organization Self-organization is a spontaneous process happening without a pre-designed plan and is thus unpredictable [...]
SocioPolitical Complexity
SocioPolitical Complexity Sociopolitical complexity can be seen to be a function of the number of members [...]
Types Of Political Systems
Types Of Political Systems Greek parliament in session. The parliament is one element in a broader [...]
Political Systems
Political Systems Political systems are a set of interrelated social institutions that enable the process of [...]
IoT Blockchain
The internet is evolving into a new technology paradigm based around smart systems, the blockchain, platforms, and IoT. In the coming years, these technologies will interact and converge in new and unpredictable ways
SocioCultural Systems
Sociocultural Systems Cultural systems are a set of interrelated elements, both tangible and intangible, that form [...]
May 2017
Economic Degree Distribution
Economic Degree Distribution Man and daughter at a food stall in Kathmandu Nepal. Network degree distribution [...]
Economic Network Dynamics
Economic Network Dynamics As networks come to play an ever more important role in our economies, [...]
Economic Network Structure
Economic Network Structure Understanding the structure of a network of connections within an economic system is [...]
Economic Network Theory
Economic Network Theory With the rise of globalization and information technology, networks are playing an ever [...]
Financialization Explained
Financialization is an economic paradigm where the conversion of real economic value into financial instruments and their exchange within the financial system comes to dominate economic institutions, activity and value creation.
Emergence: The Creative Process
Short video and text film illustrating the idea of emergence. Emergence is a term used in philosophy, art, and science to describe how new properties and features are created as we put things together.
Evolutionary Economics
Evolutionary Economics Evolutionary economics sees the economy as constantly changing through the production of variety and [...]
Economic Fitness Landscape
Economic Fitness Landscape The fitness landscape model derives from ecology but has since been used to [...]
Economic Resilience
Economic Resilience Contemporary financial crises have come to illustrate how vulnerable national economies are to movements [...]
Economic Regulatory Systems
Economic Regulatory Systems Throughout the Industrial Age national governments have served the function of macro-level economic [...]
Economic Self-Organization
Economic Self-Organization Whole macro-scale economies can be seen as the emergent outcome of micro-level interactions. In [...]
Nonlinear Economic Dynamics
Nonlinear Economic Dynamics Processes of change within the economy that are driven by positive feedback create [...]
Economic Feedback Loops
Economic Feedback Loops Feedback loops describe relationships of interdependence between parts and they are at the [...]
Economic Systems Dynamics
Economic Systems Dynamics The business cycle is one example of a dynamic process within an economy [...]
Pattern Formation
A pattern is any set of correlations between the states of elements, pattern formation refers to internally generated patterns. Systems that have the ability to self-organize; to create order from initial disorder.
The Network Paradigm
In this video we look at what we call the network paradigm, a paradigm is the set of methods and assumptions underlying a particular scientific domain as such it constitutes a whole way seeing the world
Complex Adaptive Systems Overview
In this video we give an overview of complex adaptive systems, we will firstly define what we mean they this term, before briefly covering the main topics in this area
Theory of Emergence
In this video we will be giving a very high-level overview to the concept of emergence and the different aspects to it that we will be covering in more detail in future modules in the course.
Emergence & Phase Transition
This video presents the ideas of emergence, phase transitions, and strong vs. weak emergence. According to Wikipedia, emergence is conceived as a process whereby larger entities, patterns, and regularities arise through interactions among smaller or simpler entities that
System Dynamics Overview
In this video, we give an overview of the area of system dynamics, a branch of systems theory that tries to model and understand the dynamic behavior of complex systems over time
System Science
Systems theory is a formal language that since its development during the middle of the 20th century has gone on to support many new domains of science under its canopy.
System Homeostasis
In this module, we will be discussing how dynamic systems regulate themselves within their environment. Many types of systems require both a continuous input of resources from their environment and the capacity to export entropy back to the environment
System Hierarchy
In this video, we look at the ideas of system hierarchy and abstraction. We can only get so far by talking about systems on one level of analysis as the reality of the world we live in is of cause vastly more complex, in that systems exist on many different levels.
Synergistic Relations
A synergy is the creation of a whole that is greater than the simple sum of its parts. In this lecture, we discuss the relation between components within a system and the two fundamentally different types
System Boundary & Environment
In this module, we present models for understanding systems within the context of their broader environment within which they must operate and interact with other systems.
System Efficiency
Whether we are talking about a car, political system or a farm we are often interested in answering the question how well does it work, that is to say what is the ratio between the resources that the system takes in and those that it outputs, in the language of system theory this is called the system efficiency. Whether we are talking about a car, political system or a farm we are ofte
System Function
In this module we start to talk about one of the key elements to our model of a system that is functions, functions are an important concept within many domains from mathematics to engineering and computation but systems theory abstracts away from t
Systems & Sets
In this video, we start to give an outline to what we mean by the concept of a system when we contrast it with what we call sets. The concept of a system is defined as a set of things that work together to perform some collective function this is in contrast t
When to Use Systems Thinking
In this video, we discuss when to use systems thinking. We talk about how systems thinking is most relevant when dealing with systems that are highly interconnected; that are dynamic in nature (meaning they change over time) and also when we are dealing with a system on the macro scale.
Understanding Analysis and Synthesis
In this short video, we explain the primary difference between analytical methods of reasoning and systems thinking while also discussing the two methods that underpin them; synthesis and reductionism.
Complexity Theory Overview
In this video, we will be giving an overview of the area of complexity theory by looking at the major theoretical frameworks that are considered to form part of it and contribute to the study of complex systems. Complexity theory is a set of theoretical frameworks used for modeling and analyzing complex systems within a variety of domains. Complexity has proven to be a fundamental feature of our world that is not amenable to our traditional methods of modern science, and thus as researchers h
What is a Complex System?
In this video we will be trying to define what exactly a complex system is, we will firstly talk about systems in general before going on to look at complexity as a product of a number of different parameters.
Generalizing Game Theory
Game theoretic concepts apply whenever the actions of several agents are interdependent. These agents may be individuals, groups, firms, or any combination of these. The concepts of game theory provide a language to formulate, structure and analyz
Linear Systems Theory
In this video we will discuss linear systems theory which is based upon the superposition principles of additivity and homogeneity, we will explore both of these principal separately to get a clear
Systems Overview
In this module we give an overview to the model of a system that will form the foundations for our discussion on nonlinear systems, we will quickly present the basic concepts from systems theory such as elements, system's boundary, environment etc.
Fractals In Pictures
Fractals are a curved or geometric figure, each part of which has similar characteristics as the whole. Fractals are useful in modeling structures, like coastlines or snowflakes, in which similar patterns recur at progressively smaller scales.
Managing Complexity Short Film
A short film looking at the rise of complexity in industry and management. Complexity management is the application of complex systems theory to the management of complex organizations and environments.
Network Game Theory
Network Game Theory Many of the choices people make, such as which type of computer operating [...]
Replicator Dynamics
Replicator Dynamics Illustration of the replicator equation with the different parameters expanded upon. The replicator equation [...]
Evolutionary Stable Strategies
Evolutionary Stable Strategies Evolutionary stability is asking the question what strategies are stable under ongoing interaction [...]
Evolutionary Game Theory
Evolutionary Game Theory Being first applied to the interaction of creatures within ecosystems, evolutionary biology has [...]
Cooperative Structures
Cooperative Structures Cooperative structures are the various forms of institutional structures that enable people to act cooperatively, [...]
Public Goods Games
Public Goods Games Voting is an example of a public good within democratic societies, as it [...]
Social Dilemma
Social Dilemma The idea of the social dilemma captures something very profound about the nature of [...]
Cooperative Games
Cooperative Games Cooperative games involve a very different set of dynamics from those of competitive games and [...]
Pareto Optimal Games
Pareto Optimality The stag hunt game illustrates the concept of Pareto optimality within game theory. The [...]
Solution Concept
Solution Concept A solution concept is a formal rule that defines how agents should play the [...]
Non-Cooperative Games
In game theory, a primary distinction is made between those game structures that are cooperative and those that are non-cooperative. As we will see the fundamental dynamics surrounding the whole game are altered as we go from games whose structure is innately com
Elements of Games
Elements of Games Games involve adaptive agents(players) that act under a certain set of rules(strategies) in [...]
Games Models
Games Models Game theory tries to model situations of interdependence between adaptive agents, as can be [...]
Critical Slowing Down
Critical slowing down is the theory that in cases where a system is close to a critical tipping point the recovery rate should decrease. It occurs because a system’s internal stabilizing forces become weaker near the point where they break and the s
Complexity Science – A New Kind Of Science
Science in an inquiry into the world around us fundamentally based on empirical data and the development of models/theories to describe the patterns we find in this data. For knowledge to be considered scientific it is dependent on fulfilling a number of fundamental requirements,
Complexity Theory from Machines to Ecosystems
In this video we look at some of the key themes within complex systems theory contrasting this new paradigm with that of the Newtonian mechanistic paradigm. Complexity has proven to be a fundamental feature to our world that is
Complexity Science Short Film
With narration from a number of prominent complexity scientists, this video tries to give an overview to the current state of this new area. Complexity science is an emerging post-Newtonian approach or method to science that has arisen over the past few decades to present an alternative paradigm to our standard method of scientific inquiry.
Economic Theory
In this paper, we outline some of the major considerations involved in the study of economics, including trying to understand the logic behind the decision making of agents, theories of economic value and the idea of intrinsic and extrinsic value.
Standard Economic Theory
In this paper, we will be taking a brief overview of the internal workings of standard economic theory. We talk about how it is a framework that applies linear systems theory to economic analysis.
Economic Agents
In this article, we will be exploring two different models given for agents within an economic context. We will talk about how standard economics offers this model of the rational individual sometimes called homo economicus, and we will draw upon the new area of behavioral economics which presents an alternative model to human behavior within an economic context.
Behavioral Choice Theory
Economics is often interpreted as the study of how people make choices in the allocation of their resources. Microeconomics hinges on this process through which agents come to make decisions and then act on these decisions
April 2017
Complexity Economics An Overview
Complexity economics is a new approach to economic science that uses models from complexity theory to look at and model the economy as a complex adaptive system
VUCA Introduction
A short video introducing the acronym VUCA. VUCA is an acronym used to describe situations or environments that engender high levels of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity.
March 2017
Game Theory Overview
Game theory is the domain of applied mathematics that studies situations of interdependence between adaptive agents. A game is a system wherein adaptive agents are interdependent in effecting each other and the overall outcome.
February 2017
The Analytics Revolution
The information revolution is entering a new stage as information technology extends farther, deeper and becomes more pervasive… made technically possible by the confluence of cloud computing, machine learning
Innovation Economies
There is a seed change in global innovation, from every corner a mandate for increasing creativity and innovation and we are hearing this in business we are hearing this in education we are hearing this in commerce
Platform Enterprises
With the rise of the services economy and information technology fundamentally new forces are at play in the global economy and this is giving birth to a new form of business organization called the platform business that is adapted to this age of connectivity.
Distributed Blockchain Economy
A central question facing any economic system is how to harness all of the resources available within the society towards productive ends and then distribute the returns in an equitable fashion. Within just the past couple of years, the topic of
Service Value Ecosystems
In this paper, we look at the nature of this new form of services economy, how vertically integrated, service providers now tend to engage in networked value creation in ecosystem-like environments - what can be called service value networks (SVNs) and how this development requires new cooperation forms in loosely-coupled structures of autonomous organizations.
Networked Organizations
We are pleased to present our short film about complexity management and networked organizations with narration from Don Tapscott. The rise of networked organizations can be seen as a new form of IT-enabled organization that is adapted to complex environments. The business climate of the new millennium is characterized by profound and continuous changes due to globalization, exponential leaps in technological capabilities, and other market forces. Rapid developments of ICT are driving and supporting the change from the industrial to the information age and the emergence of these new networked organizations.
Complexity Theory: Key Concepts
This video presents some of the key concepts in complex systems theory in pictures. We look at systems, non-linearity, networks, self-organization and adaptation using rich visuals. There are many definitions for what a complex system is here are just a sample of them; The Advances in Complex Systems Journal, gives us this definition; “A system comprised of a (usually large) number of (usually strongly) interacting entities, processes, or agents, the understanding of which requires the development, or the use of, new scientific tools, nonlinear models, out-of-equilibrium descriptions and computer simulations.” The social scientist Herbert Simons gives us this definition; “A system that can be analyzed into many components having relatively many relations among them, so that the behavior of each component depends on the behavior of others.”Jerome Singer tells us that a complex system is; “A system that involves numerous interacting agents whose aggregate behaviors are to be understood. Such aggregate activity is nonlinear, hence it cannot simply be derived from a summation of individual components behavior.”
The Rise of Smart Systems
As a revolution in information technology unfolds at an extraordinary speed, science fiction appears to be becoming science fact. Within just a couple of short decades, we have gone from the PC to the internet and mobile computing, to cloud computing, to today where we stand on the brink of a new
Platform Technologies
With the rise of information technology and the ever-increasing complexity of our technology landscape, platforms have become the design paradigm of choice for today's complex engineered systems
The Distributed Technologies
After a centuries-long process of centralization within just the past few decades, a new architecture has emerged to our technology infrastructure that fundamentally reverses this process
The Rise of Sustainability
Part two in our series "Age of Transition" this video explores the rise of the concept of sustainability as it has gone from the fringes to the mainstream within just a few short decades, driven by an environmental crisis on a global scale
Integrated Service Systems
Services are a whole new paradigm in how we think about, design, and develop technologies in the age of information. At its heart, this technology paradigm shift enabled by information technology is a move from the discrete one of products of the
January 2017
Understanding The Information Revolution
We hear the word information technology and we think we know what it is, we think it is about computers and smartphones, but it is becoming much more than this
December 2016
Why Full Cost Accounting
In this video we explain the concept of full cost accounting and why it can be an effective method for managing common natural and social resources in a distributed fashion through the market
Digital Platforms: In Numbers
Short image and text presentation highlighting the scale and impact of digital platforms on the physical economy. This video tries to highlight how online platforms like Alibaba, Uber or AirBnB are playing an increasingly important role in organizing physical assets, from the flow of products exchanged in commerce to accommodation and transportation.
Economic Systems & Complexity
What is an economy? It is a surprisingly simple question that would leave many - even economists - a bit caught for words. Today we talk about economies in quite technical terms, with reference to supply and demand curves
Government As a Platform
We live in interesting times, one that is often contextualized as being a transition period as on the one hand our traditional industrial age systems of organization reach the end of their life cycle, show signs of faulting and becoming redundant, while on the other new networked information based systems of origination are being born and this chasm between the two is nowhere more prominent than within the domain of social go
Age of Disruption
At the turn of the 21st century our global economy is in both a rapid and fundamental process of change. This change is most often understood as a transformation from an industrial form of economic organization to a post-industrial form as the global economy shifts from being dominated
October 2016
System Dynamics
System Dynamics Example of a causal loop diagram of the interactions within the development of a [...]
Functions
Functions Functions are a central concept in both mathematics and systems theory that capture how a [...]
Homeostasis
Homeostasis All creatures are designed to maintain homeostasis, requiring them to regulate both their internal and [...]
Cybernetics
Cybernetics Information and control are the central objects of study within cybernetics, as such it played [...]
Systems
Systems The human body is a classical example of a system requiring the integrated functioning of [...]
System Efficiency
System Efficiency Efficiency is a central concept within many technical domains, such as engineering and economics. [...]
System Boundary
System Boundary Air bubbles in water have a clear boundary demarcating the system from its environment, [...]
Newtonian Paradigm
Newtonian Paradigm The Newtonian paradigm is also called the "clockwork universe" as it sees the universe [...]
Far-From-Equilibrium Physics: An Overview
Far-From-Equilibrium Physics: An Overview Isolated systems tend to evolve towards equilibrium, a special [...]
Path-Dependency
[wd_asp id=26] Path-Dependence Many real world phenomena are path dependent meaning how we got to the [...]
Engineering Systems Dynamics
Engineering System dynamics is a modeling method for the analysis of complex engineered systems that are characterized by feedback loops and time delays
Ambiguity
Ambiguity is the quality of being open to more than one interpretation. It results in the haziness of reality; the potential for misreading and mixed meanings to conditions. In relatively simple environments we can have simple linear cause and effect models that are
Uncertainty
Uncertainty is the inability to know everything fully. It is a fundamental property of complex systems primarily due to, the large number of elements, high interconnectivity, interdependence, nonlinear interactions and coevolution.
Services Economy
A services economy is an economy whose primary activity it based in the tertiary or services sector. The services revolution can be described with reference to very straightforward empirical data. Over the past number of decades, services have come to dominate advanced economies and are slowly but surely coming to dominate the global economy.
Value Theory
Value theory within economics represents all theories that try to define what economic value is, where it comes from, why goods and services are priced the way they are and how to calculate some form of objective price; if such a value exists
Incentive Systems
The study of incentives is one of the central topics in microeconomics - incentives to work hard, to produce quality products, to study, to invest, to save, etc. How to design institutions that provide good incentives for economic agents has become a central question of economics. Behind this though is the idea of motivation, that is to say, what motives do economic agents operate under.
Economic Networks
Over the past few decades with the rise of information technology and globalization, the global economy has become networked on many different levels. Both its technological infrastructure and its institutional superstructure have become increasingly integrated into dense, multimodal networks, from the micro level of individual organizations all the way up to the global level through global cities and the global supply chains that they enable.
Social Complexity
Social Complexity is the study of nonlinear social processes through the use of models from complexity theory combined with computational methods
September 2016
Reasoning Elements
Elements of Reasoning The elements of reasoning are the different dimensions that form part of the process [...]
Rational Arguments
Rational Arguments Rational arguments may be understood as reasons given to support a claim that seeks [...]
Subjective & Objective Claims
Subjective & Objective Claims Objective claims can be supported by reasoned argument and evidence to be [...]
Motivated Reasoning
Motivated Reasoning Motivated reasoning is an inversion of the standard process of reasoning so that reasoning [...]
Arguments
Arguments Difference of opinion is one of the central requirements for an argument An argument [...]
Logic
Logic Logic defines the interrelationship between things, an intelligible pattern that when derived leads to objective [...]
Standards of Thinking
Standards of Thinking The standards of thinking are a list of factors to be considered in [...]
Objective Reasoning
[wd_asp id=26] Objective Reasoning Objective reasoning requires the separation of the individual from the subject matter under [...]
Subjective Thinking
Subjective Reasoning Subjective reasoning is a product of an incapacity to differentiate between an objective environment and [...]
Cognitive Limitations
Cognitive Limitations In our naive conception of reality we have the experience of an unmediated access [...]
Cognition
Cognition The capacity for advanced cognition is a distinctly human characteristic and can be seen to [...]
Cognitive Science
Cognition & Brain The average human brain, that is just 14x17x9 cm in size, is one [...]
Complex Systems
Complex Systems Transportation networks are examples of complex systems with many components that are highly interconnected [...]
Social Systems
A social system is a set of individuals and relations between them through which they form part of some interdependent organization as a whole.
August 2016
Emergence
Emergence Emergence has captured the imagination of people from many different domains, such as art, spirituality, [...]
Transformation
Systems Transformation Systems transformation is a term used to describe the overall macro process of change [...]
Edge of Chaos
Edge of Chaos The term edge of chaos describes a phase transition space between order and [...]
Emergent Process
Emergent Process The metamorphosis of a caterpillar to a butterfly is a good example of a [...]
Micro-Macro Dynamics
Micro-Macro Dynamics Wherever there is interdependency between elements there is a complex interplay between the parts [...]
Hierarchy & Heterarchy
Hierarchy & Heterarchy Hierarchical organization, where smaller subunits are nested within larger suprasystems, is a pervasive [...]
Integrative Levels
Integrative Levels Ecosystems are classical examples of hierarchical systems with many integrative levels from a single [...]
Autopoiesis
Autopoiesis Mammalian reproduction whereby the community creates new members of itself to enable its persistence over [...]
Emergent Types
Strong & Weak Emergence The question of strong and weak emergence is important in that it [...]
Pattern Formation
Pattern Formation The flocking of birds and the schooling of fish in one of the most [...]
Patterns
Patterns A pattern is a set of correlations between elements of any kind it is a [...]
Synergy Types
Positive & Negative Synergies The term synergy refers to things working together in some fashion, like [...]
Creative Thinking Explored
Creative thinking is the capacity to create ideas, which are both original and valuable. It involves connecting and synthesizing disparate information and ideas to create new and valuable knowledge or solutions.
Synergies
Synergies Synergies are often found among uber-social creatures like ants and bees where the insects work [...]
Systems Paradigm
Systems Paradigm A paradigm in its most general sense can be understood as a way of [...]
Integration
Integration Systems integrity is an important concept in that it defines a system's capacity to function [...]
Interdependence
Interdependence Interdependence defines a state where all parts are autonomous, none are directly dependent on any [...]
Complex Adaptive Systems
Complex Adaptive Systems Ecosystems are classical examples of complex adaptive systems with many creatures acting and [...]
Relational Paradigm
Relational Paradigm The relational paradigm is focused on how the relations between a system's parts can [...]
Network Paradigm
Network Paradigm A paradigm is a set of methods and assumptions that constitute a whole way [...]
Social Institutions
Social institutions are a central object of study within the social sciences, they represent enduring patterns of organization or structures built up around some social function, religions, governments, and families are all institutions that have stood the test of
Systems Differentiation
Integration and Differentiation Systems integration and differentiation describes a dynamic interplay between the whole of a system [...]
Divergent Thinking
Divergent and Convergent Thinking Divergent and convergent thinking describe the two major stages within the innovative [...]
Process Thinking
Process Thinking Many phenomena, such as a biological system, can be equally well defined with reference [...]
Paradigm Shift
Paradigm Shift The term paradigm shift puts a greater emphasis on the subjective dimension to a [...]
Lateral Thinking
Lateral Thinking Lateral thinking is a creative thinking technique that is specifically designed to help one [...]
Iceberg Model
Iceberg Model The Iceberg Model helps to visually represent the various levels of abstraction to an [...]
Nonlinear Causality
Nonlinear Causality Nonlinear causality describes how a cause can feedback on itself with the resulting outcome [...]
Linear Causality
Linear Causality Newton's cradle, named after Sir Isaac Newton, is an icon of linear causation with one [...]
Causality
Causality The impression of cause and effect is one of the most fundamental patterns that conditions [...]
July 2016
Formal Models
Models Through the use of abstraction, models help us to grasp the whole of a system [...]
Abstraction
Abstraction An abstraction is a representation of something independent from its specific details or context, a [...]
Instantiation
Instantiation Instantiation is the transformation of an abstraction into a real instance of it with specific [...]
Synthesis
Synthesis Synthetic reasoning involves combining disparate ideas to create a more abstract whole that integrates their [...]
Encapsulation
Encapsulation Encapsulation is a design pattern used in all forms of models to reduce complexity through [...]
Analysis
Analysis Analysis is a process of inquiry that breaks things apart to understand their internal structure [...]
Holism & Reductionism
Holism and Reductionism Holism and reductionism offer two very different accounts of the world one focused [...]
Conceptual System
Conceptual System A conceptual system consists of a set of interrelated concepts that work to process [...]
Conceptual Framework
Conceptual Framework Conceptual frameworks represent the sum total of cognitive structures through which we interpret our [...]
Reason
Reason Reasoning is a distinctly human phenomenon that involves balanced judgment and adherence to logical consistency [...]
DIKW Pyramid
DIKW The DIKW Pyramid describes, an as yet not fully understood, but fundamental relationship between knowledge and information [...]
Creative Thinking
Creative Thinking Creative thinking is not only creating something different but it must also include producing [...]
Systems Awareness
Systems Thinking Awareness Systems thinking places a strong emphasis on the subjective dimension to human thought [...]
Systems Learning
Systems Thinkers There is growing interest in Systems Thinking – but what is it? Who says it [...]
Adaptive Systems
Adaptive Systems Creeper snail after rain on the grass. A snail is an example of an [...]
Hyperconnectivity
In the past few decades information technology has networked our world, a world that was in many ways defined and held together by its boarders and boundaries. Boundaries to countries, boundaries to organizations, boundaries to ourselves are all being radically disrupted by the omnipresence of connectivity as it drives convergence. Today the very nature of technology is itself changing, in its pervasiveness, in its degree of interconnectivity, in its proximity, in speed and scale. These boundaries that were once fixed, that allowed us to interpret and give structure to our world, are through hyperconnectivity becoming eroded and fuzzy. Building conceptual interpretations for this brave new world of convergence, a world without boarders, is something we have yet to achieve. As we do the same reoccurring tensions and contrasts between the martial world of space, place and boundaries and the dematerialized world of hyperconnectivity and convergence continue to play out through a plurality of different themes
June 2016
Reductionism & Synthesis
Reductionism is a process of reasoning used to describe things by breaking them down into their constituent components, analyzing the properties of these components in isolation and then recombining them in order to get a description of the whole system as a set of its individual parts, their properties and the linear relations between them.
Sustainable Development & Decoupling
The 20th Century, driven by scientific and technological advances, was a time of remarkable change for human civilization. But it was also a century when the extraction of many natural resources began for the first time in history to follow an essentially exponential growth path.
Water-Energy-Food Nexus
Food, water and energy are essential for economic development and the well-being of every society around the planet. When we talk about the "environment" it is to a large extent this nexus that we are primarily referring to
Natural Capital Accounting
Since a number of decades now the unsustainable nature of our industrial economic infrastructure has been made acutely evident. It is becoming increasingly clear that the linear model to industrial age systems of organization creates many negative externalities that render them unsustainable.
Adaptive Thinking
Adaptation is a behavior or response that is contingent on its environment, maybe the best way to understand it is to contrast it with reacting, we might think of reacting as a predefined response to a given stimulus, like an automatic door opening whenever someone approaches it.
Energy Disruption
With the rise of renewables and the smart grid our energy architecture is surely going to go through a profound transformation in the coming decades but is this transformation happening fast enough?
Regulatory Systems
Regulatory Systems The temperature regulator on a heater is an example of a control system [...]
Energy Systems Resilience
As economies develop they require a greater input of energy, and they become more dependent on the continuous input of that energy in order to maintain their basic structure and processes
Systems Thinking In Pictures
Short image and text video presenting some of the main ideas in systems thinking. Systems thinking is the process of understanding how those things which may be regarded as systems, influence one another within a complete entity, or larger system.
Food Platform Innovation
Our food supply chain is both incredibly efficient and inefficient all at the same time. The system is efficient in that it produces huge quantities of food at low prices and is able to move these products around the world at low cost
Social Interdependence Theory
Social interdependence theory is a social theory which holds that social systems are primarily defined by the type of interdependencies between their members.
Conventional & Alternative Agriculture
In developed nations today there is growing demand from society for an agricultural system that is both scalable and sustainable, both able to deliver on quantity and quality. Unfortunately it would appear that we are still far from achieving this. On the one hand we have our conventional agricultural system, that has done so well in terms of sustained incre
Social Agents
In the social sciences, agency is the capacity of individuals to act independently and to make their own free choices. Agency is normally contrasted to natural forces, which are causes involving only unthinking deterministic processes.
Global Food System: In Numbers
Short video on the global food system shown in numbers. A large percentage of the 7.5 billion people on the planet receive an adequate diet in terms of calories but 770 million people are considered undernourished, several hundred million
May 2016
Integrated Water Management
Water flows through almost every part of our economies and everything we do. It connects, agriculture, health, energy, food, environment and conflict. Of all the domains to an economy it is likely to be the most resistant to a reductionist approach to management.
The Value Of Water
Water which can easily be seen as the most valuable resource on Earth is in many places treated as if it did not have any value at all. But the scarcity of water globally - where and when it is needed - is an increasing economic reality that will likely change the nature of the value we ascribe to water in the coming decades.
Dematerialization: Explainer
Dematerialization refers to the absolute or relative reduction in the quantity of materials required to serve economic functions in society. The UNEP defines it as such”the reduction of total materials and energy throughput
Towards A Nonlinear Economy
Humans design things, we build systems with the available resources, scientific knowledge and engineering know-how to make our lives better. We experiment test ideas and options keeping the ones that work
Circular Business Models
As we shift from a linear to a nonlinear economic model the circular economy is enabling an ocean of new value opportunities. Value is shifting from forming part of a linear value chain to all of the space around it; closing loops, looking at synergies between industries, connecting end users, managing full lifecycle and networks of collaboration.
Complexity Theory
Complexity Theory Complexity theory studies the complex systems that make up our world from weather patterns [...]
Complex Adaptive Technologies
Complex adaptive technologies refer to networks of technologies that can adapt and respond to each other. Classical examples of this being swarm robotics, the Internet routing system or urban transport networks
Networked Design
Complex systems are by many definitions highly interconnected, examples being social networks, financial networks, and transportation networks.
Synergistic Design
A synergy can be defined as the interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects.
Design Abstraction
Abstraction in design is the process of removing successive levels of detail from a representation in order to capture only the essential features of a system.
Service Systems
A service system is a coherent combination of people, process, and technology that delivers some value to an end user.
Network Science
Network Science Earth surrounded by a network representing the major air routes - based on real data [...]
Social Functions
Within any given social system a number of collective functions need to be performed for the system to be maintained and develop over time, these functions might include, basic biological reproduction of the population, for which we have the institution of the family, or economic functions such as manufacturing products, for which we have businesses or political functions such as collective social decision making for which we have the institution of government.
Nonlinear System
Nonlinear System By flying in a synchronized state birds reduce the air friction on the whole [...]
Linear Systems
Linear Systems Linear systems involve direct linear interactions between components without feedback Linear systems are [...]
The Water Crisis In Numbers
Short image and text video explaining the water crisis through numbers. Earth has an estimated 1.4 billion cubic km of water. But most of it is in the oceans, less than 1 percent of it is liquid fresh water
Graph Theory
Graph Theory Graph theory gives us a formal language with which to study networks In [...]
Degree of Connectivity
Degree of Connectivity A node's degree of connectivity is a primary metric to its significance within [...]
April 2016
Dematerialization
What is an economy? Is it things, stuff like cars, houses, washing machines and computers? Or is it services? The function of those things, payment services, cleaning services, heating, communication etc. We might say it is both. All the products around us deliver some functionality,
Schemata
Schemata Encyclopedias may be thought of as examples of schemata. They provide a structured and coherent [...]
The Rise Of Complexity
As the Industrial Age appears to be coming to a close we are left scrabbling for new terms to define the world we live in in the 21st century and there are no shortage of candidates from the Space Age to the Information Age to Globalization
Complexity Science
Complexity Science Overview Fish schools are examples of complex systems, with many different parts acting and [...]
Network Topology
Network Topology Illustration of some of the different types of network topology Network topology refers to [...]
Social Structure
In the social sciences, social structures are the patterns of social arrangement in society that are both emergent from and determinant of the actions and relations between agents, as enduring patterns of behavior and interaction they define some form of order to the overall system.
March 2016
Social Self-Organization
Self-organization is a type of pattern formation, a means through which some form of order or coordination is developed. There are essentially just two basic methods through which social coordination and order can occur.
February 2016
Simple Rules
Simple Rules Ant colonies are often cited examples of how agents governed by simple rules can [...]
Edge Of Chaos Video
The phrase edge-of-chaos was first used to describe a transition phenomenon discovered by computer scientist Christopher Langton in the 90s. Langton found a small area conducive to producing
Synergies & Interference
Synergies & Interference Two honeybees Apis mellifera foraging for nectar and pollen on a yellow sunflower. [...]
Complex Systems Design
Complex systems design represents an alternative paradigm to our traditional design engineering approach. The paradigm of complex systems design is focused on the development of open systems
Network Connectivity
Network Connectivity The overall degree of connectivity to a network will be a primary factor determining [...]
Nonlinear Feedback Loops
Nonlinear Feedback Loops Ecosystems are held in balance by many feedback loops such as those between [...]
Network Diameter
Network Diameter The question of network diameter is asking how many hops one needs to make [...]
January 2016
Systems Ecology
Systems Ecology Systems ecology tries to understand the processes and structures that define the working of [...]
Ecosystems
An ecosystem can be defined as a physical system composed of a set of biotic and abiotic elements that are interdependent in affecting each other and the overall state of the system
Non-Equilibrium Thermodynamics
Thermodynamics, in its generalized sense, is the theory and study of how energy transforms matter within all physical systems, from the formation of stars to photosynthesis to the running of a car
Ecological Synergies
The term synergy comes from the word meaning "working together" as it describes two or more things that interact to create a combined effect that is greater or less than each effect in isolation.
Ecological Self-Organization
Self-organization is a process in which patterns at the global level of a system emerge solely from numerous interactions among the lower-level components of the system.
Ecosystem Dynamics
Ecosystem dynamics is the study of how ecosystems change over time.
Stability Landscape
A stability landscape is a mathematical model representing the various stable and unstable states that a system (such as an ecosystem) may occupy.
Social Networks
A social network is an abstract representation of a social system in terms of its relations and structure of connectivity. The basic constituents of a social graph are nodes and edges, nodes are people or groups of people, edges - also called ties - represent the relationships between these social actors, which can come in many different kinds, such as friendship, kinship, colleague etc.
Synchronization
[wd_asp id=26] Synchronization James's flamingo mating ritual, an example of synchronization where all the elements within [...]
Ecological Feedback Loops
Ecosystem feedback is the effect that change in one part of an ecosystem has on another and how this effect then feeds back to affect the source of the change inducing more or less of it.
Social Network Structure
Social network structure describes the makeup of the overall social network. There are a number of major factors shaping the overall make-up to a social network including the density of connections being a primary factor as it tells us how connected an agent is on average; the average path length is a second key overall metric as it tells us how close together any two agents are on average.
Self-Organizing Criticality
[wd_asp id=26] Self-Organizing Criticality The sandpile model of SOC is the canonical model although this phenomenon [...]
Ecosystem Regime Shifts
Regime shifts are large, abrupt, systemic changes in the structure and function of a system.
Bifurcations & Attractors
Bifurcations & Attractors Illustration of a phase space with a basin of attraction An attractor [...]
Punctuated Equilibrium
Punctuated Equilibrium Large scale geological transformations can result in a punctuation in the evolution of the [...]
Network Degree Distribution
Network Degree Distribution This map of London's underground transport network shows stations with varying degree distributions [...]
Ecological Networks
An ecological network is a map of the interaction between the biotic(and possibly abiotic) elements of an ecosystem, the classical example being a food web which is a network capturing the trophic interactions between the various species.
The Anthropocene
The name Anthropocene is a combination of the Greek root "anthropo" meaning "human" and "cene" meaning "new."
Social Dynamics
Social dynamics is the study of how social systems change over time, with a focus on macro, recurring patterns of change that emerge out of the local interactions between agents.
Industrial Ecology
Industrial ecology has arisen over the past few decades as the study to coupled environmental and industrial systems, offering a systems-based approach to modelling, designing and managing industrial systems in relation to the natural environment.
Socio-Ecological Systems
A socio-ecological system is a type of complex adaptive system composed of two primary subdomains, a human society and economy on the one hand and a biological ecology on the other.
Network Clustering
Network Clustering This network of major high-speed rail operators in Europe exhibits the property of clustering, [...]
Adaptive Capacity
Adaptive capacity is the capacity of a socio-ecological system to respond to change of some kind, by generating the appropriate response.
Sustainability Science
Sustainability science is a new academic discipline that draws on many previous insights and methods from environmental science, ecology, geology
Network Dynamics
Network Dynamics A large graph depicting the connections between cities, courtesy of Matt Biddulph. Network Dynamics [...]
December 2015
Complexity Economics Overview
Complexity economics is an alternative paradigm within economic science based upon complexity theory and nonlinear models. Within this theoretical framework the economy is modeled as an open system composed of heterogeneous agents with bounded rationality, which gives rise to networks of interactions that we call institutions, and macro level non-equilibrium state to the economy that is in constant change driven by internal dynamics.
Evolutionary Economics
Evolutionary economics is an alternative paradigm to economic development that is focused on the internal dynamics through which the macroeconomy generates novel phenomena and changes over time in an evolutionary process, without the guidance of some centralized regulatory mechanism.
Economic Self-Organization
Self-organization is the emergence of a globally coherent pattern of organization out of the local interactions between initially independent components. It is in many ways very much counter-intuitive to our traditional beliefs about order having to be imposed from some external top-down design.
Behavioral Economics
Behavioral economics is an approach to microeconomics that uses experiments to determine how agents make choices within an economic context, it studies the effects of psychological, social, cognitive, and emotional factors on the economic decisions of individuals and institutions and the consequences of this to broader economic outcomes.
Path Dependency
The concept of Path Dependence is used to capture the way in which small, historical contingent events can set off self-reinforcing mechanisms and processes that “lock-in” particular pathways of development.
September 2015
Complex Engineered Systems
Complex engineered systems are large networks of technologies composed of many diverse subsystems, densely interacting in a nonlinear fashion to create a multi-tiered network system that evolves over time
What Is NBIC?
In this video we give a short introduction to the acronym NBIC which stands for nanotechnology, biotechnology, information technology and cognitive science
The Story Of Technology
Technology has always presented us with many questions about who we are, our place in the world, how technology relates to humanity and where are we going. Human beings and human culture have an inherent need
August 2015
Synthesis & Analysis
[wd_asp id=26] Synthesis and Analysis Distinctions Synthesis and analysis represent two fundamentally different processes of reasoning, [...]
Technology Systems
Technology Systems A Bushman hunter in the Kalahari, Namibia uses a stick to probe a termite [...]
July 2015
Cellular Automaton
Cellular Automaton Cellular automaton can produce patterns such as those seen on the side of this [...]
Feedback & Externalities
Feedback & Externalities Traffic jams, like this one seen above, are the product of positive feedback [...]
May 2015
Nonlinear Thinking
A line is often defined as the shorts path from one point to another, linear thinking then describes how we interpret events or act in terms of direct cause and effect means. When we use linear thinking to describe something we create a direct logical connection from one cause to one effect, if A then B
Network Thinking
Network thinking is about seeing not just things but the nexus of connections that they are embedded within and that give them context, it is seeing the overall fabric that these connections create and how that shapes and creates the space or environment around the thing that we are interested in
Technology Convergence
Technology convergence is the integration of a number of disparate technologies or functions into a single integrated system.
Earth Systems Science
Earth systems science is the interdisciplinary study of Earth as a complex system composed of multiple physical and biological processes that interact within cycles or spheres to give rise to the overall state of the earth as an entirety.
The Systems Paradigm
A short film looking at some of the key themes within systems theory such as the debate surrounding reductionism and holism, the Newtonian paradigm and Systems Thinking. Systems thinking is what we call a paradigm, a dictionary definition of a paradigm would read;
Design Thinking
Design thinking is a design process that enables us to solve complex problems. It combines deep end-user experience, systems thinking, iterative rapid prototyping and multi-stakeholder feedback to guide us through the successive stages in our design.
Event-Driven Architecture
Event-driven architecture (EDA) is a design pattern built around the production, detection, and reaction to events that take place in time. It is a design paradigm normalized for dynamic, asynchronous, process-oriented contexts; it is most widely applied within software engineering.
Modular Systems Design
Modular design is a design pattern that is built around the idea of autonomous modular components that can be independently created, easily configured and reconfigured into different systems.
Platform Technologies
Platform technologies are systems build upon a platform architecture that distributes the system out into different levels of abstraction.
Service Oriented Architecture
Service Oriented Architecture is an approach to distributed systems architecture that employs loosely coupled services, standard interfaces, and protocols to deliver seamless cross-platform integration.
Systems Life Cycle Design
System life-cycle, in systems engineering and design, is a view of a system or proposed system that addresses all phases of its existence to include system conception, design and development, production
Self-Organization Design
Self-organization in design refers to the process of co-creation in the development of a product or service. Instead of a professional designer producing a finished product and pushing it out to the end user, self-organizational design involves the two-way interplay between the designer and the end user where products are designed to be redesigned by the user, thus enabling an evolutionary process of development.
Complex Systems Overview
Complex Systems Features Many social organizations, like businesses, are good examples of complex systems Complex [...]
Peer-Production
Peer production is a way of producing goods and services that relies on self-organizing groups of individuals. In such communities, the labor of a large number of people is coordinated towards a shared outcome typically through distributed networks without a formal, hierarchical structure.
Complexity Management
Complexity Management Complexity management is a new approach to management based upon the ideas of complexity [...]
Self-Organization Overview
Self-Organization Theory Bird flocking is an example of self-organization. Out of each bird reacting to local [...]
Network Theory Overview
Network Theory Water droplets on a spider's web. Networks are a fundamental structure to our universe and [...]
Nonlinear Systems Overview
Nonlinear Systems Overview A swirl of water in a glass container. Turbulence is an example of [...]
Systems Theory Overview
Systems Theory Overview Systems theory takes a holistic approach to understanding the world. As opposed to [...]
Systems Thinking Overview
Systems Thinking Overview Like all the system sciences, systems thinking is interested in the relationship between [...]
Network Robustness
Network Robustness Robustness within financial markets has been a growing area of interest since the previous [...]
Network Diffusion & Contagion
Network Diffusion & Contagion Viral videos on social networks are an example of rapid diffusion along [...]
Centralized & Power Law Networks
Centralized & Power Law Networks Urban networks are examples of scale-free networks with the occurrence of [...]
Decentralized & Small World Networks
Decentralized & Small World Networks An example of a decentralized network with local hubs but no [...]
Random & Distributed Networks
Random & Distributed Networks Random networks represent networks with a very even and normal degree distribution [...]
Network Centrality
Network Centrality Spiders typically occupy a central location in their web so as to be able [...]
Long Tail Distributions
Long Tail Distributions Illustration of the different shapes of a normal distribution and a long tail [...]
Exponents & Power Laws
Exponents & Power Laws The rise in human population over the past few hundred years is [...]
Fractals
Fractals Romanesco broccoli cabbage, a natural fractal surface with a spiral pattern. Fractals are both [...]
Phase Transitions
Phase Transitions The metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly is an example of a phase [...]
Butterfly Effect
Butterfly Effect The Lorenz attractor shows how some small change in initial conditions can lead to [...]
Nonlinear Dynamics & Chaos
Nonlinear Dynamics & Chaos The weather and water turbulence are both nonlinear dynamical systems that exhibit [...]
Dynamical Systems
Dynamical Systems Ferruginous Hawk in flight. A dynamical system is any system that changes its state [...]
Social Network Analysis
Social network analysis is the application of network theory to the modeling and analysis of social systems. It combines both tools for analyzing social relations and theory for explaining the structures that emerge from distributed social interactions.
April 2015
Distributed Technologies
Distributed technologies are systems of technology composed of many small parts without centralized coordination or control.
Social Resilience
Social resilience refers to the adaptive capacity, of a social system of any kind - from whole societies to individuals - to deal with change within their environment while maintaining and preserving critical structure and functionality.
March 2015
SocioTechnical Systems
Socio-technical systems is an approach to the study and design of complex organizations and technologies that recognizes the interaction between people and technology as a defining factor in the overall system's makeup and functioning.
February 2015
Systems Thinking – The Key To Complexity
Complexity has become a hallmark of 21st-century reality within almost all areas from business management to fundamental physics. This surprisingly quirky little word has proven to be a fundamental feature to systems in general one that won't go away and whether we are talking about the world of academia or industry it stubbornly resists our traditional methods of analysis. Complexity is a feature of systems that have many different parts that are highly interconnected and have some degree of autonomy. Examples of systems that are considered complex are; the human brain with billions of neurons that are highly interconnected; financial markets with m
January 2015
Technology Evolution
The term technology evolution can be used to describe how complex systems of technology are shaped by, and developed through the process of evolution over prolonged periods of time.
Complex Contagion
Complex Contagion The formation of people's opinions may be seen as a form of complex contagion. [...]
Network Effects
Network Effects The network effect is a key factor behind the adoption of many information and [...]
Multiplex Networks
Multiplex Networks A network map of different road transport networks within China A multiplex network [...]
August 2014
Cooperation & Competition
Cooperation & Competition Young athletes train, illustrating a form of cooperative synchronized behavior A core [...]
July 2014
Evolution
Evolution Evolution is a gradual process that takes place over the course of several life-cycles of [...]
Robustness & Resilience
Robustness & Resilience The human body has a certain environmental temperature within which it can maintain [...]
Self-Organization Far-From-Equilibrium
Self-Organization Far-From-Equilibrium Hurricanes are examples of a system far-from-equilibrium as they are driven by runaway positive [...]
Self-Organization & Thermodynamics
Self-Organization & Thermodynamics The sunflower with its two counter rotating spirals is an example of the [...]
February 2014
Fitness Landscapes
Fitness Landscapes Visualization of a NK fitness landscape. The arrows represent various mutational paths that the [...]
January 2013
Mean Field Theory
[wd_asp id=26] Mean Field Theory Mean field theory tries to describe the state of a large [...]
Criticality
[wd_asp id=26] Criticality Graph showing UK interest rates which fell to 0.5% since the recession took [...]
Symmetry Breaking
[wd_asp id=26] Symmetry Breaking Illustration of electric charge of particles and antiparticles, an example of a [...]
Tipping Points
[wd_asp id=26] Tipping Points Tipping points can be witnessed most clearly in crowd dynamics where once [...]