The Exystence Complexity Workshop May 2003
Video 21 May 2003 Questions Professor Eve Mitleton-Kelly, Director, Complexity Group, LSE 1.How can complexity science and network analysis be used to generate scenarios for development of a global knowledge society? (question posed by the European Commission and addressed by a workshop) Urooj Amjad, Research Officer, LSE Complexity Group How can complexity help illuminate the concept of roles in organisations & dynamic role processes. Ruben Bauer, Visiting Researcher, LSE Complexity Group How could we better assess the quality of human interactions within self organizing social arrangements? Laura Birkinshaw, Consultant, Uncommon Practice How can Complexity help organisations to understand and build their innate innovation capabilities? Eduardo Castellano, Visiting Researcher, LSE Complexity Group Exploration v. exploitation dilemma in terms of knowledge and innovation re. strengths of intra-and inter-network ties. Didier Clement, Management Consultant, DCmc If behaviour of complex adaptive systems is unpredictable what is the point of predictive models? Peter Dick, Department of Health, Can complexity help with diffusion of ideas , innovation atc. Through a system (instead of isolated islands) Venika Kingsland, DEFRA, Department for Environment , Food and Rural Affairs Could complexity help us to find a model to help assess the impact of the aggregate of different policies on the customer (in context of huge prog. of change within DEFRA) Alison Kirk, Senior Commissioning Editor, Ashgate Publishing Ltd How would I model an organisation & if I could do that, what would I get out of it? Farooq Khan, Research Analyst, Stratejia 1) If complexity science is truly a scientific field then how does it fulfil the doctrine of the scientific method? How and where does experimentation of reality occur in the complexity science field? Does complexity science offer us a distinct method of viewing and understanding reality and if so what is this method i.e. is it a distinct method? 2) How can policy makers in the developing world employ complexity science to make decisions as they seek to transform their economies? Background· The developing world face extremely complex problems as they try to advance their countries economically. Many issues contribute to the failure of these states and complexity science offers us a way of viewing the reality of these problems in a new light such that leaders in government, business and industry can adopt better strategies, which will build prosperity while ensuring sustainability. Hence we aim to dissect the reality and arrive at scientific judgements through the employment of complexity science, since the scientific method of thinking enables us to arrive at universal truths, and these truths or laws will therefore enable nations to truly progress since science discovers the natural laws of the universe. Indeed we aim to explore new discoveries through complexity science, which could not be discovered before due to the complex nature of the natural world. In essence it is aiming at a unified theory of why nations progress and why nations fail and to answer such questions in a scientific way. Janos Korn, Academic How do we model complex systems: Mathematic? Natural language?
Sevasti-Melissa Nolas, Research Officer, LSE Complexity Group Self organisation, emergence and creation of new order - what can these concepts tell us about change processes in the social arena characterised by an inter-play between different identities, cultures, social realities, ideologies, knowledge and expertise? Alexandros Paraskevas, Senior Lecturer, Oxford Brookes University * How can we map the factors which affect IT innovation Robert Pascall, Student, Kingston Business School How can complexity help increase risk taking in a context where there are 7 or 8 principal stakeholder groups, in context of major change. Maurice Passman Director, ART Ltd What would be the ideal Co. structure which would exploit complexity principles? Background to questions: It is evident from the meetings that I have attended that many of the non-scientists have very little idea of the mathematical/physics underlying principles of complexity mathematics. They do not understand the basic concepts and limitations of the science. The business organisations that have 'bought into' the idea that complexity science can help their companies are, for example, running pilot schemes that allegedly utilise complexity concepts - such as self organisation - again without, it seems, any understanding of where the scientific terms have their origin and the strict definitions of these terms. G.D. Paterson Visiting Professor, Strathclyde University, ex Shell How to encourage and support individuals to reflect on what they've doing to increase learning Ray Sheath, Managing Director, The Scarman Trust Whose responsibility is it to define purpose and principles? THE SCARMAN TRUST Stuart Smith, Associate Director Woodholmes.ksa Can complexity help us if high levels of scrutiny stifle innovation (& find a way out of the maze?)
|