Business Complexity & the Global Leader Conference, Oct. 2010
Emergence and sustainability in a decentralized organization
Tomas Backström, ProfessorSchool for Innovation, Design and Engineering
Mälardalen University, Eskilstuna, Sweden
Complex systems theoryComplex systems consists of actors who are at the
same time independent and dependent.
Independent:• The actor has its own
identity, rhythm and pattern of behavior.
• Has freedom to act in accordance with own judgment,
• and competence to do so.
Autonomous
Dependent:• The actor is dependent
of a bigger wholeness, a meta-actor.
• Accept to be member of the meta-actor,
• and thus to follow its schemata (sub-culture, habits and relationics).
Integrated
Given freedom of action
Allowed by supervisor
May,Possibility
Know,Competence
Want,Motive
Knowledge, Experiences
Maturity
Expected freedom of action
Social support
Loyal to group
Rewarding
Autonomy
Loyal to company
Cooperation,Shared responsibility
Conflict management
Reasons/occasions to communicate
Bases for communication
Possibility of affiliation
Access to information Feedback,
Customer focus
Meetings
Knowledge of wholeness
Heedfulness of wholeness
Core values, Culture
Integration
Communicated vision of company
Task for the manager
• Autonomy and integration – one of several energizing dualities.
• Dynamical balance between – stabilization through communication and
integration– instability through variations and autonomy.
• Rein control: two mechanisms with antagonistic function.
Autonomy and Integration in 24 companies of different kinds
Moore autonomy than integration 9
- High individual autonomy and low integration 4
- High group autonomy and low organizational integration 5
Balance 6
- Balance between high autonomy and high integration 3
- Balance between low autonomy and low integration 3
More integration than autonomy 9
- Low autonomy and medium integration 2
- Low autonomy and high group integration 3
- Low autonomy and high organizational integration 4
Emergence of schemata
Schemata
Complex processes with a lot of interactingindependent actors
Changes are based on earlier stages, thus identity is preserved.
AutonomyContinuous creation
and re-creation ofthe schemata
IntegrationThe schemata
govern the processes
Circular causality
InsideSub-culture
Common thinkingE.g. goals of the unit.
OutsideBehavioral habits,
Institutionalizations
RelationicsPattern of relations,
Morphology of communication
Emerging schemata
ManagerFormal morphology of Pharmacy area X:
Pharmacy A Pharmacy C
Pharmacy B Pharmacy D
Pharmacy E
Pharmacy F Pharmacy H
Pharmacy G
Formal goals of of Pharmacy area X: Customer focus and customer satisfaction.
A
B
C
E
Emergent morphology of Pharmacy area X
A B C E Total
Description of goals
Business 3 (18%) 2 (13%) 2 (25%) 6 (50%) 13 (25%)
Customer 11 (64%) 6 (40%) 5 (62%) 5 (42%) 27 (52%)
Personel 3 (18%) 7 (47%) 1 (13%) 1 (8%) 12 (23%)
Total17 (100%)
15 (100%)
8(100%)
12 (100%)
52 (100%)
Goals close to central vision
Locally emerging goals
Emergent goals of Pharmacy area X:
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