One Way Forward to Beat the Newtonian Habit with a Complexity Perspective on Organisational Change
We face a global crisis of un-sustainability—we need to change trajectory, but have so far displayed a collective inability to do so. This article suggests that one reason for this is our entrenched approach to change, which has inappropriately applied mechanistic Newtonian assumptions to “living” s...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2013-10-01
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| Series: | Systems |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.mdpi.com/2079-8954/1/4/66 |
| _version_ | 1811303307192303616 |
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| author | Josie McLean Sam Wells |
| author_facet | Josie McLean Sam Wells |
| author_sort | Josie McLean |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | We face a global crisis of un-sustainability—we need to change trajectory, but have so far displayed a collective inability to do so. This article suggests that one reason for this is our entrenched approach to change, which has inappropriately applied mechanistic Newtonian assumptions to “living” systems. Applying what has been learned about the behaviour of complex adaptive systems, we develop a pragmatic model for students of sustainability, who want to facilitate profound organizational and community change towards sustainability on the ground. Our model, “one way forward”, does not purport to be the only way but one possibility, grounded in a different understanding of the nature and dynamic of change as seen through the lens of complexity. In this way, it challenges more conventional change management practices. One way forward is a model facilitating evolutionary change in a social ecology—one possible expression of a “culture of community self-design” as expressed by Banathy. Its theoretical foundations and its practical application (it is designed for practice) both have their source in a systemic view and in the principles that reflect the paradigm of complexity. Four central components of this new model—envisioning, core messages (values), indicators of progress, and experimentation—are explored in more detail. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T07:45:47Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6ee42ff545dc49bea540b5bd12518651 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2079-8954 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T07:45:47Z |
| publishDate | 2013-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Systems |
| spelling | doaj.art-6ee42ff545dc49bea540b5bd125186512022-12-22T02:55:42ZengMDPI AGSystems2079-89542013-10-0114668410.3390/systems1040066One Way Forward to Beat the Newtonian Habit with a Complexity Perspective on Organisational ChangeJosie McLeanSam WellsWe face a global crisis of un-sustainability—we need to change trajectory, but have so far displayed a collective inability to do so. This article suggests that one reason for this is our entrenched approach to change, which has inappropriately applied mechanistic Newtonian assumptions to “living” systems. Applying what has been learned about the behaviour of complex adaptive systems, we develop a pragmatic model for students of sustainability, who want to facilitate profound organizational and community change towards sustainability on the ground. Our model, “one way forward”, does not purport to be the only way but one possibility, grounded in a different understanding of the nature and dynamic of change as seen through the lens of complexity. In this way, it challenges more conventional change management practices. One way forward is a model facilitating evolutionary change in a social ecology—one possible expression of a “culture of community self-design” as expressed by Banathy. Its theoretical foundations and its practical application (it is designed for practice) both have their source in a systemic view and in the principles that reflect the paradigm of complexity. Four central components of this new model—envisioning, core messages (values), indicators of progress, and experimentation—are explored in more detail.http://www.mdpi.com/2079-8954/1/4/66sustainabilitysystemic changeparadigm shiftcomplex systemsenvisioningvaluesindicatorsstrategic experiments |
| spellingShingle | Josie McLean Sam Wells One Way Forward to Beat the Newtonian Habit with a Complexity Perspective on Organisational Change Systems sustainability systemic change paradigm shift complex systems envisioning values indicators strategic experiments |
| title | One Way Forward to Beat the Newtonian Habit with a Complexity Perspective on Organisational Change |
| title_full | One Way Forward to Beat the Newtonian Habit with a Complexity Perspective on Organisational Change |
| title_fullStr | One Way Forward to Beat the Newtonian Habit with a Complexity Perspective on Organisational Change |
| title_full_unstemmed | One Way Forward to Beat the Newtonian Habit with a Complexity Perspective on Organisational Change |
| title_short | One Way Forward to Beat the Newtonian Habit with a Complexity Perspective on Organisational Change |
| title_sort | one way forward to beat the newtonian habit with a complexity perspective on organisational change |
| topic | sustainability systemic change paradigm shift complex systems envisioning values indicators strategic experiments |
| url | http://www.mdpi.com/2079-8954/1/4/66 |
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