Complex Collective Behavior: The Characteristics Of Complex Systems

Introduction

What is complexity? What characteristics the organizational complex problems have which distinguished them from the other problems? What are the examples of complex problems in the organizations? These are some common questions that often come to our mind when examining the complexity of organizational problems. In this paper, we try to answer such questions as far as possible.

Certainly, the more we understand the complexity, the better we will be able to handle it. Gharajedaghi (2004) believes that “We see the world as increasingly more complex and chaotic because we use inadequate concepts to explain it. When we understand something, we no longer see it as chaotic or complex”. Holland (2014) remarks that the word of complexity

have some characteristics in common which includes:

1. “Complex collective behavior: All the complex systems […] consist of large networks of individual components […], each typically following relatively simple rules with no central control or leader. It is the collective actions of vast numbers of components that give rise to the complex, hard-to predict, and changing patterns of behavior that fascinate us.

2. Signaling and information processing: All these systems produce and use information and signals from both their internal and external environments.

3. Adaptation: All these systems adapt—that is, change their behavior to improve their chances of survival or success—through learning or evolutionary

They believe that by combining the above dimensions of the situation, four types of problems occur. They called this typology a ‘decision space’. They believe that dynamic complexity results from causal relationships between phenomena existing at various times and places, While the behavioural complexity is caused by different emotions, different mental models, and even different fundamental values and assumptions of people who involved in the problem's situation. When the behavioural complexity is low, agreement on a solution to the problem is easier to achieve, while in high behavioural complexity, there is a deep conflict between beliefs and views of individuals, and it is very difficult to reach an agreement in this