Knowing and acting in conditions of uncertainty: A complexity perspective

As practitioners working with groups and organizations, we have reflected t ogether on what we think is happening when we find ourselves acting into si tuations in which the intention motivating the action as its goal is itself emerging in the very action. Along with others, we have been excited by th e ideas of self-organization in the natural sciences and also theories of p ractice, for example, tacit and explicit knowledge, in the social sciences. Together, these promise fresh insights into the potential of organizations . However, we find ourselves diverging significantly from writers who at fi rst sight seem to be using similar ideas, but they do so with an exclusive focus on strategic choice and intention. To illustrate what we mean, we exp lore the work of Nonaka and Takeuchi and how they use Polanyi's idea of the participant observer. We do this to identify contradictions we see in thei r approach. We also discuss the implications of an alternative understandin g of participation and what this indicates about what can and cannot be "ma naged" in the creation of new knowledge.