Through the looking glass of complexity: The dynamics of organizations as adaptive and evolving systems

This paper examines how organization theory can benefit from advances made in the interdisciplinary field of complex systems theory (CST). Complex sys tems theory is not so much a single theory as a perspective for conceptuali zing and modeling dynamic systems. The field of complexity is described in terms of the characteristics of systems that are typically the subject of i ts study, the type of analytical tools used by researchers in this field, a nd the recurring paradigms that characterize this research perspective. The concepts of self-organized criticality and self-organization and their rel evance to organizational studies are examined. The potential usefulness of these concepts is illustrated in the context of organizational evolution an d social network analysis. An alternative model of organizational evolution , based on biological evolution, is proposed and propositions are developed . Unlike traditional models for organization, this model does not rely on a n algorithm of optimization of a fitness function. The problem of self-orga nization is approached from the viewpoint of random graph theory and is app lied to the analysis of social networks. Finally, important issues in using concepts from the field of CST are discussed. It is suggested that the imm ediate benefits of CST may be as a framework that facilitates conceptual el aborations and encourages formal modeling; both activities may provide fres h and deep insights into organizational phenomena.