Organizational responses to complexity: the effect on organizational performance

This paper uses a complex adaptive systems view to examine two different or ganizational responses to turbulent complex environments. We examined the i nternal make-up of eight organizations that saw their environment the same way - as rapidly changing, complex and requiring aggressive change strategi es Half of these organizations chose a complexity absorption response to en vironmental turbulence, and half chose a complexity reduction response to e nvironmental turbulence and complexity. The organizations pursuing a comple xity absorption response outperformed those organizations with complexity r eduction responses.