Strategy for Managing Complex Systems: A Contribution to Management Cybernetics for Evolutionary Systems

Strategy for Managing Complex Systems demonstrates that management and management theory have strong foundations in systems science, and most specifically in the cybernetics of truly complex—organismic, self-organizing, and evolving—systems. As Fredmund Malik shows, we live in a world of highly complex systems, many of which are both extremely fragile and extremely powerful. Nevertheless our institutions are ill-equipped to deal with changes in these systems, as we have little knowledge of their structures, the mechanisms of their behavior, and how to control them. This combination of societal ignorance and systems power, Malik argues, underscores the urgency of studying complex systems more thoroughly, rather than indulging in quick fixes.  Only when we understand and value complex systems’ potential for managing contemporary society’s institutions and organizations will we be able to implement necessary improvements. This book provides the basics of such cybernetic management, showing how we might create robust, self-organizing systems that are both functional and sustainably viable.