I discovered a marvellous analogy for interacting with simple and complex situations in my Open University notes on the complexity course I am doing.

Many people believe that there is one correct method for dealing with situations: to break them down into manageable parts (e.g. by phasing a project or creating specialist job roles). This is like zooming-in on an issue until the individual parts become comprehendible. Another type of approach is systems thinking: making a complex task comprehendible by 'zooming out' and examining only the relationships between parts.

What complexity theory is suggesting is that both of these approaches are fine in the right circumstances, and that neither approach 'fits all'.

The scientific method of focussing on the detail works well for defined tasks bounded by knowable rules and restrictions. The example given is throwing a rock to a given point. You can calculate all the necessary factors to get the rock to the right spot, velocity, trajectory, wind direction, air resistance, distance to the point, etc, etc. Basically as long as you have sufficient information you can calculate the end result and then throw the rock knowing where it will land (unless you have made a mistake in your calculations).

The difference in dealing with a complex situation, is that a complex situation is not inert, like a rock, but it will respond to your intervention, like throwing a bird.



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