Simplexity
July 14th, 2008Simplexity is the prefect marriage of simple and complex. It’s accomplished by creating many simple parts, that create a larger complex system. Miguel Cunha is gold, if you haven’t read him before. He has a fascinating, although rough draft, article on Simplexity. There are many parallels for business, software, and life in the idea of simplexity, but he focuses on Business. It’s worth a read if you can find the time, otherwise, here are my notes from his article
Ashby’s Law:
only complex organizing – rather than complicated organizations – provides enough complexity to cope with environmental turbulence.
basically means only complexity can cope with complexity
Unintentional Complexity
Complexity is the cumulative by-product of organizational changes, big and small, that over the years weave complications (often invisibly) into the way work is done. pg 7
It is fought with intentional simplicity. Jack Welch turned around GE with his simplification process.
Unintentional simplicity is a problem also. it encourages exploitation over exploration. pg 8
Loosely coupled organizations can better handle the unexpected. pg 17
Only the complex organizing provided by simple structures – rather than complicated organizations – is flexible enough to cope with environmental complexity. pg 18
Complexity, top-down hierarchy, overdeveloped systems and processes seem to turn workers into machines. A hive-mind mentality should foster creativity.
organizations need to create designs that favor alertness and capacity of response, triggered wherever the information is. pg 19
Although the behavior that emerges is complex, the rules that guide it are necessarily simple. In fact it is their simplicity that creates the freedom to behave in complicated adaptive, and surprising ways. pg 20
One of the potential results of deliberately simple organizing is the creation of a developed collective mind, or what Weick and Roberts (1993) described as heedful interrelating. The concept refers to a developed attentiveness and caring about the actions of the other organizational members, in such a way that individual know-how is made subservient to group processes. pg 22
Simple infrastructures may result in complex behaviors because they support and facilitate a number of processes that encourage rich and mindful interactions. pg 22
in his Mann Gulch study, which showed that training and specialization may actually hamper the variety of behavioral repertoire. Again: complexity may block learning and adaptation. pg 25
This read was particularly reassuring for me. It’s the collective intelligence of the company that can really make a great company, not just mine. That’s great! Now the leader’s role is to facilitate such an atmosphere.
Resources
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/28/ge.html
http://www.complexityandeducation.ualberta.ca/COMPLICITY1/pdfs/Complicity11b_Intro.pdf