Sunday, March 18, 2018

A633.5.3.RB - Reflections on Chaos

For this task, I was asked to watch the below video and reflect on what the exercise meant to me. I will describe how it impacts my understanding of chaos theory. Finally, I will discuss the implications that this understanding has on strategy.

The video "Who needs leaders" (2008) was a perfect 3 minute representation of chaos theory. To be honest, I watched the video before reading the assigned chapters this week but I am glad I did. The "Who needs leaders?" exercise helped me visualize Obolensky's 8 key principles on how to lead complex tasks.

Complexity works well when you have:

Underlying, implicit & unifying common purpose ↔ Clear, explicit & individual objectives
Discretion and freedom to act ↔ Boundaries enclosing the action
Skill/will of the individual people ↔ A few simple rules of the organization
Ambiguity, randomness far from equilibrium ↔ Continuous & unambiguous feedback
(Obolensky, 2014, p. 105).

The exercise demonstrates how polyarchy and chaos/complexity can be used effectively through a simple exercise, letting members figure out and navigate the chaos and complexity for themselves while also in relation to others. The members eventually begin to recognize and observe the decisions of others and subconsciously work together to solve the task. The exercise, at first, seems impossible. Yet with a clear objective, a few simple rule, clear boundaries, freedom to act and continuous feedback, the task is quickly solved. Members need to have a clear vision or starting point, a clear idea of the objectives to be reached, and as few rules as possible within the operating boundaries of the organization in order to meet the demands of a complex, changing environment.

While there was a degree of chaos I enjoyed that there was also order. There definitely was an underlying order even though the people did not move in a predictable path. Leaders need to have the awareness to embrace the chaos and lead by 'wu-wei' or 'the art of inaction' (Obolensky, 2014, p 8). Furthermore, "the more complex things are, the less traditional leadership one needs" (Obolensky, 2014, p 101). The video demonstrates that although it seems contradictory, there is order in chaos and simplicity in complexity.

The implications this exercise can have on strategy and chaos theory exemplify the need for tolerance of ambiguity and chaos. The balance is embracing uncertainty while realizing that leaders should not abandon order and control (Obolensky, 2014, p. 105). Ambiguity seems chaotic but can be a good thing, allowing members the freedom to act and show that they have the skill to do their job. Another implication on strategy is that making near or future plans is difficult to predict. The illusion of control that management has leads them to assume that they have complete control over the outcome of a situation in an instance where they do not (2017). Leaders cannot control everything no matter how hard they may try.

The video "Who needs leaders" perfectly demonstrated Obolensky's 8 key principles of leading complexity. The exercise shows how chaos and complexity can be used effectively. The video also exemplified that there is order in chaos and simplicity in complexity. Lastly, the exercise exhibits that ambiguity and uncertainty should be embraced as not everything can be planned or predicted.

References:
Obolensky, N. (2008). Who Needs Leaders. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41QKeKQ2O3E
Obolensky, N. (2014). Complex Adaptive Leadership (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Gower Publishing.
The Illusion of Control – You Are Your Worst Enemy. (2017). Retrieved March 18, 2018, from https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/the-illusion-of-control-you-are-your-worst-enemy

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