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Adventures in Complexity: For Organisations Near the Edge of Chaos by Lesley Kuhn
A walk to the edge of organisational chaos - even in a tidy office
The focus of Adventures in Complexity is not so much organisations as the 'life of organisations'. Author Lesley Kuhn sees organisations as 'collectives of human activity' and here describes how complexity theory can be applied in and ...
By Jane, http://stranzblog.blogspot.com
A short and effective introduction to the art and science of complexity. A very useful resource introducing the terminology and thinking patterns required to adopt the complexity paradigm as a way of thinking and reasoning about organisations and the issues they face.
Complexity is introduced as a paradigm and a way of thinking for organisations. Students are expected to explore the issues they face and address them from a complexity-centred perspective.
Professor Darren Dalcher; Middlesex University. Postgraduate course, Managing Project Complexity
Lesley Kuhn has written a thoughtful, innovative and above all practical book about the implications and applications of complexity science for management. Written in a refreshingly engaging style, Kuhn's book manages to pack a lot of useful information in a relatively small book. In a field that has mostly been dominated by the revolutionary nature of the science with less emphasis on real-life applications, Kuhn has managed to provide the reader with a solid grasp of the science and a useful way of thinking about what it all means on Monday morning. Adventures in Complexity. For Organisations near the Edge of Chaos is not only a major new contribution to the literature on management and complexity, but to management literature as a whole.
Alfonso Montuori, Professor Department Chair, Transformative Inquiry, California Institute of Integral Studies
Lesley Kuhn’s new book, 'Adventures in Complexity. For Organisations near the Edge of Chaos' provides a welcome link between the complexity science perspective and actual opportunities for action in organizations. Dr. Kuhn’s combination of theory, narratives from the field, and suggestions for practice makes 'Adventures in Complexity’ a readable resource for both experienced leaders and students of leadership. Because of Dr. Kuhn's deep understanding of complexity and organizations, she is able to take material that others find daunting, and without sacrificing any depth, make it accessible to those who want to understand and apply the potential at the edge of chaos.
Deborah P. Bloch, Ph.D., Professor Emerita, University of San Francisco
In this smart little book - at times playful as well as thoughtful throughout - Lesley Kuhn gives impressive substance to the age-old claim that there is nothing as practical as a good theory. In her case, the theory is that which she refers to as the complexity sciences: The practices that are of concern to her are those that focus on the responsible and sustainable developments of organisations, which, with all of their peoples as components of them, characteristically exist, as she claims that they do, "at the edge of chaos". The mysteries of fractals and attractors, of potentialities and emergence, and of perspectives, narratives, discourse and metaphors for making sense of them all, are all engaging aspects of this very personal account of adventures in the complexity sciences as they relate to changing and change in organisations.
Richard Bawden AM PhD, Adjunct Professor Michigan State University, Professor Emeritus University of Western Sydney, Fellow and Director.
What I liked about Kuhn’s approach from the beginning is the way she frames her object to be complex and inclusive. It is ‘the life of organisations’, not the more common ‘organisation studies’ nor the even more common ‘management’. This deceptively simple, liberating decision shows her deft touch and accessible style. It also allows her to go beyond complexity theory and its well-meaning champions, and bring it back to life in both senses.
Bob Hodge, Professor of Humanities, Centre for Cultural Research, University of Western Sydney.
Kuhn’s book brings a missing voice to the theme of organisations and complexity: the words and problems of ordinary people. Instead of being seduced but not transformed by complexity as is the case with many other management works, she convinces us to embrace complexity ways of thinking, talking about organisations to show how people’s understanding of problems and solutions embraces non-linear forms of management.
Gabriela Coronado, Senior lecturer in Organisation Studies, University of Western Sydney
