As individuals and everything around us, we are all part of systems. These systems consist of various elements that interact with each other to achieve specific goals. Some systems around us are simple, have few components and their behavior is predictable. However, some systems are complicated and have many aspects, yet their behavior is still predictable. Finally, most of us and the systems around us are complex, with many elements that yield unpredictable behavior.
The challenge lies in understanding complex systems since most still need to perceive or comprehend them fully. The root cause of this problem is our approach to breaking down problems to understand a system, which is perfect for simple and complicated issues but not for complex ones. Three main concepts differentiate simple/complicated and complex systems.
Firstly, complex systems are unpredictable and non-deterministic. Any attempt to forecast their future behavior is futile. While one might predict their behavior with luck, they can only do so sometimes.
Secondly, complex systems are non-linear, and there is no simple cause and effect as we expect in any system. No correlation exists between the effort invested in a complex system and the desired results. Additionally, complex systems are bidirectional, meaning if A impacts B, somehow B also impacts A.
Finally, breaking down a complex system into smaller parts won’t help understand the system. Understanding the system requires understanding the dynamics between all the elements that create a system and other elements of external systems that interact with the system we try to understand.
Additional tools and different thinking are required to understand complex systems better. One of the most well-known tools is Systems Thinking. However, knowing these tools will only give an advantage to further thinking. With the correct thinking, one will use the tools.
Understanding and dealing with complex systems is a time and effort-consuming process, but it is essential for any business today. Recognizing this gap is why we started Galaxies. We provide knowledge and understanding of complex systems and free up your time to focus on your business.
