Ivo Velichkov posted this on LinkedIn. I can’t find an un-paywalled version.

I said:

This makes me think it would be interesting to see a Jungian/archetypal reading of complexity. I confess I’m thinking of Jordan Peterson here.

To handle ‘unwieldy outer nature’ (the chaos! the chaos!) you must build barriers, but you must also bring some chaos into the order – both structured chaos, and symbolic representation of chaos… there’s something fascinating in there!

Source: Complexity and rationality: a material-systemic approach | International Journal of Managing Projects in Business | Ahead of Print

Complexity and rationality: a material-systemic approach

Author(s):

Lars Andersen, (NTNU Social Research, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway)

Abstract:

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to solving the complexity problem as increased complexity is a main reason why projects fail to reach their goals, and it is unclear what complexity is.

Design/methodology/approach

Conceptual development integrating theories of materiality, teleology, and complexity, decision-making theory, communication theory, coordination theory, and qualitative, quantitative and participatory approaches are used in this paper.

Findings

To understand complexity, it is necessary to develop a material-systemic process approach and to distinguish structured from unstructured complexity. The social actors construct a complex material-systemic process between themselves and nature to handle unwieldy outer nature. The material-systemic approach reveals how materiel life-world arenas are developed through increased complexity and specialization. Handling complexity is possible by materiality in general and structural material in special, the interplay between inner time (planning) and outer time (production), and between human subjects and an underlying coordination mechanism. It is a systematic organizational blockade that reproduces internal complexity as unstructured and incomprehensible complexity.

Research limitations/implications

The practical models of organizing are tested to the highest degree in construction industry. It is a task to try and examine the models in other types of projects.

Originality/value

The paper offers a proposal to a theoretical solution to the complexity problem going back to the roots in Enlightenment and shows at the same time through practical models how increased complexity may be the most important productive force in future projects.

Keywords:

Coordination, Construction, Communication, Decision making, Complexity

Type:

Research paper

Publisher:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Received:

04 October 2017

Revised:

10 July 2018

Accepted:

04 August 2018

Copyright:© Emerald Publishing Limited 2018
Published by Emerald Publishing Limited
Licensed re-use rights only

Citation:

Lars Andersen, (2018) “Complexity and rationality: a material-systemic approach”, International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, https://doi.org/10.1108/IJMPB-10-2017-0116