The Social Cellular Automata Process - Applying Complexity Theory to Improve the Movement Building Aspects of Management
Journal of Policy Studies 1997, Policy Studies Association of Japan
Posted: 1 Apr 2013
Date Written: March 1, 1997
Abstract
Traditional general systems theory concepts, such as self- emergence and supercritical systems, have been augmented by new concepts from computer models developed at the Santa Fe Institute under the banner of Complexity Theory: co-evolutionary fitness landscapes, order parameter, automata phase changes, lock in, and others. This paper is the first publishing of practical applications of Complexity Theory to improve management systems and behaviors of general relevance. Four different applications of a Social Cellular Automata Process, that socially implements self emergence dynamics that appear in computer cellular automata, are reported herein. This paper first presents a Social Movement Theory of business management, grounded in 64 transformation that most of the world's largest businesses have implemented in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Both the means and ends of management have increasingly become movement building. Next, this paper finds 4 primary transformation that, when combined, constitute the 64 transformation that are widespread in business. These 4 primary transformations are grounded in a "social" cellular automata model of business processes. Application of the Social Cellular Automata Process that results, to re-engineer a large salesforce, revise political election campaigns, deploy high technologies to General Motors, and create a Global Quality movement out of what is today the Total Quality movement are described in some detail.
Keywords: social automata, business process, re-engineering, management as movement building, tipping points, leading by tuning emergence
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