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1: The sum of our circumstance; our surround, whole and part
2: The natural workings of the universe parts; to make or break wholes In nature, complexity is the potential of each thing as well as the larger landscape each thing is part of. Complexity is what allows life to survive and renew itself after catastrophe; it is the environment’s requisite variety; it is harmony, the inter-dependence between oxygen consumers (animals), and oxygen producers (plants). Complexity is the building block of each thing, as well as the sum and sustainability of all things. In our lives and in business, we often see complexity, not as something we are part of, but something we want to separate ourselves from; not something we created or wish for, but something to react to. We don’t see complexity as an unknown opportunity, we see it as difficult to control, and more difficult to predict. To the root of the matter, complexity is the circumstance we find ourselves in; the challenges we face that require us to change. But down to our core, we would rather not.
Guiding Principle
Nature diversifies and thrives within complexity – creating ever larger wholes Many parts, inter-dependent Emergence; parts create larger wholes
Principle Violation
We minimize and polarize around similarities – trying to control ever smaller parts Many parts, polarized Reductionism; wholes broken into parts |
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