Term
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Definition
-Typical Newtonian Models
-Input yields proportional output
-Homogenous agents
-Modeled by physics equations, so can often be reversed to retrodict the original state of the variables.
-Cue Stick Science |
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Term
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Definition
-Complexity Science
-Large # of networked events, often with self organization.
-Impossible to predict/retrodict state variables due to positive feedback from within the system.
-Heterogeneous agents |
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Term
| In what ways is physics an equilibrium science and why isn't this approach generally fruitful for biological and human socio-cultural situations? |
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Definition
Physics operates on an if input x then output y basis, essentially physics flat-lines and uses linear assumptions to create equilibrium.
It isn't able to model the depth or complexity of social interactions among heterogenous agents. |
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Term
| Why should we marvel at the existence of periods of equilibrium, especially in human collective dynamics? |
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Definition
When you have heterogenous agents with adaptive learning capabilities and tension, you tend towards order creation instead of homogeneity.
As this is the case with the real world, it is rare that we find ourselves in a situation of extended equilibrium. |
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Term
| Gell Mann's Effective Complexity |
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Definition
The amount of non random information in a system, or the extent of a system's regularities.
Defining Features: System receives a stream of data about itself and its surroundings. It identifies and compresses these stimuli into regularities (schema). Schemas that work, survive, those that don't, die.
Example Schema: Laws, customs, myths. |
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Term
| Defining features of Chaos |
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Definition
-small number of large events coupled
-deterministic
-not self-organizing
Chaos is essentially a non-linear system that is very sensitive tot he outcome of a process.
Swaying of the London Bridge is a good example of Chaos.
Scalability in Chaos refers to how one process of a system may also appear in another system. |
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Term
| Defining Features of a Dissipative System |
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Definition
-Order creation devices that simply speed up entropy production.
-Capacity for self-organization
-inflows of matter
-positive/negative feedback
-entropy changes within the system in relation to the environment |
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Term
| Phases and phase transitions |
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Definition
| Critical values determine when a system shifts from being explainable by Newtonian Science, to having self-organizing capabilities, to behaving chaotically. |
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Term
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Definition
| System will begin to organize itself and do so more quickly (e.g. coming to a rolling boil). |
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Term
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Definition
| system moves into chaos until it reaches a new state of self organization that can dissipate the energy. |
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Term
| between 1-2 critical values |
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Definition
emergent complexity arises, the "melting zone".
-exhibits self organization, emergence, and non-linearity. |
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Term
| Example from physics of a dissipative system |
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Definition
| Sun's energy causes adaptive tension (energy differential) - > below 1st critical value energy will dissipate via conduction -> above 1st critical value heat convection currents will emerge in a far from equilibrium system (dissipative structures). Above 2nd critical value, chaos ensures, multiple basins of attraction/occasional tornadoes |
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Term
| What does adaptive tension mean in the context of organizational management |
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Definition
| putting enough pressure on workers that they will begin to embody the traits of a dissipative system, perform at non-linearity, exhibit emergence, self-organize |
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Term
| What are the defining features of emergence? |
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Definition
Emergence occurs when there is
-connectivity
-diversity
-rate of information flow
-lack of inhibitors
-good boundaries
-intentionality
-watchful anticipation
This creates perpetual novelty in which the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. |
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Term
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Definition
How large firms or species tend to homogeneity. How the ocean hasn't changed much in past 250Million years.
Corporations do this with group think and become too good at producing one thing. There are later unable to adapt. |
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Term
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Definition
Opposite of Equifinality - proposes that some things can be heterogenous in order to capitalize on the beenfits of emergent behavior.
Jack Welch exhibited multi-finality. |
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Term
| McKelvey's Three Necessary Conditions for emergent collective behavior. Example with ant colonies |
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Definition
1) Heterogenous agents that may have some governing rules and attributes influencing their schemas.
Ant's have heterogeneity based on region and function. Adaptive learning ability of being able to pick up on pheromones.
2) Amount of connections and interactions that mutually influence one another. There needs to be an initiating event and there needs to be a resource environment that has resources and adaptive tension. Ants pay attention to their neighbors, and bottom up emergences comes about.
3) There needs to be a motivation to improve fitness. Ants want to survive. |
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Term
| Holland's Six elements of a Complex Adaptive System |
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Definition
-Dispersed Interaction: dispersed heterogenous agents acting in parallel. Ants all wonder around for food until one ant finds some.
-No Global Controller/Cause: Ants pay attention to each other, resulting in bottom up emergence.
-Many Levels of Organization: Agents at lower levels create context at higher levels. No clear hierarchical structure, but many levels of organization that criss-cross.
-Continual Adaptation: Agents revise their adaptive behavior constantly. Ants adapt to what their neighbors are doing.
-Perpetual Novelty: new niche creation
-Out of Equilibrium Dynamics: Perpetual Novelty keeps system away from static equilibrium. |
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Term
| What was the unexpected outcome of Lake Victoria? What was the cast of characters and sequence of events |
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Definition
| Businessman could not sell Cichlid for much money, so they introduced Nile Perch. Cichlid went to extinction. Nile Perch began to lose their food source, so they adapted to prawns and sardines which were growing due to the fact that the Cichlid was disappearing. |
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Term
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Definition
When a system is open to the influence of outside systems. Circular influence between different systems affecting agents of both systems.
In Lake Victoria: Decline of Cichlid caused mosquito populations to grow as Cichlid used to feed on mosquitoes. Mosquitoes then bothered the nearby villagers. |
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Term
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Definition
Components of systems may play a variety of roles in other systems and/or sub-systems, with different causal processes.
Cichlid used to be cheap food for villagers. When Cichlid disappeared, Perch was too expensive for villagers, making it hard to get protein. |
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Term
| Salthe's Basic Triadic Structure, and it's applications for Lake Victoria |
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Definition
The System: Fish
The components of the system: Lake
The context of the system: Environment & Broader Economies |
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Term
| What are the differences and commonalities between human and nonhuman organisms that must be addressed when applying theories of biological complexity to social phenomena. |
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Definition
| Humans have greater heterogeneity, a higher ability to learn, more complicated fitness criteria, more cognitive abilities/memory/rules/reflexes. |
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Term
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Definition
| An accumulation of events that have shaped who you are. |
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Term
| Independent Additive Process |
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Definition
Random systems that are governed by or involving equal chances for each of the actual or hypothetical members of a population.
When there is a large number of small causes, you will have an independent-additive process that will have a normal distribution when you increase the number of events. |
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Term
| Interdependent Interactive Processes |
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Definition
A more complex system with interaction between agents that has cause and effect. (positive feedback).
Examples: Stock traders, someone mutters a word, Ants, one finds food, clumps of stock brokers and ants begin to emerge. |
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Term
| How does Schelling's Segregation model work? How is it unintuitive? |
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Definition
Agents move around based on need to have a few neighbors like them -> Eventually everyone is segregated.
It makes you think at first glance that these agents are racist, when in reality, they are just following a set of rules whose macro behavior makes them individually appear racist. |
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Term
| What is the relationship among interdependent-interactive processes, emergence, and Power Law Signatures? How does this apply to firms and to cities? |
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Definition
Interdependent Interactive processes is driven by positive feedback, self-organization, adaptation, and emergence.
Complex Systems follow a Pareto Distribution and exhibit Power Laws.
Sand Pyramid Example: Sand piling on is feedback. Slope of hill is emergent complexity. Applying too much sand goes into chaos.
Cities and firms are related to this in that collectively they tend to fall on those graphs discussed in class. |
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Term
| Bennis vision vs. Jack Welch Approach |
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Definition
Bennis: Live the vision and hope your employees emulate you. Hierarchy model. Lots of homogeneity.
Welch: Steer firms in ways that don't destroy autonomy, agent heterogeneity, connectivity, incentives, and emergent self-organization without inadvertently creating an organizational culture dominated by top down control. By applying tension to be #1 or # 2, he fostered a culture of bottom up emergence. |
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Term
| Ashby's Principle of Requisite Variety |
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Definition
Agent has to have the same amount of heterogeneity and complexity as the outside world to thrive in that environment.
Ocean hasn't changed much, sharks are fairly homogenous.
Best companies and organizations maintain heterogeneity, such as G.E. under Jack Welch. |
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