Creative Management of Complex Systems

Jean-Alain Héraud is Emeritus Professor of Economics at the University of Strasbourg, France. He is a member of the Bureau d’Economie Théorique et Appliquée, and President of the Association de Prospective Rhénane, which brings together experts in economic and social development in the Upper Rhine region.Fiona Kerr is Associate Professor at the University of Adelaide, Australia. An expert in neural and systems complexity, she is also a management consultant for various companies and organizations.Thierry Burger-Helmchen is Professor of Management Sciences at the University of Strasbourg, France. He is a member of the Bureau d’Economie Théorique et Appliquée.

• Preface ixChapter 1. Introduction: Why Do We Talk About Complexity in Management? 11.1. Examples of complex and/or innovative projects 21.2. Complex systems, rationality and knowledge 51.2.1. Outlines of complexity and complex systems 51.2.2. Information and learning 71.2.3. Rationality 101.3. Cognition and the theory of the firm 151.3.1. Creativity and the evolutionary theory of the firm 171.3.2. Creativity and knowledge 181.3.3. Creativity and novelty within a system 201.4. The entrepreneurial dimension 221.4.1. The philosophy of effectuation 241.4.2. Evolutionary models 251.5. Conclusions 26Chapter 2. The Evolution of Complex Systems 292.1. Adaptation, learning and flexibility 302.2. The nonlinear behavior of “imbalanced” systems 322.3. Autonomy and responsibility 352.3.1. A sociological approach to the question of “irresponsible” complex systems 352.3.2. The role of the leader 362.4. Different evolutionary models 392.4.1. The large models inspired by the natural sciences 392.4.2. Human evolution 412.4.3. The evolution of economic organizations 422.4.4. Proactive evolution: from adaptation to exaptation 442.5. Implications for management 462.5.1. Thinking in a nonlinear way 462.5.2. Anticipating breakthroughs 482.5.3. Managing learning and encouraging agents 502.6. Closing remarks 52Chapter 3. Steering Complex Adaptive Systems: Managing Weak Signals 553.1. Navigating the ocean of signals 573.1.1. Understanding the nature of the ocean 573.1.2. Observing the ocean 583.1.3. Taking a course 643.1.4. Navigating in symbiosis 673.2. Managing interdependences and dancing with the system 693.2.1. The transmission of signals as a creative process: the example of composite materials 713.2.2. The nonlinear changes at the source of evolution 743.3. Surfing on the wave 823.3.1. Preparing the actors means first listening to them 823.3.2. Choosing the right methods to design a strategy 833.3.3. Choosing a good steerer 853.4. Conclusion 97Chapter 4. Entrepreneurship, Market Creation and Imagination 994.1. Some current stakes of entrepreneurship 1024.2. The entrepreneur in the history of economic thought 1054.2.1. The entrepreneur, harbinger of decentralized creativity 1064.2.2. The entrepreneur according to Jean-Baptiste Say: the assembler of factors 1094.2.3. The Austrian approach: a form of serendipity within the economic process 1104.2.4. The Schumpeterian approach: from serendipity to creativity 1114.2.5. The entrepreneur as a decision-maker in uncertain situations 1144.2.6. Towards a taxonomy of the entrepreneurial function 1164.3. Motivations, responsibility and identity of the entrepreneur 1174.3.1. The entrepreneur’s responsibility 1184.3.2. The entrepreneur’s identity 1194.3.3. Conclusion on the entrepreneur’s motivations 1224.4. Entrepreneurship and complexity: the role of the imagination 123Chapter 5. Managerial Approaches and Theories of the Firm 1275.1. Complexity and management: the first steps 1305.2. Manager’s role versus complex systems 1325.3. Marketing and complex systems 1345.3.1. Hypotheses and theories of complex systems 1365.3.2. Four types of complex systems 1375.3.3. Honda and the global automobile market 1405.3.4. Implications for the marketing manager 1455.4. Complex systems and human resource management 1465.4.1. RBV and complex systems 1475.4.2. Strategic human resource management 1495.5. Conclusion: managers’ creative responses 151Conclusion 155References 157Index 173