Business - Written Friday, December 18, 2009 by Naumi Haque - 5 Comments

Complexity and Wikinomics

What do a city, a forest, and your business ecosystem have in common? It turns out, a lot. All three are examples of complex adaptive systems.

Earlier this week I spoke at a conference hosted by the Royal Flemish Society of Engineers on the topic of complexity. The keynote speaker was Prof. Geoffrey West, former President of the Santa Fe Institute that pioneered the study of complexity science using a combination of economic theory and biology/physics (the founders were an economist and a physicist – both Nobel Laureates).  The end goal of complexity research is to develop new integrated conceptual frameworks for understanding the interdependence between various complex adaptive systems that define our world, including cities, financial systems, and the environment.

Continue…