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Computer Modelling and Complexity

In: Business in a Virtual World

Author

Listed:
  • Fiona Czerniawska
  • Gavin Potter

Abstract

‘Chaos’ and ‘complexity theory’ are some of the key business buzzwords of the 1990s, reflecting not just the emergence of a ‘new’ science but also a more general shift in our culture away from simple certainties. However, it is a change to which business has come comparatively late. Much of what we do is still based on comparatively simple assumptions, some of which we have already discussed in this book, such as the dichotomies between strategy and detail, and between information and knowledge. We keep things simple because this is how we get things done. Tell someone to do one or two tasks and there’s no problem; tell them to do 20 and, all too often, nothing ends up being completed. Like economists, we all know that the real worlds of our businesses are rarely as clear and logical as our planning models; we all know that things do not always turn out as we expected. We simplify to survive: it is a necessary part of management.

Suggested Citation

  • Fiona Czerniawska & Gavin Potter, 1998. "Computer Modelling and Complexity," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Business in a Virtual World, chapter 14, pages 168-188, Palgrave Macmillan.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:palchp:978-0-230-50933-7_14
    DOI: 10.1057/9780230509337_14
    as

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