Cilliers (2000) suggests that something that is complicated can be intricate, but the relationship between the components is fixed and well defined. For instance, a jumbo jet is a complicated system that is amenable to taking individual components apart and putting them back together. In contrast, a complex system is characterized in terms of the nonlinear dynamic interactions of the individual parts. Furthermore, while a complicated system can be viewed as the sum of its parts, a complex system cannot be viewed that way; one cannot predict the behavior of a complex system by examining the behavior of its individual parts. These emergent properties of complex systems are due to the nonlinear dynamic relationship between the individual components. Pathak et al. 2007. “Complexity and Adaptivity in Supply Networks: Building supply network theory using a complex adaptive systems approach.” Decision Sciences 38:4, 559.
- Part of Speech: adjective
- Industry/Domain: Business administration
- Category: Business management
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