Taming Complex Projects Dynamics, Stability and the Challenges of Complexity

Complexity, understood as the interconnectedness of things, poses a constant challenge to organisations. Organisations may be unable to identify and manage their multiple human, technological or organisational interfaces or the interplay of different technological components. Also, organisations may have incomplete information about the true intent of some players or the dynamics of the market behaviour. Far from being a mere side effect, the inherent complexity of organisational systems often leads to interorganisational conflicts, operational delays or even costly project failures. Strategy formulation and implementation in organisations, therefore, has to take complexity seriously. This paper discusses the challenges complexity poses to project organizations, its characteristics and the lessons it teaches us for recognizing and avoiding error. Furthermore, it discusses a set of organisational and planning principles for dealing with complex adaptive organisational systems.