complexity, management and network thinking - study … · complexity, management and network...

Complexity, Management and NetworkThinking

Study materials

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Study materials Complexity, Management and Network Thinking

Introduction

Overview

The impact of new communications and information technologies on business and society is a significant one. Thetechnologies enabling and driving the 'digital economy' offer the potential for ubiquitous connectivity and access toinformation, enabling the sharing of information and information processes across boundaries. The resulting(selectively) interconnected, networked world presents opportunities and threats that are challenging both public andprivate sector institutions.

Complexity theory, as a field of study ideally suited for the exploration of the networked world, is rooted in severalmajor knowledge areas: mathematics, physics, biology, economics, and organisational science. Applied to amanagement context, complexity theory leverages systems thinking to explain the behaviour over time of variouskinds of complex systems.

Navigating through fundamental concepts such as unpredictability and interdependence, exploring the relevance ofnonlinear relationships in defining reality, and understanding the role of self-organisation, emergence, andco-evolution, the purpose of this module is to allow participants to make sense of the emerging context so that theycan develop and implement strategies for surviving and thriving in the networked world.

The module will employ a combination of lectures, mandatory and supporting readings, open discussions,opportunities for peer feedback, guest speaker talks, case study analyses, and videos, as methods of teaching andlearning.

Module Objectives

The module is primarily designed to equip participants to:

develop an understanding of complexity and the multitude of influences that shape outcomes in anorganisational context

understand and exploit social and cyber-social networks for innovation and competitive positioning

develop an understanding and appreciation for uncertainty and the constraints and opportunities it presents

discuss and evaluate emergence and self-ordering structures in companies

explore issues of transformation, evolution, and adaptation at the macro and micro levels

develop a capacity for system thinking

introduce and apply methods for understanding and mapping complexity in organisations.

Module/Teacher Evaluation:

Continuous improvement can only occur with feedback based on comprehensive and appropriate surveys. Yourfeedback is an important contributor to decisions to modify module content/pedagogy which is why we strive for 100%class participation in the survey.

All module teacher evaluations are conducted on-line. You will receive an e-mail informing you that the survey site onmy.wbs is open along with instructions for accessing the site. All responses are strictly anonymous. We especiallyencourage you to clarify your position on any of the questions and to give explicit feedback on your overall evaluation.

Page 1 of 1 Warwick Business School

Module outline Complexity, Management and Network Thinking

Monday

Monday 8 June 2015

09.30-10.00 Arrival and coffee

10.00-11.00 Introductions

11.00-12.30 Systems and network thinking• The power of networks• Thinking in systems• Analysing case studies from a complexity perspective

12.30 Lunch

13.30-15.00 Open discussionOutcome: definitions of key terms and concept map of key concepts i.e., system, complex,adaptive, complexity, emergence, attractors, boundaries, contagion, containment, etc.

15.00-15.30 Break

15.30-17.00 Complexity applied to biological and social systems• Video (The Gathering Swarms)• The ecological perspective• Swarm intelligence• Complexity and behavioral ecology

All sessions will be taught by Dr Bogdan Negoita, unless a guest speaker is specified.


Programme Complexity, Management and Network Thinking

Tuesday

Tuesday 9 June 2015

09.00-10.30 Network structure and dynamics• Perspectives on leadership in a network

10.30-11.00 Break

11.00-12.30 Case analysis and discussion: Complexity Theory and Negotiation

12.30 Lunch

13.30-15.30 Guest speaker: Professor Peter Allen

15.30-16.00 Break

16.00-17.00 Social networks• Video: TED Talk: The Next 5,000 Days of the web• Collective IS use, self-organisation in a crisis and crisis management



Wednesday

Wednesday 10 June 2015

09.00-10.30 Contextual complexity

10.30-11.00 Break

11.00-12.30 Case Analysis: Open Innovation at Siemens

12.30 Lunch

13.30-15.30 Open innovation and the network perspectiveGuest speaker: Professor Ola Henfridsson

15.30-16.00 Break

16.00-17.00 Individual and collective intelligence• Wisdom of crowds



Thursday

Thursday 11 June 2015

09.00-10.30 Open discussion• Why is healthcare a unique environment?• What 'solutions' can a complexity perspective provide?• How can complexity-related insights be applied to healthcare?• Which management aspects are portable for other organisational contexts and which are not? Why?

10.30-11.00 Break

11.00-12.30 Perspectives on the clinical knowledge and patient encounter• Complexity and healthcare

12.30 Lunch

13.30-15.00 Case analysis and discussion: Computerized Provider Order Entry at Emory Healthcare

15.00-15.30 Break

15.30-17.00 Perspectives on the healthcare organisation and clinical governance• EMR implementation and the emergence of standards



Friday

Friday 12 June 2015

09.00-11.30 Individual essay proposals• 3 groups x 7 members• 20 minutes to present, discuss, and obtain constructive peer feedback

11.30-12.30 Sensemaking: Mapping the (complexity) territory• Metaphors

12.30-13.30 Lunch

13.30-15.30 Guest speaker: Dr Dave Snowden

15.30-16.00 Sensemaking: Conclusion and module debrief



Module assessment

Assessment for this module is in two sections:

1. Group case-study facilitation (15%)

2. Individual essay (85%) split into two sections:

a. The proposal (15%)

b. The write-up (70%)

The submission deadline is precise and uploading of the document must be completed before 17.30 (UK time) on thesubmission date. Any document submitted even seconds later than 17.30 precisely will be penalised for latesubmission in line with WBS policy. Please consult your student handbook on my.wbs for more detailed information.

The online assignment submission system will only accept documents in portable documents format (PDF) files.Please note that we will not accept PDF files of scanned documents. You should create your assignment in yourchosen package (for example, Word), then convert it straight to PDF before uploading. Please place your student IDnumber, NOT YOUR NAME, on the front of your submission as all submissions are marked anonymously.

All the scripts should also have the following paragraph included on the front page:

This is to certify that the work I am submitting is my own. All external references andsources are clearly acknowledged and identified within the contents. I am aware of theUniversity of Warwick regulation concerning plagiarism and collusion.

No substantial part(s) of the work submitted here has also been submitted by me in otherassessments for accredited courses of study, and I acknowledge that if this has been donean appropriate reduction in the mark I might otherwise have received will be made.

PLEASE ENSURE YOU KEEP A SECURITY COPY OF YOUR ASSESSMENT

Please ensure that any work submitted by you for assessment has been correctly referenced as WBS expects allstudents to demonstrate the highest standards of academic integrity at all times and treats all cases of poor academicpractice and suspected plagiarism very seriously. You can find information on these matters on my.wbs, in yourstudent handbook and on the University's library web pages here.

The University's Regulation 11 clarifies that '…'cheating' means an attempt to benefit oneself or another by deceit orfraud. This includes reproducing one's own work…' It is important to note that it is not permissible to re-use work whichhas already been submitted by you for credit either at WBS or at another institution (unless you have been explicitlytold that you can do so). This is considered self-plagiarism and could result in significant mark reductions.

Upon submission of assignments, students will be asked to agree to one of the following declarations:

Individual work submissions:

I declare that this work is entirely my own in accordance with the University's Regulation11 and the WBS guidelines on plagiarism and collusion. All external references andsources are clearly acknowledged and identified within the contents. No substantialpart(s) of the work submitted here has also been submitted by me in other assessmentsfor accredited courses of study, and I acknowledge that if this has been done it may resultin me being reported for self-plagiarism and an appropriate reduction in marks may bemade when marking this piece of work.

Group work submissions:


Assessment Complexity, Management and Network Thinking

http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/library/using/guidance-training/referencing

I declare that this work is being submitted on behalf of my group, in accordance with theUniversity's Regulation 11 and the WBS guidelines on plagiarism and collusion. Allexternal references and sources are clearly acknowledged and identified within thecontents. No substantial part(s) of the work submitted here has also been submitted inother assessments for accredited courses of study and if this has been done it may resultin us being reported for self-plagiarism and an appropriate reduction in marks may bemade when marking this piece of work.

By agreeing to these declarations (when the message pops up on submission) you are acknowledging that you haveunderstood the rules about plagiarism and self-plagiarism and have taken all possible steps to ensure that your workcomplies with the requirements of WBS and the University.

You should only indicate your agreement with the relevant statement, once you have satisfied yourself thatyou have fully understood its implications. If you are in any doubt, you must consult with the ModuleOrganiser or Named Internal Examiner of the relevant module, because, once you have indicated youragreement, it will not be possible to later claim that you were unaware of these requirements in the event thatyour work is subsequently found to be problematic in respect to suspected plagiarism or self-plagiarism.


Assessment Complexity, Management and Network Thinking

Teaching faculty

Bogdan Negoita (Module coordinator) Assistant Professor of Information Systems,WBS

His research develops on how the interaction with a diverse array of technologies such as wikis,electronic medical records, and even social media, is representative of a collective IS use of thesesystems. This work details the various ways in which instantiations of IS use enacted by individualusers become imbricated in the context of a given task. At an organisational level, his work studieshow IT champions secure socially-held resources in the context of an IT implementation. As part ofthe same stream of research, additional research uses a strategic decision-making perspective andcomplexity theory to study how strategic alignment between business strategy and IS strategy isachieved in an organisational context.

Peter Allen (Guest Speaker) Emeritus Professor, Cranfield University

Peter Allen is Emeritus Professor in the School of Management at Cranfield University where hewas Head of the Complex Systems Management Centre. He has a PhD in Theoretical Physics, wasa Royal Society European Research Fellow 1970-71 and a Senior Research Fellow at theUniversité Libre de Bruxelles from 1972-1987, where he worked with Nobel Laureate, IlyaPrigogine. Since 1987 he has been at Cranfield University. For many years Professor Allen hasbeen working on the mathematical modelling of change and innovation in social, economic, financialand ecological systems, and the development of integrated systems models linking the physical,ecological and socio-economic aspects of complex systems as a basis for improved decisionsupport systems.

David Snowden (Guest Speaker) Cognitive Edge

Dave Snowden is the founder of Cognitive Edge. He was Director (EMEA) of IBM's Institute forKnowledge Management and also of IBM's Cynefin Centre for Organisational Complexity. He isgenerally recognised as an industry thought leader in knowledge management. He developed theCynefin model during his ground-breaking work with alternative narratives over the past four years.The most recent developments with Cynefin come from a two-year project that was funded by theUS government to deal with asymmetric threat. The project used complexity theory and narrative tocreate a radically new approach to policy formation in public and private sector organisations.

Ola Henfridsson (Guest speaker) Professor of Information Systems, WBS

His research interests relate to the transformative potential of digital technology as it pervadesmodern business and entrepreneurship. Ola teaches digital business strategy and digital innovationat the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. He has worked and consulted with leadingcompanies such as General Motors, Mecel, Volvo Cars, Volvo Trucks, and many more. He is avisiting professor at the Swedish Center for Digital Innovation at University of Gothenburg. He is alsoan external expert for the Information Systems and Innovation Group, Department of Managementat the London School of Economics. He was a runner-up for the Warwick University 2015'Outstanding Contribution to Research Excellence' award.


Teaching Faculty Complexity, Management and Network Thinking

Readings

The textbook provided for the week is:

Kleindorfer, P. and Wind, Y. (2009)The Network Challenge: Strategy, Profit, and Risk in an Interlinked WorldUpper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall

The readings in this module are divided into pre-readings and further readings.

Completing as much of the pre-reading as possible before you attend will provide you with a wider understanding ofthe topics to be discussed during the module and therefore enhance your contribution to the class.

However, we understand that many of you will find it difficult to complete all of the reading due to other commitments,so have classified the readings as follows:

Pre-readings are included in the online materials; you should read these in advance of the session to whichthey relate. You should treat ALL case studies as required pre-reading.

Further readings are intended for those who may wish to widen and deepen their understanding of particularissues now or in the future. You will have to use your own library skills to obtain these.

Case studies

We are providing links to case studies which have been purchased from the Case Centre and are providedfor your personal use on this module, for which you are registered. You may download and print one copy ofeach for your personal use.

The case studies will expire on 13 July 2015 and will not be available to you after this. We recommend that youdownload themimmediately. When you have taken your copy of a case study you may not make further copies, sharethem with or sell the materials to any other person or use them for any purpose not connected with your studies forthis MBA module. Failure to follow these terms and conditions of use may result in disciplinary action.

Copyright

Please note that the readings provided are intended for your own individual study for this module and they are not tobe copied, sold, or used for purposes other than personal study. In each instance the copyright resides with thepublisher or author as stated and not with the University of Warwick.


Readings Complexity, Management and Network Thinking

Monday readings

Monday 8 June 2015

Setting the (complexity) stage

Pre-reading: Sargut, G. and McGrath, R.G. (2011)'Learning to live with complexity'Harvard Business Review, 89, 9, pp. 68-76Please click here and search for: AN 64496751

Sullivan, T. (2011)'Embracing complexity'Harvard Business Review, 89, 9, pp. 89-92Please click here and search for: AN 64497152

Merali, Y. and Allen, P. (2011)'Complexity and systems thinking'Chapter 1 in Allen, P.; Maguire, S. and McKelvey, B. (eds)The SAGE Handbook of Complexity and ManagementLondon: Sage, pp. 31-52This ebook will shortly be available through the library.If it isn't, please continue to check back on a regular basis

Further reading: Crook, C. (2009)'Complexity theory: making sense of network effects'The Network Challenge: Strategy, Profit, and Risk in an Interlinked WorldPennsylvania, US: Wharton School Publishing, pp. 207-22

Davenport, T.H.(2003)'Whatever Happened to Complexity Theory?'Harvard Business School article

Kleindorfer, S. and Mitchell, J.G. (2009)'Biological networks: Rainforests, coral reefs and the Galápagos Islands'The Network Challenge: Strategy, Profit, and Risk in an Interlinked WorldPennsylvania, US: Wharton School Publishing, pp. 85-104



http://0-search.ebscohost.com.pugwash.lib.warwick.ac.uk/direct.asp?db=buh&jid=HBR&scope=site


http://encore.lib.warwick.ac.uk/iii/encore/record/C__Rb2758195

Tuesday readings

Tuesday 9 June 2015

The 'network' turn

Pre-reading: Bonabeau, E. (2002)'Predicting the unpredictable'Harvard Business Review, 80, 3, pp. 109-16Please click here and search for: AN 6327085

Bonabeau, E. (2003)'Don't trust your gut'Harvard Business Review, 81, 5, pp. 116-23Please click here and search for: AN 9721855

Barabási, A.L. (2009)'Scale-free networks: a decade and beyond'Science, 325, 5939, pp. 412-13

Case study: Complexity Theory and NegotiationRef: 9-902-230

Further reading: Netessine, S. (2009)'Supply webs: Managing, organizing, and capitalizing on global networks of suppliers'The Network Challenge: Strategy, Profit, and Risk in an Interlinked WorldPennsylvania, US: Wharton School Publishing, pp. 225-241

Van den Bulte, C. and Wuyts, S. (2009)'Leveraging customer networks'The Network Challenge: Strategy, Profit, and Risk in an Interlinked WorldPennsylvania, US: Wharton School Publishing, pp. 243-58

Wind, Y.J.; Fung, V. and Fung, W. (2009)'Network orchestration: creating and managing global supply chains without owning them'The Network Challenge: Strategy, Profit, and Risk in an Interlinked WorldPennsylvania, US: Wharton School Publishing





http://0-www.jstor.org.pugwash.lib.warwick.ac.uk/stable/20536691

http://www.thecasecentre.org/programmeAdmin/courses?id=565134&pdid=40671&opid=445455

Wednesday readings

Wednesday 10 June 2015

The 'management' turn

Pre-reading: Courtney, H.; Kirkland, J. and Viguerie, P. (1997)'Strategy under uncertainty'Harvard Business Review, 75, 6, pp. 67-79Please click here and search for: AN 9711071077

Gottfredson, M. and Aspinall, K. (2005)'Innovation versus complexity: What is too much of a good thing?'Harvard Business Review, 83, 11, pp. 62-71Please click here and search for: AN 18774369

Gavetti, G. (2011)'The new psychology of strategic leadership'Harvard Business Review, 89, 7/8, pp. 118-25Please click here and search for: AN 61871184

Case study: Open innovation at SiemensRef: 9-613-100

Further reading: Nambisan, S. and Sawhney, M. (2009)'Network-Centric Innovation: Four Strategies for Tapping the Global Brain'The Network Challenge: Strategy, Profit, and Risk in an Interlinked WorldPennsylvania, US: Wharton School Publishing, pp. 147-64

Sosa, M.E. (2009)'Coordination Networks in Product Development'The Network Challenge: Strategy, Profit, and Risk in an Interlinked WorldPennsylvania, US: Wharton School Publishing, pp. 165-84







Thursday readings

Thursday 11 June 2015

The 'context' turn

Pre-reading: Snowden, D.J. and Boone, M.E. (2007)'A leader's framework for decision making'Harvard Business Review, 85, 11, p. 68Please click here and search for: AN 27036324

Tucker, A.L. and Edmondson, A.C. (20063)'Why hospitals don't learn from failuresCalifornia Management Review, 45, 2, pp. 55-72

Case study: Computerized Provider Order Entry at Emory HealthcareRef: 9-311-061

Further reading: Plesk, P.E. and Greenhalgh, T. (2001)'Complexity science: The challenge of complexity in health care'British Medical Journal, 323, 7313, p. 625

Plesk, P.E. and Wilson, T. (2001)'Complexity, leadership, and management in healthcare organizations'British Medical Journal, 323, 15, pp. 625-8




http://0-search.ebscohost.com.pugwash.lib.warwick.ac.uk/login.aspx?direct=true&db=buh&AN=9463647&site=bsi-live


Friday readings

Friday 12 June 2015

There are no set readings for today.



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