Gray, there's a particular part of complexity theory referred to as
"complex adaptive systems" theory that I recommend to you. It is, I
find, most relevant to organisations (and other aspects of human
life). It is about systems that survvive by adapting or learning.
It has roots in both the science community and the philosophical one.
Evolution, phyics, biology, ecology, sociology, interpretive
philosophy, linguistics are all brought together with some very
interesting ideas and some very interesting computer simulations.
I recommend either Waldrop or Lewin's books "Complexity" with
different subtitles. They tell of the development of the field and
the Santa Fe Institute which seems to be the center for such
thinking. I also recommend two books which tackle the subject from
different ends, as it were, from list subscribers. The first is John
Warfield's "A Science of Generic Design" which approaches complexity
by reducing what has gotten out of control to effective complexity.
The second is my own, "The Intelligence Advantage: Organising for
Complexity" which attempts to point at how we can organise for
emergence that will not spill over into the condition that Warfield
is addressing.
Happy hunting - it's a wonderfully rich and developing area.
-- Michael McMaster Michael@kbddean.demon.co.uk