DEALING WITH COMPLEXITY

SKILL: Dealing with complexity

EQF LEVEL (INTERNAL REFERENCE): 4

Keywords 

1. SYSTEM 
2. INTERCONNECTIONS
3. OVERVIEW
4. UNCERTAINTY
5. CHANGE

Introduction

In this unit, you will be given useful tips on how to deal with complexity. You will also be able to test yourself at the end with an exercise.  

Content

The term "complexity" often conjures up a negative concept in us, something to avoid, to shy away from and to remedy, especially when referring to the working environment.

And yet, the term "complexity" encapsulates a profound concept, not to be escaped from but, on the contrary, to be welcomed. To get to the essence of the concept, it is necessary, as always, to start from the etymology of the word.

Definition of complexity

Going to the root of the word, the term "complex" means "that is composed of several parts or different elements. These different elements are woven together, intertwined with each other so that they create a single system. 

Nothing exists in isolation from the whole

Complexity is one of the characteristics of natural, human and social elements. We are surrounded by complex systems, made up of various parts and components, which juxtapose and interact with each other. The society in which we live, the company in which we work and even our own family are not isolated systems, but they influence each other and have interconnections at various levels.  

UNDERSTANDING COMPLEXITY

As complexity theories argue, it makes no sense, in order to understand a complex system, to isolate individual components and study them separately from the overall context. How, then, can complexity be addressed?

HAVE AN OVERVIEW

Addressing complexity means broadening one's field of vision and considering not just the individual elements of a system but the system as a whole. "The whole is different from the sum of its parts". The whole, in fact, possesses qualities that would not be found in the individual parts taken in isolation from each other. 

The example that is often used to clarify the meaning of the sentence is: the quality of the cake (sweetness, softness, but also more simply the color, the shape and the taste) are not in the sum of its parts, or in its ingredients. In fact, try to put eggs, sugar, chocolate and whatever else in a tray, and you will certainly not have a cake. 

Another example is that of melody: the pleasantness of the synchronized sound of all the instruments is far more than the sum of the sounds of the instruments heard individually.

ACCEPT THE UNCERTAINTY

Uncertainty comes from complexity. Evaluate what you can control. Uncertainty does not mean that we are at the mercy of fate but that there are aspects that are beyond our control. Accepting uncertainty does not mean suffering it. If some of what happens is out of your control, you can focus on the things you can influence and control. 

ACCEPT CHANGE

Complex systems are never static, but constantly changing. You cannot know what will happen at the end of change. One way to deal with this uncertainty is to be open to the many possibilities and alternatives that characterize phases of uncertainty and change. Certainly, at times, you are more certain of the end result of change, but some variability is always possible. Opening yourself up to possibilities also means suspending judgment and expectations. If you tend to approach change with "certain" expectations, you risk setting yourself up for frustration and suffering.

ADOPT A SYSTEMIC PERSPECTIVE 

In the face of complexity, we need more than ever to adopt a vision that takes into account the relationships and interconnections between all elements. 

Let's take the human body as an example. Have you ever read   the instructions attached to a prescribed medicine? Even for the most common of drugs, such as aspirin, at least fifty possible side effects are indicated, that is, possible consequences on different biological processes. This is because the human body is a complex system and introducing the molecule of acetylsalicylic acid (the active ingredient of aspirin) into it has consequences on the whole organism. This is complexity!

Here, then, are the four principles that help us understand and govern complexity:

1. In an interconnected reality every action changes the system: reality changes continuously and it is crucial to map the cause-effect relationships between the different subjects, according to an IFTT (If This Than That) logic.
2. Effective solutions are always contextual, they only work "here and now". There are no universal solutions, and even what worked yesterday in your context may not work today, and vice versa.
3. We are lead actors, all of us. There are no spectators. We have great possibilities and responsibilities.
4. In complexity, achieving one goal can undermine future outcomes. Therefore, it is not only WHAT is achieved that matters, but also HOW. We learn to distinguish goals from objectives. If we don't keep our eyes fixed on the end goals, individual goals could be detrimental.

I suggest you now do an exercise in which you reflect on 1 complex system to which you belong: work; school; family. Identify the elements that make up the chosen system and their interconnections. Represent the system, its elements and their connections, in the form of a network graph, like the example below.

Language Point

The colon & semi-colon

Read the sentence below:

I suggest you now do an exercise in which you reflect on 1 complex system to which you belong: work; school; family.

In this sentence we can see 2 different punctuation marks: the colon (:) and the semi-colon (;). Whilst they have more than one function, the sentence above shows two of the most common reasons for using them.

• Use the colon to introduce a list 
• Use the semicolon  to separate items in a list.