The Heart of Complexity

The Heart of Complexity

Making More Sense: A Closing Conversation

Paul Plsek

So, what is the heart of complexity, anyway?

What is the heart of complexity? There are multiple answers:

But it's not just random variability. It's variability with a pattern. Patterns in time series, fractals, waves...
It is connection, and flow and caring relationship. The best jazz musicians, we learned, are the ones who listen well. We can't manage or dictate caring.
A machine has a sole, single purpose. An organization has a soul purpose.
The heart of complexity is patient. This was a thought that came up a lot from your comments.
The heart of complexity is paradoxical. Life/death. Collective/individual. Order/chaos. We must abandon the "either/or" thinking.
The heart of complexity is a perspective. It's not just a tool, like TQM. It's a way of seeing.
We received some warnings, too. There is potential confusion about the language, and a danger of turning people off with this new lingo."

So what?

Maybe there's a new definition of health. Maybe it means "poised for maximum adaptability." We can apply this to our organization.
We ought to spend as much time managing connections and boundaries as we do managing structure.
What do you plan to do? What is the implication for you as a leader? Participants said:
- "Look for patterns or waves in my institution. Talking and listening, for example."
- "Go into application more. Go back and forth between learning and action."
- "I can see how six pages of templates that our teams are now working with could be reduced to two min specs: Make the service line the choice of the community, and make it fall within budget.
- "I want to start noticing how I'm just a boring straight line!"
- "I'm going to start asking more risky questions, especially as they relate to relationships."
Final thought: On the children's show, "The Magic Bus," Miss Frizzle says everyday "Have fun, be nice and get messy!"