Papers by Kurt Richardson
this article are briefly to familiarize the reader with the more popular aspects of complexity sc... more this article are briefly to familiarize the reader with the more popular aspects of complexity science, and then, by focusing on the issue of incompressibility, to provide a provisional outline epistemology that attempts to incorporate the lessons derived from computer-based observations of complex systems' behavior and mathematical analysis of simple nonlinear systems. It is difficult to provide a complete presentation within such a limited format and for the interested reader a much extended version of this article is available (Richardson et al., 2000)
… , A Journal of Complexity Issues in …, Jan 1, 2001
Emergence, Jan 1, 2003
To educate a man in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society.
As the connectivity of the business environment increases, as a result of rapid technological dev... more As the connectivity of the business environment increases, as a result of rapid technological development, project teams are becoming more geographically dispersed. Given that team members may be positioned on different parts of the globe, multi-cultural issues may become more prominent, providing further complications for the project manager. Project planning and decision-making, therefore, becomes yet more complex and intricate. A
Complexity, Jan 1, 2000
This paper explores the implications of the incompressibility of complex systems for the analysis... more This paper explores the implications of the incompressibility of complex systems for the analysis and modelling of such systems. In particular, a provisional epistemology will be developed that attempts to remain faithful to the limitations derived from this aspect of complexity science. We will argue that such an investigation of complex systems highlights the relevance of paradigmatic pluralism or eclecticism, analytical creativity and boundary critique, and therefore has some affinity to sceptical postmodernism. Complexity science, like postmodernism, provides a clear warning as to the dangers of uncritically adopting any 'black and white' theoretical position. It encourages the deferral of paradigm selection and a healthy scepticism.
Http Dx Doi Org 10 1207 S15327000em0304_7, Jun 15, 2010
Electronic: Full price print subscribers to Volume 3, 2001 are entitled to receive the electronic... more Electronic: Full price print subscribers to Volume 3, 2001 are entitled to receive the electronic version free of charge. Electronic-only subscriptions are available at a reduced price of $189.00 for institutions and $40.50 for individuals. Send information requests and address changes to the Journal Subscription Department. Address changes should include the mailing label or a facsimile. Claims for missing issues cannot be honored beyond 4 months after mailing date. Duplicate copies cannot be sent to replace issues not delivered due to failure to notify publisher of change of address.
This paper explores the implications of the incompressibility of complex systems for the analysis... more This paper explores the implications of the incompressibility of complex systems for the analysis and modelling of such systems. In particular, a provisional epistemology (theory of knowledge) will be developed that attempts to remain faithful to the limitations derived from this aspect of complexity science. We will argue that such an investigation of complex systems highlights the relevance of paradigmatic pluralism or eclecticism, analytical creativity and boundary critique, and therefore has some affinity to the writings on affirmative postmodernism. Complexity thinking (i.e. thinking based on insights derived in complexity science), like postmodernism, provides a clear warning as to the dangers of uncritically adopting any 'black and white' theoretical position. It encourages the deferral of paradigm selection and a healthy scepticism. In this 'middle way' there is equal attention paid to qualitative as well as quantitative approaches to analysis.
rtly by their own previous actions, modern bureaucrats and politicians are adept at using this as... more rtly by their own previous actions, modern bureaucrats and politicians are adept at using this as further evidence for the need for yet more "rational" intervention and control; a more refined and careful use of "improved" technology ... the poison is also the cure. Complexity thinking forces us to review our conceptions of what natural boundaries are. Are they real in some absolute sense? Or are they no more than, and no less than, social constructs? Are some boundaries more real than others? Or are all boundaries equal? It should be noted that we use the term "natural" in its broadest sense. We are not merely concerned with atoms and molecules, which is how physicists traditionally apply the term. We are concerned also with the boundaries that describe organizations, departments, and teams. Some scholars would argue that the boundaries that delimit such "objects" are far from "natural," being no more than mental constructs. However...
This article represents not so much a completed piece of research, but the beginning of a renewed... more This article represents not so much a completed piece of research, but the beginning of a renewed discussion of ethics in business practice. It begins with a brief presentation of the highly reported recent events indicating the absence of ethics in modern business, and discusses briefly the role that ethics plays--- or does not play---in the education of many of our top business people by America's business schools. Rather than regarding ethics as simply the adherence to a set of universal moral values, this article is concerned with the ethical implications of model use in business and education
Emergence, 2001
Electronic: Full price print subscribers to Volume 3, 2001 are entitled to receive the electronic... more Electronic: Full price print subscribers to Volume 3, 2001 are entitled to receive the electronic version free of charge. Electronic-only subscriptions are available at a reduced price of $189.00 for institutions and $40.50 for individuals. Send information requests and address changes to the Journal Subscription Department. Address changes should include the mailing label or a facsimile. Claims for missing issues cannot be honored beyond 4 months after mailing date. Duplicate copies cannot be sent to replace issues not delivered due to failure to notify publisher of change of address.
Kurt R. Paul. This paper explores the implications of the incompressibility of complexsystems for... more Kurt R. Paul. This paper explores the implications of the incompressibility of complexsystems for the analysis and modelling of such systems. In particular, a provisionalepistemology (theory of knowledge) will be developed that attempts to remain faithful to thelimitations derived from ...
Futures, Jan 1, 2005
Traditionally the natural sciences, particularly physics, have been regarded as the Gatekeepers o... more Traditionally the natural sciences, particularly physics, have been regarded as the Gatekeepers of Truth. As such the legitimacy of others forms of knowledge have been called into question, particularly those methods that characterise the ‘softer’ sciences, and even the arts. This paper begins with an extended discussion concerning the main features of a complex system, and the nature of the boundaries that emerge within such systems. Subsequent to this discussion, and by assuming that the Universe at some level can be well-described as a complex system, the paper explores the notion of ontology, or existence, from a complex systems perspective. It is argued that none of the traditional objects of science, or any objects from any discipline, formal or not, can be said to be real in any absolute sense although a substantial realism may be temporarily associated with them. The limitations of the natural sciences is discussed as well as the deep connection between the ‘hard’ and the ‘soft’ sciences. As a result of this complex systems analysis, an evolutionary philosophy referred to as quasi-‘critical pluralism’ is outlined, which is more sensitive to the demands of complexity than contemporary reductionistic approaches.
In the complexity and policy communities there is growing support for the use of bottom-up comput... more In the complexity and policy communities there is growing support for the use of bottom-up computer-based simulation in the analysis of complex systems. The presumption is that because these models are more complex than their linear predecessors they must be more suited to the modeling of systems that appear, superficially at least, to be (compositionally and dynamically) complex. Philosophical explorations concerning the efficacy of models, whether they be formal scientific models or our own personal worldviews, has been a popular pastime for many philosophers, particularly philosophers of science. This chapter offers another critique of modeling that uses the results and observations of nonlinear mathematics and bottom-up simulation themselves to develop a modeling paradigm that is significantly broader than the traditional model-focused paradigm. In this broader view of modeling analysts are encouraged to concern themselves more with the modeling process rather than the (computer) model itself and embrace a nonlinear modeling culture. This emerging view of modeling also counteracts the growing preoccupation with nonlinear models over linear models.
Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, Jan 1, 2002
In a paper published in JASSS, Chris Goldspink discusses the methodological implications of compl... more In a paper published in JASSS, Chris Goldspink discusses the methodological implications of complex systems approaches to the modeling of social systems. Like others before him Goldspink advocates the use of bottom-up computer simulations (BUCSs) for examining social phenomena. It is argued therein that computer simulation offers a partial solution to the methodological crisis apparently observed in the social sciences. Though I agree with many of Goldspinkís remarks I personally feel that BUCS has been oversold as a tool for modeling and managing organizational complexity at the expense of other equally legitimate (from a complex systems stance) approaches. I have no doubt that BUCS offer a new and exciting lens on organizational complexity, but we must explicitly recognize that this nonlinear approach suffers from some of the same limitations as its linear predecessors. The aim of this short note is to discuss some of the limitations in more detail and suggest that complexity thinking offers a simulation paradigm that is broader than the new reductionism of BUCS. This alternative interpretation of complexity thinking forces us to reconsider the relationship between our models and "reality" as well as the role of simulation in decision making.
Emergence: Complex, Jan 1, 2004
Lynn …, Jan 1, 2007
Both practitioners and researchers in the field of project management have referred to problems c... more Both practitioners and researchers in the field of project management have referred to problems caused by complexity or problems of particular significance to complex projects. In different scientific disciplines investigations into the behavior of complex dynamical systems are revealing insights that, taken together, amount to a challenge to the prevalent Cartesian/Newtonian/Enlightenment paradigm from which the practice of project management has emerged. Concepts such as nonlinearity, emergence, self-organization, and radical unpredictability have major implications for the uncodified paradigm that underpins project management practice and research. Taken together, they amount to a complementary way of thinking and talking about projects and their management that might shed new light on intractable problems that appear to plague certain areas of project management practice. One strand within complexity studies that holds particular promise is complex responsive processes of relating, a means of talking about how human beings interact and learn and how their interactions evolve over time and across space. A new program of research, of which this paper forms part, will apply this conceptual framework to the lived experience of project teams, including executive sponsors, project managers and project team members.
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Papers by Kurt Richardson