Complexity Society
Newsletter – August 2007

Welcome to our latest newsletter. We are trying out a new format this time, intended to be more accessible (assuming you are online), and taking turns at editing. You don’t have to read all of it, just follow the links you find interesting.

First of all – reserve the 13th November in your diary for our next event, featuring Ralph Stacey amongst others, to be held at Oxford Brookes. More details in a separate announcement to follow. Ralph has asked if would draw attention to a new part-time research degree programme offered by The Complexity and Management Centre at the Business School of the University of Hertfordshire.

Download Programme - [Word format] [pdf format]

Secondly, please forward this to anyone who you think might be interested in any of the contents, especially if they might be encouraged to join us in the Complexity Society … http://www.complexity-society.com/join.html

Elizabeth McMillan is running a two hour workshop using complexity science at an innovation conference in October and they have offered a special deal to Complexity Society members of a 20% discount on the full price. All you have to do is quote Elizabeth's name. The details can be found at Conference: Driving Business Growth Through Innovation.

Now, if you happened to find yourself sharing a taxi with Gordon Brown, what would you like to tell him? Chris Ragg’s response lead me to read, and then contact, Jake Chapman. I certainly hope Jake gets in the same taxi as Gordon one day, "20 minutes with Gordon"… And just in case you didn’t take the hint, here is a second chance to look at "System failure - Why governments must learn to think differently"

If you have attended any of our events you may have seen a man in a suit and tie, looking like an entrepreneurial businessman. Well, that’s exactly what Paul Argyle is, and I was curious as to his interest in complexity – so I asked him if he would explain to us. His fascinating story is at Layers, Players and Patterns.

Have you ever struggled to explain complexity to friends or relatives? If so, this recent 12-minute TV clip featuring John Holland may help… NOVA | scienceNOW | Emergence | PBS.

Chris Ragg suggests a means of successful searching without wading through dross... Intute

“We believe that the future will happen as a result of long-wave themes and developments that unite the past, the present and the future. However, one constant evident in history – the power of contingency and surprise – will continue to dominate our future, which will be influenced and punctuated by unexpected events, startling surprises, major discontinuities and the pervasive operation of chance”. This broad caveat is in the foreword to a thoughtful and detailed look at the future… Global Strategic Trends 2007-2036.

Our event held at Cranfield on 24th April was titled “Complexity and Creative Destruction”, and featured Peter Allen and Mike Batty, with a Complexity Café facilitated by Ed Mitchell and Carol Webb. See http://www.complexity-society.com/creative.html for notes and photos.

In the Complexity Café I met Nadine Andrews of Arts in Manchester (www.aam.org.uk). I asked her for a comment for our Newsletter, I suspect this will resonate with some of you:
“How happy and fulfilled will I feel if I ever succeed in convincing funders that requiring precise details about what the project will achieve and how and with whom I intend to work is not conducive to supporting creativity, and that they would do better to shift attention to the starting conditions and whether this environment can enable interesting and positive things to happen.”

Hope you enjoy this newsletter. All feedback welcome.

Regards,
Peter Miles
www.complexity-society.com
www.complexitysolutions.com