What is self-organisation ?
A process in a complex adaptive system allows new emergent structures, patterns, and properties to arise without being externally imposed. The new structure results from self-organisation. It is called a 'dissipative structure' because it occurs spontaneously. It is directed or controlled by a centralized, hierarchical "command and control" center. As a result, whole systems will self-organise when they are pushed far from their stable state.

As a result, order emerges through a process of self-organisation. Complex behaviour need not have a complex explanation. Spontaneous group activity, dissenting factions, and groups of close-knit personal relationships are examples of self-organisation in human systems.

Who discovered it ?
First studied in physical systems by Ilya Prigogine and his followers, as well as the Synergetics School founded by Hermann Haken, self-organization is now studied primarily through computer simulations such as cellular automata, boolean networks, and other phenomena of Artificial Life.

However, self-organization is now recognised as a crucial way of understanding emergent, collective behavior in a large variety of systems including: the economy; the brain and nervous system; the immune system; ecosystems; and the modern large corporation or institution.

How does it work ?
In human terms the behaviour of one agent in the system is greatly influenced by how the others behave. When the interactions follow cultural mores or rule driven behaviour what actually emerges from the many possible combinations of interaction is largely predictable within a given set of environmental conditions. Human beings create conditions such as tight bureaucratic and hierarchical structures to reduce the chances of order breaking down. Strong top-down energy ensures compliance, even from the self-organising networks.

Lessons for the Change Coach
From a coaching perspective, the lessons are obvious. The way our thought patterns create our reality needs to be shifted to achieve change. Creating the right conditions at the outset (sensitivity to initial conditions) will be critical in enabling new behaviours to emerge and get established. A few simple rules or principles are needed to support key changes in behaviour. If they are the right changes, they will combine to reinforce new sustainable patterns of behaviour.

Leadership for change does not have to be someone with authority telling others what to do. An 'emergent leader' can be one of the team whose role is to clarify the rules and create the conditions that enable others to engage with each other in more productive and meaningful ways to achieve a common purpose. The 'servant leader' is someone who gives energy, time and commitment to intervene and shift the pattern of interactions to get a different outcome.

Change leaders succeed by adopting the principles underlying self-organisation by focusing on relationships, or what's happening between people's noses, not just their ears. They are neither passive or aggressive in their stance and energise all the agents in their sysyem by respecting them as autonomous and indepent, not putting them down or currying favour to influence their behaviour.

Self-organised criticality
Formulated by the physicist Per Bak, a phenomena of sudden change in physical systems in which they evolve naturally to a critical state at which abrupt changes can occur. That is, when these systems are not in a critical state, i.e., they are characterised by instability and unpredictability. Examples of such systems include avalanches, overeating, stock market and political systems that can lead to sudden crashes.

Sensitivity to Initial Conditions
A small change can have a huge impact, like a butterfly flapping its wings in South America creating the initial conditions that eventually leads to a thunderstorm in North America. Some attribute the term "Butterfly" to the butterfly-like shape of the 'chaotic attractor' discovered by the meteorologist Edward Lorenz who first discerned in his computer the patterns he later termed "chaos."

The Butterfly Effect introduces unpredictability into a system which may be amplified and lead to a drastically different outcome than expected. Thus, a particular state of the weather may be unpredictable more than a few days in advance, but climate and season can reduce the range of possible states of weather system, thereby, adding some degree of predictability in the chaos.

Return to top