Chaos Theory
CHAOS THEORY AND HOW IT AFFECTS MANAGERS Introduction First off, let us look at the definition of the term chaos so we can get a better idea of how it can affect us as managers and how we can better prepare ourselves to handle and then deal with such chaotic situations that evolve around us each and everyday. So what is chaos? Chaos is, “synonymous with theories of complexity, and has been used to describe and explain all kinds of natural and artificial phenomena such as weather patterns, stock prices, heart arrhythmia and traffic congestion. ... The study of these chaotic complexities is described as chaos theory and can be stated as a theory that reveals patterns of order out of what could be or appear to be outright chaos. What is Chaos: A) The possibility of obtaining completely random results from normal equations. ... A Brief History In general the chaos theory is fairly young. Meteorologist Edward Lorenz discovered the theory in 1961. ... The Mathematics of Chaos, pg. 141) Later on Lorenz developed more simplistic formulas to prove his theory. ... ” (James Gleick, Chaos - Making a New Science, pg. ... The bifurcations came faster and faster until suddenly, chaos appeared. ... Looking closer at these lines revealed little windows of order, where the equation gone through the bifurcations before returning to chaos. This self-similarity, the fact that the graph has an exact copy of itself hidden deep inside, came to be an important aspect of chaos. ... A Look at Chaos Theory One of the key elements of chaos theory is the phenomenon called nonlinearity. ... Metaphors are used in an attempt to explain more in detail, the patterns of order that occur during such chaos. ... Chaos follows, but glimpses of order emerge as lines gradually form and people self-organize by alternating their entry into successively fewer lines in order to reach one of the exits. ... Another effective example to explain chaos theory is the sand pile model. ... Sand Pile Theory and its Reflection on Human Life The formation of identity like the formation of a sand pile, with each person being unique and thus affected by events differently. ... They are forced to adapt to chaos by self-organization much like the grain of sands structurally organize after a sand slide. How to Prepare for Chaos as a Manager A very interesting recent development in chaos theory is the control of chaos. There are two types of chaos, deterministic chaos and true chaos. True chaos is generated from fluctuations in the external environment and deterministic chaos is chaos that is generated from an individual. Normally this type of chaos is used to try and determine an outcome that produces the most effective results. As a manager it is important to understand this difference because using some chaos within your organization can help you generate an increase in productivity. Too much chaos on the other hand can cause stress within your organization and could work in the adverse effect. Effectiveness comes from how much chaos you incorporate and when to know how to use it. Understanding the personality of a person will help you to determine how much chaos that individual can handle while they still produce their most effective results. ... But also remember to identify true chaos so you can prepare yourself for any surprises you might be challenged with. Your views on chaos and complexity should be handled not as problems to be solved but as aspects of a process by which living systems adapt, renew, maintain and transcend themselves through self organization much like we saw in the models that explain chaos theory. Managers can use chaos effectively by continually challenging their employees but not by overly inducing stress to a point that is uncomfortable to the individual. ... It is a struggle for a manager to control chaos to the point where best results are attained from every individual of the team. ... Measuring the thickness of the material can be associated with Mandelbrot’s coastline theory. ... #2 Workplace examples of chaos in action are many, and their number is only limited by the time spent looking for them.