Complexity, Ethics and Creativity Conference
Description
Can businesses be more creative and ethical? The first aim of any business is to survive - but can creative and ethical thinking actually improve their chances of survival?
The Complexity, Ethics and Creativity Conference at the London School of Economics on 17 and 18 September 2003 aims to give businesses a new perspective on organisational development, based on complexity theory.
This theory, which originated in the natural sciences by, among others, Nobel Prize winners Murray Gell Mann and Ilya Prigogine and developed by various academics over the last 40 years, is being used by organisations to create the conditions for innovation and creativity and to support an ethical triple bottom line. This approach stems from the idea that organisations themselves are complex natural organisms, adapting and co-evolving to survive within a constantly changing social ecosystem.
The conference aims to bring together academics, artists and business people to explore and understand how complexity thinking can be applied in organisations to boost creative and ethical thinking.
The Complexity, Ethics and Creativity Conference has two distinct but related foci. On 17th September the focus will be on Ethics and Organisations and this part has been organised jointly with the Instituto Tecnológico Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, Mexico. On the 18th September the focus will shift to Creativity and this part has been organised jointly with the Complexity Society, UK. The hosts and main organisers are the Complexity Group at the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK.
The Conference objective is to explore the concepts of ethics as related to organisations, and of creativity, innovation, creation of new order, art, etc within the context of social complex systems. Has the meaning of ‘ethics’, ‘innovation’ and ‘creativity’ changed by our understanding of complexity? Furthermore, the conference will seek to explore some fundamental theoretical developments on the nature of emergence and on the processes by which new order is created.
Documents
- Speaker biographies: BioSep03.pdf
The Basic Problem is Still Survival, and an Evolutionary Ethics is Indispensable
Presenters
- Dr Peter Corning — Director — Institute for the Study of Complex Systems (ISCS), Palo Alto, California, USA
E-transformation - a Threat or an Opportunity for Human Beings?
Presenters
- Alfredo Capote — ITESM Mexico & vice-president of Strategic Initiatives for IBM Latin-America
1st Parallel Session
Description
‘The Basic Problem is Still Survival and an Evolutionary Ethics is Indispensable’ Peter Corning - discussion session
‘Corporate Structure, Adaptation and Personality Type’ Philip V. Fellman, Professor of International Business Southern New Hampshire University Lois Estabrook Account Executive, Osram, Sylvania Usha Dasari Lecturer, Southern New Hampshire University
‘Complexity and Democratic Theory: Building a New Cosmopolis for the 21st Century’ Katharine N. Farrell Institute of Governance, Public Policy and Social Research Queen’s University of Belfast
‘Re-conceptualizing Public-Private Partnerships in the Water Sector as a Coevolving System of Innovation’ Urooj Amjad Complexity Research Programme, LSE
Documents
- Details of all parallel sessions: SummarySep03.pdf
- Amjad.pdf
- FellmanEstabrookDasari.pdf
- KatharineFarrell.pdf
Sustainability, Innovation and Complexity: the dynamics of implementing sustainable development objectives in a company
Presenters
- Roland Kupers — Vice President Sustainable Development — Royal Dutch/Shell
Do modest positions have to be weak? Complexity, Knowledge and Responsibility
Presenters
- Paul Cilliers — University of Stellenbosch, South Africa
2nd Parallel Session
Description
‘Modeling Terrorist Networks - Complex Systems at the Mid-Range’ Philip Vos Fellman, M.B.A., M.A., PhD, Professor of International Business, Southern New Hampshire University, USA Roxana Wright, M.B.A., M.S., D.B.A. (Cand.) Lecturer in International Business, Southern New Hampshire University, USA
‘Scanning - a Tool for Exploring the Implications of Emerging Patterns of Change’ Sheila Moorcroft & Kate Hopkinson
‘Viable Systems Theory, Anticipation, and Logical Levels of Management’ Maurice Yolles
‘Thermodynamics of Culture: the Relationship between Classical Entropy and Chaos’ Jerome Heath
Documents
- Details of all parallel sessions: SummarySep03.pdf
- FellmanWright.pdf
- JerryHeath.pdf
- MauriceYollesPaper.pdf
Dealing with issues of complexity and cultural diversity in Rolls-Royce Marine
Presenters
- Terry Stock — HR Director — Rolls-Royce Marine
-
Eve Mitleton-Kelly
—
Director of the Complexity Research Programme
—
LSE & OU
How History Happens, or Why the Conventional Wisdom is 'Always' Wrong
Presenters
- John Casti — Santa Fe Institute
1st Parallel Session (6 groups)
Description
‘Using visual art to facilitate emergent order in organisations’ Julian Burton, Strategic Artist, Delta7 and Artist in Residence, LSE Complexity Research Programme
‘Discussion of Complexity Issues in Rolls-Royce Marine’ Eve Mitleton-Kelly, Director Complexity Research Programme, LSE
‘Co-Creating a Self-Organizing Management System: A Brazilian Experience’ Marcia Esteves Agostinho, D.Sc. Gilberto Teixeira de Castro, M.Sc.
‘Self-Organization, Emergence and the Creation of New Order: The Case for Social Science Research’ S. M. Nolas Complexity Research Programme, London School of Economics
Documents
- Details of all parallel sessions: SummarySep03.pdf
- AgostinhoCastro.pdf
- Burton.pdf
- Nolas.pdf
2nd Parallel Session (2 groups)
Description
“Transforming the Ugly Duckling - Practical Applications of Complexity in the Workplace” - Peter Fryer - Business Parallel Session Former MD of Humberside TEC with practical experience of the application of complexity theory in business
“Innovating a Culture of Creativity” - Irene McAra-McWilliam - Arts Parallel Session Professor of Interaction Design, Royal College of Art
Documents
- Details of all parallel sessions: SummarySep03.pdf
3rd Parallel Session (4 groups + open emergent session - 2 groups)
Description
‘From improvisation to taming uncertainty: creative responses to different levels of risk and formalization’ Barbara A. Misztal, Professor of Sociology, Leicester University
‘Complexity and the Non-Positive’ Tim Gough MA(Cantab) DipArch
‘What Would an Enabling Environment for Creativity Look Like? Introducing a fresh way of identifying and working with enablers and inhibitors in the work context’ Kate Hopkinson, Director of Inner Skills Consultancy & Business Liaison, ICoSS Project, Complexity Group, LSE A Workshop in two sessions - Session 1 (You may attend session 1 without attending session 2 in this workshop; however you cannot attend session 2 without having attended session 1)
‘Applying Complexity Theory to Performance Appraisal’ Frances Storr, Sheppard Moscow.
‘Towards New Modes of Decision Making - Complexity and Human Factors’ Guy Bullen & Lionel Sacks, UCL
Documents
- Details of all parallel sessions: SummarySep03.pdf
- BMisztalpaper.pdf
- BullenSacksPaper.pdf
- Hopkinson.pdf
- Storr.pdf
4th Parallel Session (4 groups + open emergent session - 2 groups)
Description
‘Evolution and Creativity and Organisational Change’ P.M.Allen1, M.Strathern1 and J.S.Baldwin2,
- Complex Systems Management Centre, Cranfield University, UK
- Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, Department of Mechanical Engineering. University of Sheffield, UK
‘Complexity and the emergence of new intermediaries’ Will Medd and Simon Marvin SURF (Centre for Sustainable Urban and Regional Futures), CUBE
‘What Would an Enabling Environment for Creativity Look Like? Introducing a fresh way of identifying and working with enablers and inhibitors in the work context’ Kate Hopkinson, Director of Inner Skills Consultancy & Business Liaison, ICoSS Project, Complexity Group, LSE A Workshop in two sessions - Session 2 (You may attend session 1 without attending session 2 in this workshop; however you cannot attend session 2 without having attended session 1)
‘Using Visual Art to Ground the Meaning of Complexity Theory’ Julian Burton, Strategic Artist, Delta7 and Artist in Residence, LSE Complexity Research Programme
Documents
- Details of all parallel sessions: SummarySep03.pdf
- Burton.pdf
- Hopkinson.pdf
- MeddMarvin.pdf