complexity theory Archives

Entangled Knots and Complexity

April 8, 2021April 8, 2021 Cameron D. Norman 343 Views 2 Comments complexity, complexity theory, covid-19, evaluation, systems thinking

The idea of entanglements is central to understanding complexity in systems and the knots that they generate The idea of

innovation systems thinking

Unprecedented: Living Complexity

April 2, 2020April 2, 2020 Cameron D. Norman 1263 Views Cognitive Edge, complex adaptive systems, complexity, complexity theory, covid-19, Cynefin Framework, economics, public health, systemic design

‘Unprecedented’ is a term that is changing how we understand complexity and foresight. One thing that often makes complex situations

education & learning evaluation health innovation systems thinking

You Want It Darker?

November 11, 2016November 11, 2016 Cameron D. Norman 981 Views Brexit, complexity theory, David Souter, Donald Trump, economics, evaluation, H.L. Mencken, politics, program planning, science, systems thinking, United Kingdom, United States

It is poetic irony on many levels that weeks after Leonard Cohen releases his album about the threat of death

innovation systems thinking

Of tails, dogs and the wagging of both

September 23, 2014September 23, 2014 Cameron D. Norman 550 Views behaviour change, complexity theory, developmental evaluation, economics, evaluation, ideology, innovation, measurement, mindful systems, mindfulness, neo-liberalism, organizational mindfulness, reflective practice, systems thinking

Evaluation is supposed to be driven by a program’s needs and activities, but that isn’t always the case. What happens

design education & learning systems thinking

Jaron Lanier and Dominant Design

March 11, 2010 Cameron D. Norman 1297 Views book, complexity theory, critical theory, discovery, innovation, review, social innovation, social media, technology

Are we creating path dependencies with our creative technologies that actually limit creativity? Jaron Lanier thinks so and in this post I introduce the concept of dominant design and what it means in terms of technological and social innovation.

education & learning psychology systems thinking

Social (non) Sense-making

February 7, 2010 Cameron D. Norman 587 Views chaos theory, communication, complexity, complexity theory, edge of chaos, education, learning, philosophy, psychology, social learning, social media, social networks, systems, teaching

What is true in the world of social media and decision making is a matter of interpretation. However that interpretation, often off-loaded to others in crowdsourcing models, might not work well when strong ties are needed to foster quality decisions.

health psychology systems thinking

The Fallacy of New Year’s Resolutions

January 3, 2010December 30, 2019 Cameron D. Norman 1255 Views behaviour change, complexity, complexity theory, psychology

New Year’s resolutions don’t work and can sometimes make things worse. Maybe the problem is less about us and the entire thought process that informs why we plan change in such linear ways to begin with.

education & learning evaluation health systems thinking

Storytelling in the Age of Twitter

November 27, 2009May 25, 2012 Cameron D. Norman 442 Views complex adaptive systems, complexity theory, health, innovation, knowledge translation, leadership, narrative inquiry, research methods, social media, storytelling, systems thinking, Twitter

Our tweets and Facebook posts provide us with new ways to tell stories that can be as rich as traditional methods. By viewing these narrative fragments in context, we can learn a lot about our world and the way that we communicate.

design education & learning health systems thinking

Amazing Stuff: Halloween Edition

October 31, 2009October 31, 2009 Cameron D. Norman 360 Views complexity, complexity theory, design, environment, environmental health, infectious disease, innovation, marketing, meaning, public health, social media, systems science, video

This week’s Halloween edition of Amazing stuff highlights a short video on complexity science (and organizing a children’s party), an unexpected (and amusing) link between environmental health + pornography, a map of illness, marketing and PR for the masses, and figuring out what meaning really means in the world of design.