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The Complex Dynamics of Organizational Change Kevin Dooley University of Minnesota |
Clinical and Psychotherapy Applications of Nonlinear Dynamics Alan Stein, Westchester Institute and William Sulis, McMaster University |
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Basic Nonlinear Dynamics Keith Clayton, Vanderbilt University |
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Advanced Concepts in Complex Dynamical Systems William Sulis, McMaster University |
Organizational change specialists have used and abused chaos and complexity metaphors for several years now. Is there any usefulness to these advocations? How do these suggested approaches compare to traditional organizational change strategies and theories? This workshop shall explore these questions by looking at: the contents of organizational change, cognitive and behavioral models of change; emergent behavior in self-organizing systems, nonlinear dynamical systems models of change, implications to structure and culture, and examples in total quality management and organizational reengineering. The workshop will be activity- based, using many different role-playing simulations to engage participants in learning. This workshop does not presuppose a deep background in either organizational change nor in nonlinear dynamical systems; we will work in the realm of the visual and experiential, not the mathematical per se.
Chaos-based psychotherapeutic systems require different approaches to clinical practice than do traditional systems. Sensitive dependence upon initial conditions, the possibility of systems unpredictably reaching (or not reaching) criticality and precipitously self-organizing, the improbability that regression can give up pathogenetic loci, which can then be theoretically repaired through therapeutic intervention, all make emotional, theoretical and case management demands upon the therapist unknown in conventional models. In this workshop, after defining and discussing various theoretical reasons for these fundamental differences, we will, through a consideration of case material, work to develop therapeutic goals, ways of thinking about process, dealing with impasses and countertransferential emotional loads that are appropriate to chaos-based systems.
This program will cover basic principles of nonlinear dynamics: attractors, bifurcations, phase portraits, chaos concepts, fractals, dimensionality, and their implications for time series analysis, hypothesis testing, and theory development in psychology and the life sciences. (NOTE: There is no charge for this workshop for people who are registered for the conference.)
This workshop will provide an introduction to some of the modeling strategies of complex systems theory. No prior knowledge of nonlinear dynamics or mathematics is required. The workshop will focus upon the basic structural features and modeling techniques of cellular automata, spin glasses and forest fire models, and spatial games. The participant will become familiar with the basic concepts of complex systems theory: emergence and emergent computation, the edge of chaos, self organized criticality, phases and phase transitions and the importance of spatial patterns. If time permits, two complexity measures will be introduced: entropy and Kolmogorov complexity. From this workshop the participant should be able to peruse the entry level works in complex systems theory with some confidence.