The complexity of a modern workplace
Listening to a recent ‘HBR on Strategy’ podcast prompted me to think more about the connections between the application and usefulness of theory when exploring the binary processes of startup growth and scaling. In this particular case study, Harvard Business School’s Jeffrey F Rayport illustrated the transition and mechanics of scaling startups by using theoretical concepts to frame their extrapolation study.
Reflecting on Rayport et al. (2023) and my own experience with a technology startup a few years ago, I began to consider the complexity of the scaling process, which involves numerous interdependent components and dynamic interactions. Further exploration through Aeeni & Saeedikiya (2019) showcased how the principles of complexity theory provide a framework for understanding and managing these intricacies, aiding entrepreneurs in navigating the extensive challenges that fuel this unpredictable landscape.
Examining my thought process and analysing the Lizier (2017) study through the lens of complexity theory, I found that utilising the complex adaptive organisations conceptual framework (CAOCF) grounded in complex adaptive systems (CAS), effectively captures the fluidity and complexity in contemporary workplace contexts. It also highlights how professional learning emerges from interactions among individuals, and between individuals and their professional setting.
Whilst the Lizier (2017) study provided significant insights, it revealed a crucial disparity between emergent, informal learning in complex adaptive organisations and the structured, formal learning typical of traditional organisational frameworks. Addressing this disconnect, as highlighted through the CAOCF (Lizier, 2017), can enable organisations to create more responsive and enriching learning environments that better support professional agency, adaptability, and continuous development (Lizier & Reich, 2021).
Aeeni, Z., & Saeedikiya, M. (2019). Complexity Theory in the Advancement of Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Research: Future Research Directions. Eurasian Studies in Business and Economics, 10(1), 19–37. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11872-3_2
Lizier, A. L. (2017). Investigating work and learning through complex adaptive organisations. The Journal of Workplace Learning, 29(7/8), 554–565. https://doi.org/10.1108/JWL-05-2016-0033
Lizier, A. L., & Reich, A. (2021). Learning through work and structured learning and development systems in complex adaptive organisations: ongoing disconnections. Studies in Continuing Education, 43(2), 261–276. https://doi.org/10.1080/0158037X.2020.1814714
Rayport Jeffrey F., Sola Davide, & Kupp Martin. (2023). The Overlooked Key to a Successful Scale-Up. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2023/01/the-overlooked-key-to-a-successful-scale-up
