Complexity as an empirical tendency: promoting non-measurement as a means to enhanced understanding

Poulis, Konstantinos ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3355-9543 (2021) Complexity as an empirical tendency: promoting non-measurement as a means to enhanced understanding. European Management Journal, 39 (4) . pp. 487-496. ISSN 0263-2373 [Article] (doi:10.1016/j.emj.2020.10.005)

[img]
Preview
PDF - Final accepted version (with author's formatting)
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0.

Download (343kB) | Preview

Abstract

In this conceptual paper, I seek to provide an organising framework for conducting qualitative research in complexity studies in management. Building upon the underlying logic of Kauffman's NK(C) model and the notion of second-order complexity, I urge management researchers interested in complex adaptive systems to capture, understand, and articulate complexity as an empirical tendency as opposed to the measurement-driven orientation of many scholars. I contend that the latter orientation's illusion for numerical precision, predictive accuracy and generalizable truthfulness is not only undoable but also unnecessary in the context of providing practically meaningful and realistic recommendations to those interested in complexity.

Item Type: Article
Research Areas: A. > Business School
Item ID: 31507
Notes on copyright: © 2021. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Useful Links:
Depositing User: Konstantinos Poulis
Date Deposited: 03 Sep 2021 15:38
Last Modified: 29 Nov 2022 17:47
URI: https://eprints.mdx.ac.uk/id/eprint/31507

Actions (login required)

View Item View Item

Statistics

Activity Overview
6 month trend
34Downloads
6 month trend
49Hits

Additional statistics are available via IRStats2.