Glossary

The glossary provides a description of the word or phrase and possibly also links for further research.

     
Attractor    
     
     
     
     
Centre of focus The values that are important for the organisation. These provide the centres around which the organisation develops.  
Chaos theory    
Complex Adaptive System    
Complex Evolving System Term used by the Complexity and Organisational Learning group at the LSE to denote the application of Complex Adaptive Systems to human groups.  
Emergence    
Linear Simple mathematical relationship between two variables (denoted by a straight line on a graph) where the vary in direct proportion to each other; doubling one variable doubles the other etc. Prior to the impact of chaos theory it was often assumed that relationships were linear.  
Mechanistic    
     
Non-linear Relationship between variables is not linear but alters disproportionately  
     
     
     
Unpredictability A feature of chaotic and complex systems. It is not possible to predict what will happen in the next moment from the current moment.