Dealing with the Continuum of Tensions in Increasingly Digitalized and Intelligent Complex Systems

Abstract

This paper seeks to explore how organizations dealing with the development of complex systems can understand and act upon the extensive set of entangled tensions they face. By applying a quantum perspective on tensions, and an understanding of tensions based on their latency, salience and persistence, a framework is developed for observing, acting and reacting on a large set of entangled tensions. The well-documented case of Boeing 737MAX is used to illustrate and analyze the extensive set of entangled tensions, or continuum of tensions, and possibilities to act on these tensions. The analysis shows that an actionability perspective on the dialectic tensions potentially offers clarification of the challenges that organizations are facing when addressing complex systems. Two major aspects emerge as crucial for addressing complex systems: 1) Actionable salience as the ability of an organization to identify and select key tensions in several perspectives, and 2) Actionable resolution as the ability to address and resolve a set of salient, often complex, and entangled tensions that have been identified. Several avenues for further research are identified in relation to management of increasingly digitalized complex systems and the emergence of complex intelligent systems.