The complexity continuum, part 2: modelling harmony

Abstract

Purpose Complex systems adapt to survive, but little comparative literature exists on various approaches. Adaptive complex systems are generic, this referring to propositions concerning their bounded instability, adaptability and viability. Two classes of adaptive complex system theories exist: hard and soft. Hard complexity theories include Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS) and Viability Theory, and softer theories, which we refer to as Viable Systems Theories (VSTs), that includes Management Cybernetics at one extreme and Humanism at the other. This paper has a dual purpose distributed across two parts. In part 1 the purpose was to identify the conditions for the complementarity of the two classes of theory. In part 2 the two the purpose is to explore (in part using Agency Theory) the two classes of theory and their proposed complexity continuum. Design/methodology/approach Explanation is provided for the anticipation of behaviour cross-disciplinary fields of theory dealing with adaptive complex systems. A comparative exploration of the theories is undertaken to elicit concepts relevant to a complexity continuum. These explain how agency behaviour can be anticipated under uncertainty. Also included is a philosophical exploration of the complexity continuum, expressing it in terms of a graduated set of philosophical positions that are differentiated in terms of objects and subjects. These are then related to hard and softer theories in the continuum. Agency theory is then introduced as a framework able to comparatively connect the theories on this continuum, from theories of complexity to viable system theories, and how harmony theories can develop. Findings Anticipation is explained in terms of an agency’s meso-space occupied by a regulatory framework, and it is shown that hard and softer theory are equivalent in this. From a philosophical perspective, the hard-soft continuum is definable in terms of objectivity and subjectivity, but there are equivalences to the external and internal worlds of an agency. A fifth philosophical position of critical realism is shown to be representative of harmony theory in which internal and external worlds can be related. Agency theory is also shown to be able to operate as a harmony paradigm, as it can explore external behaviour of an agent using a hard theory perspective together with an agent’s internal cultural and cognitive-affect causes. Originality/value There are very few comparative explorations of the relationship between hard and soft approaches in the field of complexity and even fewer that draw in the notion of harmony. There is also little pragmatic illustration of a harmony paradigm in action within the context of complexity.

The socio-cultural dynamics of development: part 2 the cultural basis of political evolution

“…Where populists come to power during crises, cultural pathologies will likely have occurred with political development becoming a subordinate process allowing instrumental change to dominate. Development, which embraces adaptive and creative learning, is thus normally unable to contribute sufficiently to resolve the structural issues that, within the context of complexity, are often stylised as wicked problems beyond the designed simplicity of populist frames (Horst et al, 1973;Yolles, 2018d). It is debateable whether populist regimes may be capable of intentionally resolving crises successfully due to a limited repertoire of remedies and a limited learning capacity.…”

“…The determinism of agency culture does not apply to its agent behaviour which rather involves aggregate complexity, explained through agent relationships, internal agency structure and environment, learning and emergent agency behaviour and evolutionary change/growth (Manson, 2001). Emergent agency behaviour has metasystem determinants (Yolles, 2018d and2018e).…”

The socio-cultural dynamics of development: part 3 development through agency theory

“…The pattern of actions of agency is its behaviour, and this arises from local agent behaviours that are promoted through figurative structures. There may also be a plurality of interactive agencies, each with its behaviour influencing that of the others (Yolles, 2018c(Yolles, , 2018d.…”

“…The operative couple shown in Figure 1 is a process of development through which goals/purposes are manifested as operative options from which decisions can be made, and consequently behaviours can be created. It should be said here that the connection between decided policy and behaviour is not always direct and linear, but also involves a process of political bureaucracy through which policy is implemented, which is reflected on operative efficacy (Yolles, 2018a(Yolles, , 2018b(Yolles, , 2018c(Yolles, , 2018d. Under the condition of cultural pathology (occurring when the connection between culture and the operative couple become subject to connection pathologies or when the value system becomes unstable), it becomes incapable of dominating the orientation of the agency through its coherent set of values, and development reduces to instrumentality when operative (process) intelligence creates an instrumental basis for self-production with reduced or no capacity to learn, to be coherently adaptive, or to be creative.…”

The Influence Of Company Size, Financial Distress, KAP Reputation On Going Concern Audit Opinion Of Manufacturing Companies From BEI

“…In the field of accounting, namely Agency Theory, which is interpreted as a contract between the principal (the owner of the company is the majority shareholder) and the agent (in this case the company manager) to carry out company activities. Principal as the owner of the company is obliged to provide facilities and funds for the company's operational needs, while the agent as the manager of the company is obliged to manage the company entrusted by shareholders, by increasing the company's value (Jensen & Smith, Jr., 2005;Yolles, 2019). The relationship between agency theory and going concern audit opinion is the agent (company manager) who has the task of carrying out and producing the company's financial statements as the responsibility of management which will later be used by the principal as the owner as a consideration in making a decision.…”