Organizing Around Intelligence

The following sections are included:

• Preface

• Contents

This chapter introduces some significant changes taking place in the world that are affecting all categories of human organizations, as well as all individuals. The appropriateness, importance and exploitation of certain properties of Chaos and Complexity Theory are also examined briefly. Human systems are recognized as complex adaptive systems. In particular, the fact that the edge of chaos is an unexplored space embedded with new opportunities is highlighted. This observation and recognition indicates that a recalibration of understanding is essential. A change in era and mindset is also inevitable. The new era is the intelligence era. The primary focus of the new mindset is to organize around human intrinsic intelligence.

In this chapter, the emergence of a new paradigm is discussed. The new paradigm is the intelligence paradigm which focuses on intelligence sources and stipulates that organizing around intelligence (especially human intelligence) is the strategy to adopt by all organizations in the knowledge-intensive, fast changing and not always predictable environment. In intelligence management, the human thinking systems and their associated intelligence, and the collective intelligence (orgmind) of human organizations form the fresh focal centers of the new theory (intelligent organization theory). This paradigmatic shift in mindset and approach in leading and managing human organizations is highly significant to everyone (both leaders and followers). Concurrently, a more biotic and complex adaptive structure (intelligence-centric) that will serve all human organizations better in the new context is conceived.

The basic foundation of the intelligent organization theory is conceptualized in this chapter. The significance of intelligence and organizing around intelligence, intelligence management and the general biotic structure of an intelligent human organization and its benefits are further discussed. The roles of intelligence, information and language in a human organization are examined. The presence and necessity of nurturing an effective intelligence enhancer encompassing three entities, namely, intelligence, knowledge and theory in the human thinking systems is introduced. The concepts on the space of order and the space of complexity are also shared. Some fundamental aspects of the deliberate strategy and emergent strategy are further examined. The above concepts are developed with respect to the fact that the human minds and human organizations are nonlinear complex adaptive systems. Consequently, the intelligent organizations that emerge are smarter evolvers.

In this chapter, the biotic/biological structure of an intelligent human organization is more deeply analyzed. Some fundamental characteristics of highly intelligent biological organisms and other complex adaptive systems are scrutinized and compared with human organizations as composite complex adaptive systems — organizational consciousness, orgmindfulness, collective intelligence, connectivity, engagement. It is crucial for intelligent human organizations to possess these biological and complexity associated characteristics. Structurally, a highly intelligent human organization should resemble a highly intelligent biological being. In particular, the characteristics and significance of consciousness, awareness, self-awareness, mindfulness, orgmindfulness, collective intelligence and quality connectivity are further examined with respect to nurturing the orgmind, intangible structure and physical structure in highly intelligent complex adaptive systems (iCAS).

This chapter focuses on the macroscopic perspective of the human thinking system. The human thinking system is perceived to be comprised of two sub-components namely, the energy–matter subsystem and the physical symbol subsystem. The procedure in which the human mind handles one or more physical symbol systems is discussed. The conceptual development encompasses the transformation of data, information, knowledge and wisdom, and how a language emerges. The boundary of a human thinking system and the necessity of artificial information systems are also included. A better understanding of the human thinking system and the conceptualization of the general information theory is vital to the nurturing of highly intelligent human organizations.

In this chapter, the intelligence-associated evolution and co-evolution dynamics of eco-systems are examined and compared to the processes of human organizations as stipulated in some existing organization theories. A special focus on businesses as complex adaptive systems is also included. The individual local self-centric and the global org-centric evolutionary dynamics of intelligent organizations and their interacting agents are more explicitly investigated. Subsequently, the intelligent person model is introduced to substantiate the needs to transform. How the intelligent person function as a smarter evolver helps to bind a group of human thinking systems and elevate the collective intelligence of the organization through mindfulness, orgmindfulness and co-evolution is also analyzed. (For better understanding, some concepts that are introduced earlier are further reinforced and better integrated in this chapter.)

This chapter introduces the roles and needs of artificial information systems networks in intelligent human organizations. These artificial networks improve the efficiency of the physical structure of human organizations by increasing the speed of information processing and transmission, elevating the capacity of knowledge storage externally, and improving the quality of connectivity and organizational learning. To a great extent, the artificial intelligent information networks enhance the efficiency of the equivalent of the central nervous system in highly intelligent biological beings, including the sensory subsystem. The common intelligent artificial information systems and their roles and functions are briefly discussed.

This chapter advocates the interdependency of five significant properties of intelligent human organizations. The properties involved are collective intelligence, connectivity, culture, organizational learning and knowledge management (3C-OK). Recognizing the presence of the integrated complex adaptive dynamic, this set of properties cannot be considered independently of one another when structuring and managing intelligent organizations. The 3C-OK framework is conceptualized to emphasize the fact that complex adaptive systems cannot be analyzed, nurtured or managed using hierarchical decomposition. In particular, organizational learning and knowledge management cannot take place effectively in any human organizations without incorporating the other three characteristics. An organization that uses the integrated 3C-OK framework will gradually experience the emergence of a higher level intelligence dynamic (a dynamic that only emerges with collective human level intelligence and consciousness). In between, the significance of a mindful culture as the core of a supportive culture is further reinforced.

A primary requirement for nurturing collective intelligence is that the interacting agents must be willing to share their thoughts and knowledge with the organization. In this respect, orgmindfulness is a vital attribute. Very often, if the organizational culture is not supportive/mindful, the interacting agents will feel uncomfortable, insecure or threatened and become non-participative. Consequently, the Abilene Paradox will surface. Apparently, voluntary connectivity and truthful engagement of the individuals in any human organizations is critical. To overcome the phobia of honest/truthful communication, paper dialogue is a useful method that can be adopted to facilitate and improve thoughts sharing processes. It is observed that paper dialogue and orgmindfulness can complement each other when nurturing collective intelligence and enhancing connectivity. The success and effectiveness of its usage will be elaborated in this chapter.

Fundamentally, for all categories of human organizations (economics, business, social, education and political) their members are becoming better educated and informed, and consequently they are more sophisticated interacting agents with modified expectations. Leading these new intelligent human organizations is drastically different from leading a traditional setup. The intelligent complex adaptive and nonlinear evolving dynamic is driven by the intrinsic intelligence of the individuals and the collective intelligence of the group. Together with the influence of the knowledge-intensive, fast-changing and more complex (raplexity) environment, a immense shift in the mindset, strategic thinking, ability and style in the new generation of leaders and managers is inevitable. As the leader-follower relationship is now more complex and nonlinear, the dynamic appears to be more intelligence-centric. In this respect, a better comprehension of leadership strategy and organizational dynamics can be acquired by “bisociating” some properties of the complexity theory and the different perspectives of organizing around intelligence. The resulting evolutionary model to be introduced in this chapter is the intelligence management and intelligence leadership theory/strategy for iCAS.

The chapter concludes the book by providing a more holistic view of the intelligence paradigm and the intelligent organization theory through recollecting and amalgamating the various perspectives and strategies involved. Organizing around intelligence and intelligence management is the fundamental strategy to be adopted in the current environment. This paradigmatic shift towards an intelligence mindset is apparently inevitable. At this moment, certain properties of complex adaptive systems and the complex adaptive dynamic have been exploited by some human/business organizations. However, the intelligent organization theory discussed in this book contains concepts and ideas that are more holistic and highly critical. One aspect is the interdependency of the five properties of intelligent organizations that is captured in the 3C-OK framework. Another is the intelligent person model that perceives interacting agents as smarter evolvers and emergent strategists. Concurrently, the integrated deliberate and emergent strategy and intelligence leadership and intelligence management theory provide a fresh and more integrated approach for leading, managing and structuring highly intelligent human organizations, iCAS and facilitating the highly intelligent complex adaptive dynamic, iCAD. Ultimately, an omniscient understanding of this book will instil in both leaders and followers an intelligence advantage.

The following sections are included:

• Appendix 1 Introduction to Chaos
  • Fundamental
    • Order and chaos
    • What is Chaos Theory?
    • What is order?
  • Five Core Properties of Chaos Theory
  • Some Properties of Dynamical Systems
    • Linearity and non-linearity
    • Sensitive to initial conditions (The Butterfly Effect)
    • Interdependency of systems
    • Far-from-equilibrium state
  • States of Dynamical Systems
  • Self-Organization and Bifurcation
    • Self-organization
    • Bifurcation
  • Chaos and Complexity Theory

• Appendix 2 Introduction to CAS and Complexity Theory
  • Complex Adaptive Systems
  • Some Properties of CAS
    • Complexity/Self-organization/The edge of chaos
    • Adaptive
    • Connectivity
    • Unpredictability
    • Butterfly Effect
    • Complexity/CAS and evolution
    • Chaos/Complexity/Complicated

• Appendix 3 Gaia, Human Beings and the Brain's Evolution
  • Introduction
  • Layered Evolution (Phylogenesis) and the Tri-Partite Structure
  • The Brain Stem and the Cerebellum
  • The Limbic System
  • The Cerebral Cortex
  • Lobes
  • Neuronal Dynamic and Structure
  • Left and Right Hemispheres
  • Other Important Properties/Characteristics (Emotion/Proliferation/Myelination/Pruning)
  • Brain waves
  • Human Intelligence and Consciousness
  • Conclusion

• Appendix 4 Intelligence Management, Knowledge Management and Organizational Learning
  • Intelligence Management
  • Knowledge Management
    • Introduction
    • Collective/organizational intelligence
    • What is knowledge management?
    • Basic KM environment
  • Organizational Learning
    • Introduction
    • Social capital
  • Creating Knowledge
    • Tacit to explicit knowledge
    • Internalized to explicit knowledge
    • Externalized to explicit knowledge
  • Semantic Knowledge Technology
  • Continuous Learning Culture

• Appendix 5 Basic Characteristics of Dialogue
  • Introduction
  • Discussion versus Dialogue
  • Divergent versus Convergent
  • Advocacy and Inquiry in Dialogue
  • Other Qualities (Attitude) of Dialogue

• Appendix 6 Some CAS Research Institutions
  • Some CAS Associated Institutes/Centers in Singapore

• Appendix 7 One Hundred Prominent Complexity/CAS Researchers/Contributors

• Glossary

• Bibliography

• Index

• About the Author