Narrow Results

This chapter highlights the impact and manageability of rapid, constantly/ continuously and unique changes taking place in humanity that are affecting the existence individuals, as well as all categories of human organizations. It has been observed that the traditional Newtonian mindset, and its associated reductionist hypothesis and design paradigm that have served humanity ‘well’ are manifesting their limits/constraints, vulnerability and disparities. The crux of the issue is escalating complexity density, incoherency, greater mismatch among current thinking, principles, values, structure, dynamic, and hierarchical dominance, limited predictability, and the overall changing ‘reality’.

Vividly, order and linearity are not the only inherent attributes of humanity. Consequently, the significance, appropriateness and exploration of certain properties of complexity theory are introduced, partially to better identify, analyze, comprehend and manage the accelerating gaps of inconsistency — in particular, to nurture a new mindset. Arising from the new mindset, human organizations/systems are confirmed as intrinsic composite complex adaptive systems (composite CAS, nonlinear adaptive dynamical systems) comprising human beings/agents that are CAS. In this respect, leadership, governance, management, and strategic approaches adopted by all human organizations must be redefined.

Concurrently, a special focus on intelligence (and its associated consciousness), the first inherent strengths of all human agents, and its role as the key latent impetus/driver, is vital. This recognition indicates that a change in era is inevitable. Humanity is entering the new intelligence era — the core of the knowledge-intensive and complexity-centric period. Overall, an integrated intelligence/consciousness-centric, complexity-centric and network-centric approach is essential. It adopts a complexity-intelligence-centric path that focuses on the optimization of all intense intrinsic intelligence/consciousness sources (human thinking systems), better exploitation of the co-existence of order and complexity, and integration of networks in human organizations — (certain spaces of complexity must be better utilized, coherency of network of networks must be achieved, and preparation for punctuation point must be elevated).

The new holistic (multi-dimensional) strategy of the intelligent organization theory (IO theory) is the complexity-intelligence strategy, and the new mission focuses on the new intelligence advantage.

Fundamentally, effective leadership is associated with its ability to achieve collective goals (agents and their organization, stability-inducing capability) and organizational sustainability, irrespective of the nature of the organizations (leadership capacity <=> relational capacity <=> unifying capacity). The mismatch of the bureaucratic mindset and its associated hierarchical/administrative leadership with the changing situation is escalating. Basically, the presence of an adaptive leadership is beneficial. In this respect, the collectiveness capacity and relational capacity of the organization are critical attributes. It has been recognized that the intense and quality of these two capacities is highly dependent on both the thinking and attributes of the leaders, as well as the other interacting agents (including non-actors, and quality of leader–agents exchanges). Overall, a high leadership capacity and organizational mental cohesion is a key necessity. In general, the success of today’s global turbulence can only be achieved through global mental cohesion.

In order to achieve this, fresh insights beginning with constructive intelligence-intelligence linkages is required. In the present state, it is significant to note that for any categories of human organizations (economic, social, education, political, and military) their agents (employees, citizens, members, stakeholders) are possessing redefined attributes (principles, values and expectations), due to better education, quick access to information, and high interconnectivity. This profound transition (supported by intensive usage of mobile/social media technology) transformed some other attributes including autonomy/ independency, autopoiesis, self-centricity, self-organizing communications, interdependency, symbiosis, and other self-organizing capabilities. Consequently, current human beings are more sophisticated interacting agents. Hence, leading these ‘transformed’ agents is drastically different from leading traditional setups. Agent-centricity is a new vital attribute that required deeper attention, and one commonality among agents at all levels must be achieved — stability-centricity (agent-centricity <=> intelligence/consciousness-centricity + stability-centricity).

The more intelligent, complex adaptive, and nonlinear evolving dynamic is driven by the intrinsic intelligence/consciousness of the individuals, and the collective intelligence and org-consciousness of the organization (anticipatory, adaptive capacity), as well as local spaces/ complex networks — the presence of networks (formal and informal) is becoming more dominant, and this development renders elevating collectiveness capacity (consensus and collaboration) at organizational level more complex. Apparently, coupled with the influence of the knowledge-intensive, fast-changing, more complex environment, and the modified agents’ attributes, an immense shift in strategic thinking, leadership attributes, governance characteristics, management abilities and operational style in the new generation of leaders is inevitable. In general, the leader–follower gap has been narrowed, and their relationship (relational parameter) is more complex and nonlinear, again, confirming that intelligence/consciousness-centricity must be a key focus of the new leadership.

In such a situation, a deeper insight into complexity is inevitable. In this case, a better comprehension of leadership strategy and organizational dynamic can be acquired by ‘bisociating’ some properties of the complexity theory, and the different perspectives of complexity-intelligence linkages. The resulting evolutionary model to be introduced in this chapter is the intelligence leadership theory/strategy for iCAS. In this model, an intelligence leader must recognize that a fundamental capability of intelligence is stability enhancement. Concurrently, an intelligence leader must be an effective lateral/collective actor (always encompassing agent-agent, intelligence-intelligence, agent-network, agent-system, and network-system linkages; and the intrinsic leadership capacity of all agents, and collective leadership capacity of networks and the organization) with a new set of attributes (encompassing enabler, smarter evolver, and unifying, emergent strategist and synergist capabilities).

Hence, an effective intelligence leader must possess certain relevant or appropriate attributes of the traditional leadership, as well as a set of new complexity-intelligence related attributes that can better ensure the survival of the agents, integrate networks, and elevate the resilience, and sustainability of the organization (achieving higher coherency, synergy, constructionist effect, self-organizing capacity, emergence-intelligence capacity, unifying capacity and organizational mental cohesion) — (constructionist effect <=> innovation and creativity) — that is, focusing on continuous acquisition of capacities improvement is critical. In addition, with this paradigmatic shift, possessing the latent leadership capability is highly beneficial.

The first section of this chapter is an introduction to relativistic complexity (a significant component of the intelligent organization theory). The presence of intense intelligence/consciousness-centricity and 3^rd order stability-centricity in the human world renders complexity relativistic. The impact of the human mental space is so tremendous that complexity is in the mind of the beholder, and predictability becomes highly subjective. In this situation, the state of relativistic static equilibrium may be beneficial. Certain spaces of complexity appear as spaces of relativistic order with surface patterns becoming more apparent. Such spaces must be creatively explored and exploited (higher exploratory capacity) leading to a more advanced level of intelligence advantage. In this respect, effective self-transcending constructions, high self-organizing capacity and emergence-intelligence capacity are significant attributes that the new leadership and governance system in intelligent human organizations must exploit. Holistically, the two strategies focus on concurrent exploitation of intelligence/consciousness-centricity and relative complexity, and optimizing the more comprehensive contributions of the integrated deliberate and emergent strategy.

Many issues/problems that present human organizations (nations, political systems, communities, business organizations, markets) are encountering due to accelerating changes (mindset, thinking, values, perceptions, expectations, redefined boundaries and high interactive dynamics) that cannot be well-managed with traditional knowledge and hierarchical practices are affecting governance and governance systems. Fundamentally, governance deals with power, interest, and conflict. The traditional governance systems are hierarchical, highly directed, controlled and managed, and the relational aspect has not been allocated sufficient priority resulting in extensive disparities. In the current complex dynamical and high interdependency environment, its weaknesses and constraints are highly apparent. The latter includes ‘space-time compression’; incoherency in thinking, values, perceptions, and expectations between the leadership and the other agents; diversification in stakeholders’ needs not accommodated; and constraints of current governance theories. Thus, a new theory that provides a more ‘realistic’ foundation is essential for deeper contemplation.

Primarily, recognizing the inherent strengths of human agents and the fundamental constraints/weaknesses of human organizations is a key foundation towards better adaptation, leadership, governance, resilience and sustainability. In all human organizations, the agents are intrinsic intense intelligence/consciousness sources that could easily transform their behavioral schemata. This observation contradicts the Newtonian/design paradigm, as the organizational dynamic of human agents is complex, nonlinear, constantly/continuously changing with limited predictability. In addition, human agents are self-centric, self-powered, stability-centric, independent and interdependent, network-centric and self-organizing due to high awareness. In this situation, high self-organizing capacity and emergence-intelligence capacity are new niches. However, this phenomenon can create new opportunities, innovation, and elevates competiveness; or destruction.

In particular, effective leadership and governance are spontaneously emerging key requirements in all human groupings — a primary trait for human collective survival. Historically, many organizations disintegrated because of the weaknesses in leadership and governance. Currently, with more knowledge-intensive and higher participative new agents (self-powered intrinsic leadership) possessing modified attributes that are dissimilar from the older generations (also due to the deeper integration of the economic, social, political, and environmental perspective), reduces consensus and collaboration, and renders governance and leadership even more nonlinear or dysfunctional. In particular, the traditional governance systems of more organizations are manifesting their constraints and incompetency, including incoherency due to new values and cultural pressure, and the wider spread of self-organizing networks. The emergent of informal networks is a more commonly observed phenomenon worldwide. Apparently, a deeper comprehension on the diminishing effect of the traditional organizational thinking (political, social, economic), governance capacity, precise strategic planning, decision making, hierarchical structure, communications and engagement, empowerment leadership, management, operations, and the highly nonlinear relational parameter is essential. Apparently, new principles of governance must emerge (intelligent human organization > thinking system + feeling system).

The new paradigmatic path of the intelligence governance strategy that exploits intelligence/consciousness-centricity, complexity-centricity, and network-centricity concurrently, introduces a new basic strategic path towards better adaptive governance and acceptance governance. The latter focuses on integrating self-powered self-organizing governance, reducing direct governance, and increasing e-governance and network-centric governance as a new necessity. In this case, the merits of adopting the intelligence leadership strategic approach simultaneously are more apparent. Hence, the new governance focal points must include more and better interconnected actors, the critical ability of self-organizing communications (supported by mobile/social media development), immersion of leadership nodes in networks (better exploitation of e-governance), increasing coherency of complex networks (exploiting interdependency of network of networks, and better network management), and elevating self-transcending constructions capability (higher self-organizing governance capacity and emergence-intelligence capacity) that better facilitates emergence through multi-level and ‘multi-lateral’ dynamics (complex adaptive networks <=> intelligent networks). Thus, the intelligence governance strategy emphasizes that mass lateral collectivity (acceptance governance) rather than selective enforced hierarchical empowerment as the more constructive approach in the present contact. In particular, the stabilityinducing role of leaders and institutions are critical. Apparently, optimizing the ‘everybody is in charge’ phenomenon (whenever necessary) is a more viable option.