The content of "Designing for Emergence" is based on the pioneering work of Michael McMaster, informed by the principles of intelligence, emergence, and self-organization. Many of the discoveries and insights presented here come from Michael's interaction with executives and managers of corporations in forums, seminars, conferences and practical consulting assignments conducted by Knowledge Based Development Co Ltd (KBD) .

Bill Veltrop interviews Mike McMaster

Articles

Michael McMaster: Emergent Evolution

EARLY EMERGENT THINKING

Michael McMaster: Foresight

A view from the emerging sciences of complexity

Simon Caulkin: Mexican Waves

'Complexity and chaos' theorists in Santa Fe are set to sweep away the old corporate certainties.

Simon Caulkin: Chaos Inc

If you're wondering what will be the next Big idea after reengineering, here's a prime candidate.

Books

The Praxis Equation: Design Principles for Intelligent Organisation

This book presents fundamental elements of complexity as they apply to strategy, organizational design and management practices. It builds from a basic understanding of complexity and develops the implications of that for the concerns of those responsible for the performance of the whole corporation.

The Intelligence Advantage

The Intelligence Advantage provides a new understanding of the way that human beings create organizations. Ideas recently made available through advances in philosophy, science, technology and communication are investigated. These advances foster insight into ways of organizing productive activity that are consistent with the nature of human beings and society. Complexity is becoming a common word in business literature.

Reflections on Complexity and Human Life

• Corporation as a network of communities
• Emergence and historical connection
• The future is not "out there waiting to happen"
• Identity is grounded in community
• Individual emerges from relationship
• Innovation emerges from recombination of information and energy
• The integrity of leadership
• The leader as an attractor for a community
• Like a cell in a body, you are connected to the whole organization
• The nature and power of declaration
• The source and nature of intelligence
• The source of what we value is non-material
• Space/time: the medium of it all
• Vision as emergent from an unspeakable centre