Do You Have a Complex or Complicated Situation? Does it Matter?

You may think this is a play on words – complex and complicated are pretty much the same, right? I do not think they are, why does that matter? Because how you deal with the situations differ.

So, what is the difference? Rick Nason provides some definitions in his book ‘It’s Not Complicated: The Art and Science of Complexity in Business’

Complicated  – "the components can be separated and dealt with in a systematic and logical way that relies on a set of static rules or algorithms" That is to say you get a big (complicated) task, break it down into more and more components and deal with them – individually/sequenced, using established process/procedure/systems. Importantly, when you face a similar undertaking in future, you will likely apply many of the same methods i.e. it is somewhat repeatable. An example would be designing and constructing a bridge.

Complex – differs from a complicated situation, in that "Things that are complex have no such degree of order, control, or predictability". For me, an important characteristic of such situations/systems is the interrelationship and influence on elements/subsystems on each other – meaning the situation is more dynamic. So, ‘addressing’ one element (as if it was complicated) may well change other elements significantly – to the point where you are now faced with a different, ‘new’ situation…..arghhhh! An example of this may be stakeholder management. Importantly, what yields results one time, may not in others.

My observation is most people are familiar with and have skills that relate to Complicated situations. 

So what to do?

Rick offers some guidance, which I have added to with other materials/experience:

• Be aware there is a difference and open minded enough to consider this before acting. Nason suggests "The two ways of thinking involve different mindsets, different expectations, and different tolerances of ambiguity... They involve different attributes and skills. They require dramatically different management techniques."
• Be comfortable with being confronted by complexity. To be fair, this may be easier said than done. However, for a methodology (rather than a motherhood statement) you may find the Cynefin framework, as detailed in Stephen Greys’ article Feeling Complexity useful. This summarises the differences in approach as Complex ‘Probe – Sense – Respond’ and Complicated ‘Sense – Analyse – Respond’. By nature of a complex situation, a prescriptive set of steps/rules is not likely to lead to good, repeatable results
• When dealing with complexity "think manage, not solve"

What do authors in the leadership space say about complexity? Well, some of them also point to the existence of paradox. Smith and Lewis in their article ‘Toward a theory of paradox: a dynamic equilibrium model of organizin’ define paradoxes as “contradictory yet interrelated elements that exist simultaneously and persist over time” and argue the need to “embrace tensions simultaneously”. 

Lavines’ 2014 article ‘Paradoxical leadership and the Competing Values Framework’ “effective leaders are those who have the cognitive as well as the behavioural capacity to recognize and react to paradox, contradiction and complexity in their environments.” Denison, Hooijberg & Quinn ('Paradox and performance: Toward a theory of behavioral complexity in managerial leadership') emphasize this link: “The test of a first-rate leader may be the ability to exhibit contrary or opposing behaviors (as appropriate or necessary) while still retaining some measure of integrity, credibility, and direction. Thus, effective leaders are those who have the cognitive and behavioral complexity to respond appropriately to a wide range of situations ….If paradox exists in the environment, then it must be reflected in behavior.” Goffee & Jones ('Managing authenticity: The paradox of great leadership')wraps this up as authenticity and presents it as the paradox of great leadership.