Co-Evolution
Rock and Page (Rock and Page, 2009, p. 79) identify another important feature of complex, self-organizing systems. They co-Evolve with other systems that they encounter:
“Open systems not only adapt to the environment, they also influence the environment by importing and exporting across the system boundary. The environment is changed as a result, and so it also evolves over time as the systems within it evolve.”
In the world of Polystasis, this co-evolution dynamic would play out in shifts regarding our anticipation of features in the environment we encounter from moment-to-moment. Our interactions with this environment bring about changes in this environment, resulting in modifications of our anticipations regarding this environment. At times, this co-evolution can lead to what I have identified as self-fulfilling prophecies, with changes in the environment being created by our anticipated vision of this environment. We anticipate “hell,” prepare for ‘Hell” and create “hell” through our actions. Conversely, we anticipate “heaven,” prepare for “heaven” and create “heaven” through our actions.
More often, the self-fulfilling prophecy is not dominating our actions and reactions. Rather, we are attuned to a world “out there” that is operating independent of our anticipations. As a professional coach, we can be of great value in this regard when working with a client who is deeply, emotionally attached to a specific version of their world, and to specific outcomes. We can help them discern what is a world of their own making and what is a world to which they adapt (as a self-organizing system) – and about which they learn for the future.
Self-Referencing
There is one other theme associated with self-organizing systems that Rock and Page introduce (borrowing from the work of Margaret Wheatley). This theme concerns self-referencing. It plays a central role in any human self-organizing system (Rock and Page, 2009, p. 85):
“Self-reference is a concept from complexity theory that has particular relevance to leadership. Wheatley suggests that if a leader can identify a core of values and vision, and can refresh this core through dialogue, she or he can reference this in order to maintain personal integrity through difficult times. . . . The principle of self-reference applies also at the organizational level, especially during turbulence. A strong corporate identity can provide independence from environmental change and can serve as a guide to the organization’s evolution. When the environment demands a new response, there is a reference point for change.”
This use of self-referencing as a way to guide organizational evolution relates directly to the polystatic concept of varying baselines. Anticipation always requires that what is expected in the immediate future is tested against the established baseline. We are frequently altering the baseline as we appraise the shifting environment in which we are operating. This feedback-based process of appraisal and adjustment is self-referencing and, as Wheatley suggests, is often engaged at an organization level by the organization’s leadership.
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