CDE Model of Complex Adaptive Systems

Containers hold the system while patterns form. Containers may emerge from physical boundaries, such as a room or a building. A container may be a psychological or emotional connection that gives rise to patterns. A strong, charismatic leader, organizational silos, the love of a child, fear of the future—all of these are containers that can shape patterns of interaction and decision making. A container may be as simple as the agenda for a meeting, creating the length, time, content, and discussion. Or a container may be as complex as the history, social agreements, shared experiences, and language of a cultural community.

As you look at the tension points in your system, notice how those patterns are held together. Is there too much constraint in the container? Do you need more time for the meeting? More space for the party? Broader acceptance of new ideas? All of those point to the need to expand the container. At the same time, you may notice that there is not enough constraint. Change is not happening fast enough. People get sluggish or irritable in a meeting because they are bored or have time to talk about things that don’t really matter. This points to the need to tighten the container by focusing purpose, scheduling less time, or inviting fewer people.

Differences refer to the significant “differences that make a difference” in the system. Difference in the system provides the potential for change and the emergence of patterns as the agents negotiate and accommodate the diversities that separate them.

While a highly diverse system usually has too many differences to count, the important shifts will happen around those differences that are most critical to the system’s overall functioning. Differences you pay attention to are generally differences in degree or differences in kind. Difference in degree is indicated quantitatively and qualitatively—better or worse, more or less, faster or slower, bigger or smaller. For instance, there may be ten people in a training room; each one a unique and special human being.

Differences such as the degree of skill, amount of understanding, and influence of role will establish patterns of interaction that could dominate the learning session. On the other hand, difference may be represented by the kind of diversity that’s present: leadership skills vs accounting skills.

Increasing, decreasing, or introducing new differences will shift the conditions and change the emergent patterns in a system.

Exchange is any flow that generates change in the system. For example, exchanges can inform the system about its own. Feedback, dialogue, entertainment, conversation are all examples that come to mind first because you live and work in verbal communities. Other examples of exchange include CDE Model 30APR16 Page 5 of 5 ©2016.Human Systems Dynamics Institute. Use with permission. multiple ways the system or the agents in the system share information, energy, and other resources. Rules inform the agents in the system of what is acceptable or allowed activity. Experiences help agents form opinions and build knowledge. Games and sports, competition and collaboration, giving and receiving are all ways the system engages in exchanges that shape patterns. Measurement and regular reporting are all exchanges that influence business. Planning and budgeting are important exchanges, too.