Swarm-like Dynamics and their Use in Organization and Management

According to many authors in the field of management, today’s globalization, rapid-fire technological innovations, and constantly mounting pressure from a few elitist, unimaginably rich, banking corporations have pushed the world markets into a state of ceaseless turmoil. “Success amidst such a maelstrom of change”—writes Conner [1] in his book Leading at the Edge of Chaos—“calls for much more than what change-management models have to offer. It calls for the emergence of a radically new kind of organization with highly flexible swarm-like dynamics, nimble enough to adapt instantly to changing market conditions, and piloted by people well versed in the art of riding complexity at the edge of chaos.” Study of the swarm-like dynamics is at the focus of the Artificial Life research program of Langton [2]. He has been the primary motivator behind the development of a simulation package called SWARM—a software package for modeling swarming behavior of networks with agents capable of acting autonomously to produce higher-level identities, such as the flocking behavior of birds, the swarming behavior of bees, the concourse of people, and so on. Since 1997 Langton has been with the Swarm Corporation, aimed at providing expert consulting and modeling capability to businesses and other agencies facing whirling complex dynamics in various aspects of their organizations. Swarm-like dynamics are at the very core of the dynamics of every organization. This paper reveals their use in the practice of management.