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A Complex Adaptive Systems View of Resilience in a Project Team
Author(s) -
Edson Mary C.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
systems research and behavioral science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.371
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1099-1743
pISSN - 1092-7026
DOI - 10.1002/sres.2153
Subject(s) - complex adaptive system , resilience (materials science) , perspective (graphical) , psychological resilience , systems thinking , adaptive capacity , action research , consciousness , project team , sociology , management , action (physics) , knowledge management , psychology , computer science , social psychology , economics , ecology , pedagogy , thermodynamics , physics , quantum mechanics , climate change , artificial intelligence , neuroscience , biology
Using a complex adaptive systems perspective, this case study explored project team resilience through analysis of group development and panarchy. Three research questions focused on a team's consciousness of a need to change under adversity, its response through adaptive action, and its potential for innovation through creative destruction. The subject team consisted of approximately 200 students, building a solar house over a 2‐year period in an international competition sponsored by the US Department of Energy. A multilevel analysis culminated in an integrated systems perspective with conclusions, specifically the role of environmental feedback. Implications suggest using complex adaptive systems as a theoretical foundation for studying group development, as well as organizational culture, inflection points, nested adaptive cycles, emergence of leadership, and emergence of innovation. This research contributes a deeper understanding of project team resilience in organizational systems such as companies, non‐profits, governmental, and non‐governmental entities by revealing the importance of building adaptive capacity through organizational learning. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.