Poised on the Edge of Order and Chaos

Poised on the Edge of Order and Chaos Agnes Mura and William Bergquist [Derived from William Bergquist and Agnes Mura, Ten Themes and Variations for Postmodern Leaders and Their Coaches. and from a forthcoming book, William Bergquist and Agnes Mura, tentatively titled: Building an Appreciative Organization: Themes and Strategies for Effective Postmodern Leaders, Consultants and Coaches. Please contact Professional Coaching Publications, Inc. for more information: www.pcpi.info ]. Abstract: What might we learn from postmodern theorists, observers and critics as well as contemporary physicists and biologists about the nature of change as it is now occurring in 21st Century societies? In recent years increasingly attention has been paid to the nature and dynamics of complex systems that are on the edge of order and chaos –systems that are turbulent (“white water”) in nature. We propose that organizations often operate on this edge and that we can gain new insights about organizations by viewing them as turbulent systems.