The complexity condundrum

Albert Einstein once said that "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler."

The quote is profound on one hand, but terribly ambiguous on another :). I recently read an article by Clay Shirky that covers his thoughts and impressions of a book written by Joseph Tainter titled The Collapse of Complex Societies (which I haven't read), but the article talks about some thoughts from the book, particularly the idea that the only way for societies that have gotten too complex to simplify is to start over. Hmmm...take a moment to think about that.

Why is that suggested? According to the article, Tainter references several societies that at one point, were the epitome of progress...take ancient Rome for example. The problem is that they had also become so complex, he argues, that they effectively collapsed under the weight of their own complexity. He proceeds to suggest that maybe there is no other way to simply when societies reach a certain point in their lifecycle. When I look at the complexity in governments, and many organizations I've worked in as a consultant over the years, I have to say...I also tend to wonder if there is a different viable "solution" to the complexity problem myself. It's an interesting (albeit rather depressing) idea that has some sound facts and arguments to support it.

Contrast this outcome with a much more optimistic outcome detailed in a book titled Simply Effective: How to Cut Through Compexity in Your Organization and Get Things Done, by Ron Ashkenas. He suggests that complexity has 4 major causes:

• Constant changes in organizational structures
• Proliferation of products and services
• Evolution of business processes
• Time-wasting managerial behaviors

Whether you agree that these are the major causes or not, I'm sure you'll agree with me that these are certainly at least some of the major causes. What I liked about Ron's book is that he doesn't take the route of suggesting that the only possible way to simply is just to throw your hands up in the air and start over, but rather provides some good suggestions for how to minimize complexities in these areas. These suggestions aren't just changes that can be made at the top, but include changes that can be started with people at any level of the organizational hierarchy. If you have the book, or search Google books, you can find several of these suggestions on pages 178-179. I highly recommend reading the book...it's fairly short, and contains a lot of great information. If you want to be even simpler :), read Ron's blog.

Effective architects understand the value and importance of simplicity, and strive to make things as simple as possible...but not simpler :).