EMERGING ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURES IN PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS: ADAPTABILITY AND COHERENCE IN VUCA ENVIRONMENTS

Cristi-Daniel Latea, Eliana-Laura Buliga and Adina-Raluca Olteanu

Proceedings of the INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE, 2025, vol. 19, issue 1, 280-302

Abstract: In an era defined by volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA), public institutions — including those forming the national security system — must reconcile structural stability with adaptive flexibility. This paper examines how organizational architectures within these entities evolve as complex adaptive systems (CAS), capable of continuous learning and dynamic response to social, technological, and geopolitical shifts. Grounded in complexity theory, the study explores how nonlinear interactions among leaders, operational teams, and institutional frameworks generate coherence and resilience under stress. It highlights the interdependence between human agency and systemic dynamics, showing how adaptive coordination, feedback mechanisms, and distributed decision-making strengthen institutional robustness and responsiveness. Drawing on insights from public management, defense studies, and complexity science, the paper proposes a conceptual model for institutional adaptability that reframes traditional bureaucratic hierarchies as learning, self-regulating ecosystems. The findings offer both theoretical and practical contributions to adaptive governance, emphasizing how public and security institutions can sustain coherence and decision quality in highly dynamic VUCA environments.

Keywords: adaptability; adaptive governance; complex adaptive systems (CAS); distributed decision-making; feedback mechanisms; national security; organizational resilience; public institutions; VUCA environments. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:rom:mancon:v:19:y:2025:i:1:p:280-302

DOI: 10.24818/IMC/2025/03.05

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