Addressing global challenges: the EMK complexity methodology

Professor Eve Mitleton-Kelly

Chapter 4 in Handbook of Research Methods in Complexity Science, 2018, pp 61-73 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Is it possible to effectively address complex problems when there are multiple and often conflicting interests, as well as multiple interacting causalities, within a constantly changing and complex environment? The analysis of such problems often results in an endless list of often contradictory factors and provides a picture with no linear causality and no overall coherent meaning, too random to help explain the complex interactions that led to the problem. Understanding not only the characteristics of organisations with their multiple interacting issues and causalities, but their co-evolutionary dynamics is the key here. This chapter provides detailed advice on how to use the complexity perspective in real life examples showing how the two parts of the EMK methodology were used in a challenging context. The first part was the identification of the multi-dimensional problem space and the co-evolutionary dynamics between the multiple dimensions, which provided a starting point for decision-making. The second part acknowledged that complex problems do not have single solutions, but need a broader enabling environment, capable of addressing the challenge over time as it changes and evolves.

Keywords: Business and Management; Geography; Innovations and Technology; Politics and Public Policy Research Methods; Urban and Regional Studies (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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