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Chaos theory seeks to explain the behavior of systems that don’t unfold in a linearly predictable manner (Murphy 1996). Chaos theorists conceptualize organizations and the environments in which they exist as dynamic, nonlinear systems with complex structures (Levy 1994). Chaos theory does not define chaos and disequilibrium as abnormal (Swank 2001) recognizes the organizations and the environments in which they exist are subject to constant change. Upon initial observation, chaotic systems appear to be random, disorganized, and unstructured; however, in actuality, all chaotic systems are characterized by order, structure, and patterns (Morgan 1997; Murphy 1996). Chaotic behavior and random behavior differ in important ways. Random behavior exists when an entity, given choices, is likely to perform any one choice with equal probability. For example, a molecule is just as likely to move right as left. In contrast, chaotic behavior is more...
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References
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Harris, G. (2016). Chaos Theory of Organizations. In: Farazmand, A. (eds) Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31816-5_70-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31816-5_70-1
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