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The aim is to investigate the state of complex adaptive system (CAS) theory in the organizational theory literature and to provide a map for future studies of CAS theory.

Abstracts were searched via electronic database and a range of recently published (1996‐2004) books and articles were identified that contained a relatively concise description of CAS. Content analysis is used to deconstruct the CAS descriptions into “component concepts.” Those concepts are analyzed from multiple viewpoints.

There is no single, shared, sense of CAS theory. Differing understandings of CAS theory are identified based on “expert version” and “most popularly identified concepts.” Also, differences and similarities are identified between an “academic” version of CAS and a version developed by those who are influenced by both academic learning and practical experience.

Study is limited to concise definitions of CAS, so could be improved by including more lengthy conversations. Additionally, study is limited to organizational theory, so may be less applicable in other disciplines.

When working within a CAS framework, academics should specify their CAS perspective to improve clarity of their work. When using a CAS framework to study organizations, researchers should include a comprehensive suite of concepts. Though not described in depth, no effective application of CAS for organizational change were found.

For those who study CAS theory and theory of theory, this paper provides an important benchmark by identifying a bifurcation in the evolution of CAS theory.

The purpose of this study was to advance the knowledge of pharmaceutical supply chain (PSC) resilience using complex adaptive system theory (CAS).

An exploratory research design, which adopted a qualitative approach was used to achieve the study’s research objective. Qualitative data were gathered through 23 semi-structured interviews with key supply chain actors across the PSC in the UK.

The findings demonstrate that CAS, as a theory, provides a systemic approach to understanding PSC resilience by taking into consideration the various elements (environment, PSC characteristics, vulnerabilities and resilience strategies) that make up the entire system. It also provides explanations for key findings, such as the impact of power, conflict and complexity in the PSC, which are influenced by the interactions between supply chain actors and as such increase its susceptibility to the negative impact of disruption. Furthermore, the antecedents for building resilience strategies were the outcome of the decision-making process referred to as co-evolution from a CAS perspective.

Based on the data collected, the study was able to reflect on the relationships, interactions and interfaces between actors in the PSC using the CAS theory, which supports the proposition that resilience strategies can be adopted by supply chain actors to enhance this service supply chain. This is a novel empirical study of resilience across multiple levels of the PSC and as such adds valuable new knowledge about the phenomenon and the use of CAS theory as a vehicle for exploration and knowledge construction in other supply chains.

This study aims to investigate the response by a multi-campus private higher education provider to a major crisis. This study examined what elements of complex adaptive systems (CAS) were activated and/or developed within the organization during the onset of the COVID-19 global pandemic, through a retrospective analysis of organizational responses.

A retrospective qualitative approach has been used. The theory of CAS has been used as the theoretical lens to explore the organizational context, responses and behaviours during the first year of the COVID-19 crisis. A series of semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 senior leaders across the major functions of the organization spread over multiple campuses.

Findings point to coverage of the main CAS characteristics in the organizational responses to the pandemic, however, in varying degrees. There was strong evidence for the application of guiding principles, for self-organizing, for micro-diversity coupled with independent actors and new generative relationships, all brought about by the chaos the pandemic generated. This study concludes that the global pandemic presented this organization with the impetus for rapid and agile responses to what ultimately has become a constructive crisis, paving the way for key elements of CAS theory to be enacted. This study recommend embedding the conscious creation of an adaptive space within ongoing strategic organizational transformation initiatives.

There is scant literature on CAS as applied to crises from organizations in the higher education sector and notably from outside of the health/medical fields. As a result, this study offers a novel and original approach to applying CAS theory during a major crisis. In addition to the findings above, this study also found an emergent characteristic, that of agility, which could be further tested as a potential theoretical addition to CAS theory.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a new mentality of constructing the evaluation index system on national energy security, in favor of analyzing its influencing factors and coupling relations thoroughly.

The complex adaptive system (CAS) theory has provided one kind analysis method on modeling and simulation for question of the social economic system, which based on the adaptive agent and mutual interaction. In view of this, the authors' expect to use this kind of new research paradigm for reference, and construct the evaluation index systems on national energy security using the integration of CAS theory and pressure‐state‐response (PSR) conceptual model.

Constructs a set of compound index system of “six parallel layers, gradually converge, six layers three dimensions three degrees.”

The evaluation index system on national energy security is in the discussion stage at present, and the comparatively systematic or accepted index system has not been established. So the further study on influencing factors and measurement indicator system based on multi‐dimension of national energy security, is the emphasis of the continued further research.

Constructing the evaluation index system on national energy security integrating PSR conceptual model from the perspective CAS.

Divides the carrier of energy security problem's happening into three energy domains (non‐renewable energy), and introduces the theory and method of CAS to construct the agent layer to carry on the multi‐agent gambling analysis. Simultaneously separately analyses the coal security, the petroleum security as well as the natural gas security using the concept framework of PSR.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the emergence of resilience into the contemporary discourse of disaster risk. As a counter position to the current status quo in defining and addressing resilience, this paper introduces the theoretical lens of complex adaptive systems theory (CAS). Some of the key characterisitcs related to CAS are discussed and linkages are made to possible benefit that they might have in enhancing the understanding of disaster resilience.

An indepth review of literature pertaining to disaster resilience and CAS was conducted to find common grounds for theoretical synergies.

The inherent similarities between the concept of resilience and CAS provides ample practical and theoretical contributions to the field of disaster risk studies.

The paper provides a different perspective to the contemporary discourse on disaster resilience. A better understanding of disaster resilience and its underlying dynamics as illuminated by the application of CAS could in future provide an effective tool to manage disaster risks and building of resilience.

The purpose of this paper is to define and analyze the innovation system of China's software industry in order to build its innovation capability.

From a complex adaptive systems (CAS) perspective, the authors researched the constitution and operating mechanism of China's software industry innovation system. By using methods and theories of CAS theory, the innovation problems of the software industry in China were analyzed and valuable suggestions put forth for its future development.

Innovation system is one kind of complex systems and it has the characteristics of CAS.

Quantitative analysis of the software industry innovation system should be emphasized in the next stage of research.

The paper provides a new perspective and useful advice for technology policymakers.

The paper applies CAS theory to the area of social management and provides a new approach to study industrial innovation systems.

The authors explore complex adaptive systems (CAS) theory as an updated theoretical perspective for managing product returns that better matches the chaotic nature of recent consumer behaviors. CAS theory highlights the importance of agents who create and self-organize to help systems adapt in unpredictable environments.

This research utilizes data collected from return managers in an online survey and applies regression analyses to estimate the influence of the focal variables.

Empirical evidence of the firm flexibility–firm adaptability link is established, and return processor creativity positively relates to this link. The firm flexibility–firm adaptability link fully mediates the relationship between return processor creativity and returns management performance and partially mediates the relationship between return processor creativity and relationship quality. Nonmediated effects were observed for turnover and revenue size.

Managers of returns who embrace an adaptability approach become facilitators of returns by supporting processor creativity. Enhancing the autonomy of processors in their day-to-day work increases the knowledge-creation capabilities of the firm, which helps the firm move forward and adapt in an uncertain environment.

This research presents empirical evidence of the underlying mechanisms of CAS theory in the product returns context by studying processor agents and argues that CAS theory better fits the current dynamics of the product returns environment. Further, this paper extends work by Espinosa et al. (2019) and Nilsson (2019) by studying how a specific human characteristic – creativity – impacts product returns management.

In the era of industry 4.0, managing the design is a challenging mission. Within a dynamic environment, several disciplines have adopted the complex adaptive system (CAS) perspective. Therefore, this paper aims to explore how we may deepen our understanding of the design process as a CAS. In this respect, the key complexity drivers of the design process are discussed and an organizational decomposition for the simulation of the design process as CAS is conducted.

The proposed methodology comprises three steps. First, the complexity drivers of the design process are presented and are matched with those of CAS. Second, an analysis of over 111 selected papers is presented to choose the appropriate model for the design process from the CAS theory. Third, the paper provides methodological guidelines to develop an organizational decision support system that supports the complexity of the design process.

An analysis of the key drivers of design process complexity shows the need to adopt the CAS theory. In addition to that, a comparative analysis between all the organizational methodologies developed in the literature leads the authors to conclude that agent-oriented Software Process for engineering complex System is the appropriate methodology for simulating the design process. In this respect, a system requirements phase of the decision support system is conducted.

The originality of this paper lies in the fact of analysing the complexity of the design process as a CAS. In doing so, all the richness of the CAS theory can be used to meet the challenges of those already existing in the theory of the design.

The chapter begins by presenting a case study of a 4th grade student, who has been referred by his teacher for an evaluation. However before this case can be completely understood, it is necessary to understand the limitations associated with the general intelligence approach of assessment. The chapter provides an overview of these limitations and suggests using a processing-based approach instead of a general intelligence approach. The second section outlines the Planning, Attention, Simultaneous, and Successive (PASS) theory and approach toward assessment, which is supported by neuropsychological research. The final section returns to the case study and demonstrates how the information gathered using the PASS theory and Cognitive Assessment System (CAS) can be used to guide interventions for various learning disabilities.

The primary objective of this paper is to discuss whether complexity science can help overcome management's dilemma of how to balance efficiency and innovation.

Complexity science provides an interdisciplinary theoretical approach for studying complex adaptive systems (CAS), which exhibit adequate combinations of both emergent efficiency and emergent innovation. Based on prominent models from complexity science, a generic framework of CAS is proposed that shows the design levers of such systems. This framework then serves to assess recent literature on applications of complexity science to firms. Applications cover a broad range of objectives and four organizational levels: the individual resource, the organizational sub‐unit (SU), the organizational, and the network levels. The generic framework is used to classify the applications' objectives in terms of efficiency and innovation, and to identify the design levers they use.

CAS offer a valuable theoretical perspective on efficiency and innovation. However, the proposed framework shows that these systems are not utilized to their full potential when applied to firms. Typical applications address either emergent efficiency or emergent innovation and thus fail to balance both.

The paper does not provide an exhaustive literature review on management applications of CAS, but selects exemplary literature.

The paper gives a comprehensive overview of the CAS' perspective in management science. For further research, the proposed generic framework of CAS may serve to analyze, evaluate and integrate applications in order to overcome the efficiency‐innovation dilemma.