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This study aims to enhance the theoretical foundations of servitization research by establishing a theoretical connection with complexity management. The authors develop a conceptual framework to describe complexity management mechanisms in servitization and digital platforms' specific role in allowing synergies between complexity reduction and absorption mechanisms.

A theory adaptation approach is used. Theory adaptation introduces new perspectives and conceptualization to the domain theory (servitization, with a focus on the role of digital platforms) by informing it with a method theory (complexity management).

This study provides four key contributions to the servitization literature: (1) connecting the servitization and complexity-management terminologies, (2) identifying and classifying complexity-management mechanisms in servitization, (3) conceptualizing digital platforms' role in servitization complexity management and (4) recognizing digital platforms' complexity-management synergies.

This study highlights that by using digital platforms in servitization and understanding the platform approach more thoroughly, companies can gain new capabilities and opportunities to manage and leverage complexity.

This paper uses a complex adaptive systems view to examine two different organizational responses to turbulent, complex environments. We examined the internal make‐up of eight organizations that saw their environment the same way – as rapidly changing, complex and requiring aggressive change strategies. Half of these organizations chose a complexity absorption response to environmental turbulence, and half chose a complexity reduction response to environmental turbulence and complexity. The organizations pursuing a complexity absorption response outperformed those organizations with complexity reduction responses.

The purpose of this paper is to propose the use of graph theoretic structural modeling for assessing the possible reduction in complexity of the work flow procedures in an organization due to lean initiatives. A tool to assess the impact of lean initiative on complexity of the system at an early stage of decision making is proposed.

First, the permanent function-based graph theoretic structural model has been applied to understand the complex structure of a manufacturing system under consideration. The model helps by systematically breaking it into different sub-graphs that identify all the cycles of interactions among the subsystems in the organization in a systematic manner. The physical interpretation of the existing quantitative methods linked to graph theoretic methodology, namely two types of coefficients of dissimilarity, has been used to evolve the new measures of organizational complexity. The new methods have been deployed for studying the impact of different lean initiatives on complexity reduction in a case industrial organization.

The usefulness and the application of new proposed measures of complexity have been demonstrated with the help of three cases of lean initiatives in an industrial organization. The new measures of complexity have been proposed as a credible tool for studying the lean initiatives and their implications.

The paper may lead many researchers to use the proposed tool to model different cases of lean manufacturing and pave a new direction for future research in lean manufacturing.

The paper demonstrates the application of new tools through cases and the tool may be used by practitioners of lean philosophy or total quality management to model and investigate their decisions.

The proposed measures of complexity are absolutely new addition to the tool box of graph theoretic structural modeling and have a potential to be adopted by practical decision makers to steer their organizations though such decisions before the costly interruptions in manufacturing systems are tried on ground.

A systems theoretical reconceptualisation of certain parts of alienation theory is considered. Two opposed forms of alienation are distinguished, interpersonal alienation and societal alienation. Political alienation is described as a subform of societal alienation which does not necessarily correlate with the different forms of interpersonal alienation, as is often assumed. Alienation is viewed as a generic term for information processing problems of individuals.

Existing works in the supply chain complexity area have either focused on the overall behavior of multi-firm complex adaptive systems or on listing specific tools and techniques that business units (BUs) can use to manage supply chain complexity but without providing a thorough discussion about when and why they should be deployed. This research aims to address this gap by developing a conceptually sound model, based on the literature, regarding how an individual BU should reduce versus absorb supply chain complexity.

This research synthesizes the supply chain complexity and organizational design literature to present a conceptual model of how a BU should respond to supply chain complexity. The authors illustrate the model through a longitudinal case study analysis of a packaged foods manufacturer.

Regardless of its type or origin, supply chain complexity can arise because of the strategic business requirements of the BU (strategic) or because of suboptimal business practices (dysfunctional complexity). Consistent with the proposed conceptual model, the illustrative case study showed that a firm must first distinguish between strategic and dysfunctional drivers prior to choosing an organizational response. Furthermore, it was found that efforts to address supply chain complexity can reveal other system weaknesses that lie dormant until the system is stressed.

The case study provides empirical support for the literature-derived conceptual model. Nevertheless, any findings derived from a single, in-depth case study require further research to produce generalizable results.

The conceptual model presented here provides a more granular view of supply chain complexity and how an individual BU should respond, than what can be found in the existing literature. The model recognizes that an individual BU can simultaneously face both strategic and dysfunctional complexity drivers, each requiring a different organizational response.

There are no other research works that have synthesized the supply chain complexity and organizational design literature to present a conceptual model of how an individual BU should respond to supply chain complexity. As such, this paper improves the understanding of supply chain complexity effects and provides a basis for future research, as well as guidance for BUs facing complexity challenges.

To identify and examine the origins of complexity in a mass customization system and to propose an effective application sequence of variety management strategies in order to cope with this complexity.

Through the application of Suh's complexity theory an understanding of the causes of complexity in the specific context of a mass customization environment is developed. This facilitates the identification of the strategies that are adequate to tackle the problems induced by complexity.

The mass customization system is a coupled system that cannot be mastered simply. It is definitely impossible to transform it to an uncoupled system with a low complexity level. However, the effective and targeted implementation of variety management strategies at the product and process levels enables the management of this complexity by making the system more decoupled.

Complexity can be decreased if managers ensure less dependency between the satisfaction of customer requirements and position of the decoupling point. It is also advantageous to reduce the coupling level between fast delivery requirement in mass customization and the decoupling point placement. Furthermore, an effective variety management calls for the implementation of the identified strategies in an ascending order of complexity reduction potential.

The article relates the complexity theory of Suh to mass customization system, provides a framework for the classification of variety management strategies and derives managerial recommendations so as to reduce the complexity in a mass customization environment.

This paper shows how the interplay between organisational resilience and environmental complexity justifies the existence of differentiated yet successful approaches to digital transformation.

A multi-case method is applied to test our research hypotheses by contrasting the digital transformation of three Italian companies in the valves industry.

Different combinations of technological and organisational tools, hence diversified digital transformations, can be successful, provided that they are supported by a coherent set of resilience factors and allow for the implementation of strategic approaches aligned with the resilience capacity of the firm.

Awareness that resilience capacity shapes digital transformation and the strategies available to engage with external complexity should focus managers to invest in the alignment and the reinforcement of the factors underlying organisational resilience.

Most literature so far focused on the antecedents to digital transformation. In contrast, this paper focuses on the transformation process and highlights how the resilience capacity of the firm affects the unfolding of digital transformation and the emergence of diversified yet successful paths. In addition, in contrast with a dichotomous approach to external complexity this paper shows that digital transformation involves a mix of complexity reduction and complexity absorption strategies.

The purpose of this article is to present the findings of a project to study the complexity management activities and strategies of 20 global companies.

The article is based on a survey of 65 managers of 20 global companies. Interviews with senior management were combined with the study of public and company files.

Global companies have a tremendous opportunity in making quantum leaps in complexity reduction. We have found that around 25 to 35 percent of costs is complexity‐driven. There are two successful approaches to managing business complexity costs: simplification and reconfiguration.

The study is embedded in qualitative research.

Coping with complexity requires continuous efforts to identify and eliminate complications that add no value. Management has to analyze the company and its environment to flush out the hidden linkages between costs, activities, and the decisions that generated them.

The competitive edge of great global companies is consistent operational effectiveness through effective complexity management. Simplification or reconfiguration to reduce complexity can have a major impact on global competitiveness by simultaneously lowering costs, improving customer benefits and cutting response times.

Filter design plays an essential role in most communication standards. The essential element of the software-defined radio is a channelizer that comprises several channel filters. Designing filters with lower complexity, minimized area and enhanced speed is a demanding task in currently prevailing communication standards. This study aims to propose an efficient reconfigurable residue number system (RNS)-based multiply-accumulate (MAC) channel filter for software radio receivers.

RNS-based pipelined MAC module for the realization of channel finite impulse response (FIR) filter architecture is considered in this work. Further, the use of a single adder and single multiplier for realizing the filter architecture regardless of the number of taps offers effective resource sharing. This design provides significant improvement in speed of operation as well as a reduction in area complexity.

In this paper, two major tasks have been considered: first, the RNS number conversion is performed in which the integer is converted into several residues. These residues are processed in parallel and are applied to the MAC-FIR filter architecture. Second, the MAC filter architecture involves pipelining, which enhances the speed of operation to a significant extent. Also, the time-sharing-based design incorporates a single partial product-based shift and add multiplier and single adder, which provide a low complex design. The results show that the proposed 16-tap RNS-based pipelined MAC sub-filter achieves significant improvement in speed as well as 89.87% area optimization when examined with the conventional RNS-based FIR filter structure.

The proposed MAC-FIR filter architecture provides good performance in terms of complexity and speed of operation because of the use of the RNS scheme with pipelining and partial product-based shift and adds multiplier and single adder when examining with the conventional designs. The reported architecture can be used in software radios.

The purpose of this paper is to describe and discuss complexity approaches of management theory, by focusing on their capacity to use efficiently contingence in organizations. As a theoretical framework the theory of social systems (Luhmann) is used, where a difference is made between complexity reduction and condensation. Complexity reduction is related to certain functional needs to control a hierarchical system. Complexity condensation redesigns communicative structures towards participative norm development, offering discursive connectivity, and decision making in networks. It is described how heterogeneous cultures in organizations have the chance to be successful by focusing their functional needs to include, to orient, and to motivate.

The paper opted for discussing theoretical frameworks to reconstruct management approaches to develop towards more diversity capacity in organizations. Theory of social systems is employed as basic methodology.

The chosen research reconstructs management approaches to focus on functional imperatives of organizational systems as well as the development of functional equivalents. The logic figure of functional equivalents describes alternatives of exclusive organizational cultures. Heterogeneity in organizations is based on the redesign of communicative procedures, structures and cultures.

The aim of the paper is diversity theory development. It offers heuristic moments which might be useful in empirical research, too. Following the suggestion homogeneity is just an outcome of certain organizational decisions to deal with contingency and complexity, it might offer practical relevance by testing the capacity to change communication and interaction patterns. The culture‐function matrix also might offer an opportunity to discuss the paradigms of organizational development towards more diversity.

There might be the possibility to enhance conditions of observing organizations, but the practical implications might be rather limited.

Using theory of social systems (Luhmann) as theory which focuses complexity traits is rather undeveloped. It could offer insights in the capacity to deal with contingency, and the attempts to suppress it. Complexity in social systems could offer a prerequisite to support the interdisciplinary research in diversity studies.