COMPLEXITY AS THE DEFINING FEATURE OF THE 21ST CENTURY

摘要

The 21st century is often labelled as the Century of Complexity because complexity of the socio-technological environment in which we live and work has reached the level that no longer can be ignored - complexity affects now all aspects of our lives. The paper defines complexity, identifies its sources and explains the basics of the new science and the art of managing complexity. The importance of complexity is discussed in the context of social, business and engineering systems.