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8.05.06

Surfing the edge

Considering the chaotic situation in South Africa (most probably other African countries as well, however, I follow more closely South African news since I lived there from 1996 — 1998), it often reminds me on Richard T. Pascale’s book Surfing the edge of chaos. In the book, Pascale distills (from the science of complexity) four principles that are inherently applicable to the living system of a business. The first two principles are:

1) Equilibrium is a precursor to death. When a living system is in a state of equilibrium, it is less responsive to changes occuring around it. This places it at maximum risk. 2) In the face of the threat, or when galvanized by a compelling opportunity, living things move toward a the edge of chaos. This condition evokes higher levels of mutation and experimentation, and fresh new solutions are more likely to be found.

Applying these principles to the current situation of South Africa - considering the permanent threat of violent attacks [1] (the text is still accessible at this page), the all-around threat of AIDS [*2] and the profound shake of deep values and behaviours through the transition from the Apartheid system to a democratic system — it is reasonable to assume that South Africans (generalising here) are living on the edge of chaos. The remaining question is if this state of turmoil emerges into newness and innovativeness. I am highly interested in this thought and I believe that we will see some exceptional outcomes from this country soon (may this be music, businesses or whatever else).

[*1]: ’Doch jetzt dringt Südafrikas raue Wirklichkeit in die Wohlstandsoasen - und der Überfall in Rosebank ist nur ein vorläufiger Höhepunkt. In den vergangenen Monaten und Wochen haben die Attacken auf Einkaufszentren und Supermärkte im ganzen Land so rapide zugenommen, dass es selbst den abgebrühten Johannesburgern die Sprache verschlägt: Die Rosebank-Mall, der Emperors Palace in Kempton Park, das Northgate-Shopping Centre, ja, sogar das noble Einkaufszentrum von Sandton-City sind nur eine kleine Auswahl der überfallenen Malls, die im Stadtgebiet von Johannesburg liegen.’

[*2] In some cities, the life expectancy has decreased from 60 to 30 years through AIDS.

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