Chapter 3 discussed the emergence of communication networks from the perspective of complexity theory. Specifically, we described complexity as a network of agents, each with a set of attributes, who follow rules of interaction, which produces emergent structure. Complexity arose from the fact that there were numerous agents with extensive relations. Some complex systems but by no means all, we argued, were self-organizing, meaning that they created and sustained internal structure in response to the flow of matter and energy around them. Some readers, particularly those with some familiarity with the complex adaptive systems literature, may have noticed that the discussion of complexity in chapter 3 did not include processes of adaptation, evolution, or coevolution. The reason for this is that it is possible to view these as theoretical mechanisms that operate in at least some complex, self-organizing systems, though not necessarily all. Thus, we have chosen to treat adaptation and the coevolutionary perspective as theoretical mechanisms in the same manner as the other theoretical mechanisms we have examined in chapters 5 through 8. In the present chapter we examine adaptive and coevolutionary processes as the basis for building MTML models of emergent communication networks that form the basis for organizational populations and communities. Modern interest in evolutionary theory as a basis for studying human social processes can be traced to the work of Amos Hawley (1950, 1968, 1986). Much of the interest in applying this perspective to studying organizational structures is credited to Donald Campbell (1965, 1974). Over much of his professional life Campbell explored the application of evolutionary theory to a wide array of sociocultural processes, including organizations (Baum & McKelvey, 1999). Campbell is perhaps best known throughout the social sciences for his work on experimental and quasi-experimental design (Campbell and Stanley, 1966; Cook & Campbell, 1980) and multimethod triangulation (Campbell & Fiske, 1959). Nonetheless, McKelvey and Baum (1999) point to Campbell’s enormous influence in organizational science via the early work of Aldrich (1972) on organizational boundaries, Weick’s (1979) formulation of an evolutionary model of organizing, Hannan and Freeman’s (1977, 1983) development of population ecology theory (and inertial theory), McKelvey’s (1982) work on organizational taxonomies, and Nelson and Winter’s (1982) evolutionary theory of economics.
Complexity and Evolution