DSV SU
Using Fractal Enterprise Model to Assist
Complexity Management
Position paper
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Ilia Bider and Erik Perjons
7/8/2019
3rd International Workshop
on Managed Complexity,
ManComp 2018
Stockholm, September 23

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The Law of Requisite Variety
Only variety destroys (absorbs) variety
Ashby, W. R.: An introduction to cybernetics. Chapman & Hall, London (1956)
Applying to a system adapting to (moving in) the environment:
The number of states of the environment should be matched by the number
of states of the system
Note 1: The notion of state includes dynamic characteristics – direction,
speed acceleration, not only static ones
Note 2: Matching does not mean having the same number of states, but
having a response for each state of the environment

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Simple Vs. Complex Complexity
• Simple complexity –
each element of the system is connected to all other element of it,
• Complex complexity -
total interconnectivity is not achievable, and each element is connected
only to few other
Luhmann, N.: Introduction to Systems Theory. Polity Press (2013)

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Video on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/6O8qayGWAjo
https://youtu.be/6O8qayGWAjo
Text of the paper
http://bit.ly/2NB6APD
http://bit.ly/2NB6APD
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Links to external sources

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Example of Complex Complexity
Science as a system – Complex Complexity
"The republic of science: its political and economic theory"
Polanyi, M. S.: Knowing and Being. University of Chicago, Chicago (1969)

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Question – Complex Organizational Systems
• How to find out which elements/components/subsystem need
to interact/communicate with each other and which do not need
to do so?
• Can an enterprise model help to answer this question

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Fractal Enterprise Model
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Bider, I., Perjons, E., Elias, M., Johannesson, P.: A fractal enterprise model and its application for business
development. Software & Systems Modeling (2016)

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Archetypes

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Theoretical Background – A
Systems View on Processes
Respondent System – The system created to respond to the situation where the parallel
bars indicate that this system interacts with the situation and transforms the situation
to a new situation.
System Assets – The assets of a bigger system that are to be utilized in responding to situations.
Systems coupling
diagrams
H. Lawson, A Journey Through the Systems
Landscape, College Publications, 2010

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Business Process as a System
• BPI - On the instance level, we consider a Business Process Instance as a temporal system
created for handling a specific situation, for example a request for quotation. After the situation
has been dealt with, the temporal system is disbanded.
• BPWS - On the type level, we consider that for each type there exists a permanent socio-
technical system that is responsible for starting and monitoring process instances of the given
type, and supplying them with resources/assets needed for attaining the instances operational
goals, such as people, tools (e.g. IT systems), procedures (e.g. manuals, process maps). We
call this system a Business Process Work System
• FEM – represent interconnected BPWS
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Answering the question
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BPWS systems that needs communicate are the ones that are connected to the same asset

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Three types of connection
1. Both BPWSs manage the same asset.
2. One BPWS manages an asset used in another
3. Both BPWS share the same asset.
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Conclusion & Future Research
Contributions:
1. Formulating a question
2. Putting forward a hypothesis
3. Testing a hypothesis on a FEM (positive so far)
Future:
• Investigating how interactions happens in practice
• Looking on other enterprise models.
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Q & A
Thank you for your patience
Questions and comments
Please
Contact: ilia@dsv.su.se
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