Complexities: The Butterfly Effect of Leadership

Essentially, complexity theory involves the study of complexly interacting systems and what arises from these interactions. However, complex theory if far too complex to boil down into one simple definition. To elucidate further, in the complexity sciences, there are simple systems as well as complex systems. Simple systems are made from individual parts whereas complex systems are more than just the sum of their parts. As discussed in class, these systems share a connectivity. Similarly, the “butterfly effect” describes how one small change can result in large differences at a later stage. This sensitive dependence can also be applied to complex systems as one complex system can be influenced by another system.

I have created a visualisation, a mosaic in the shape of a butterfly, to explain my understanding of complexities. At first glance the use of a butterfly might come across as cliché. That is exactly one of the reasons I chose to depict a butterfly as they have an array of meaning encapsulated in them. In my opinion, a butterfly is one of the most symbolic creatures within nature. I would like to mention a few facts about the butterfly in order to explain complexities.

Fact: butterflies can see beyond the ultraviolet spectrum and their eyes consist of a network of 6000 lenses. Likewise, as a leader one cannot simply look at one side of a situation, a leader needs to take account of an entire spectrum of meaning in order to get a better understanding of any given problem. In conflict resolution, for example, a leader should see beyond the surface by considering multiple options and not just one clear option. My understanding of the nature of the intersection between the complexities of leadership and social justice is thus that there is “more than meets the eye”. In leadership as well as social justice, one needs to do the research and consider all the different narratives of a given issue in order to accurately engage in discourse and even then, one will never have a full accurate perspective. Therefore, my mosaic butterfly represents leadership and social justice as it consists out of multiple pieces, each one different and unique, but when put together it creates a full picture. Note however that the mosaic butterfly simply resembles a butterfly, the mosaic could never represent a real butterfly with full accuracy - just how in leadership and social justice one cannot always have all the facts.

Fact: butterfly species are polymorphic, this means that they blend in with their surrounding environment. Their wings are transparent which allows them to blend in. Just like butterfly wings, leaders need to be able to be adaptable and transparent at times. One cannot simplify complexities; one needs to manage one’s surroundings by being adaptable.

Social justice activism and leadership is an on-going process – one is constantly learning new things in order to adapt. Just like a caterpillar, one needs to follow multiple complex processes before becoming a butterfly and even then, one needs to adapt to new processes and different ways of interacting with the environment.