Complexity

Complexity isn’t inherently bad or good - it just is. But when it’s not acknowledged, understood, or actively managed, complexity can evolve into an ugly problem faster than you think.

Highly interconnected systems change in ways you don’t expect. Friction creeps into processes that once flowed with ease. Systems you thought were resilient can suddenly grow fragile and start to show cracks, revealing new and unpredictable ways to fail. Ignoring complexity - or worse, trying to oversimplify it to create the illusion of control - only invites chaos.

Finding clarity begins with sense-making. You need to understand the parts that make up a system, how they interact, and what patterns of behavior emerge. Figure out where the boundaries are, and find the levers you can pull to influence system performance.

What Does Complexity Look Like?

Complexity shows up when systems, processes, and people become so interconnected that even small changes trigger outsized, unpredictable outcomes.

Seemingly simple decisions have unexpected consequences across completely unrelated domains.
No one can fully explain how or why a system works - only that it does, or it doesn’t.
Changes that were intended to solve one problem end up creating brand new problems elsewhere.
Teams struggle to trace cause and effect because of deeply entangled dependencies and unclear boundaries between functions.
Well-intended efforts to “simplify” parts of a system end up creating cascading layers of additional complexity instead.

Why Does Complexity Matter?

Unchecked complexity doesn’t just slow you down - it makes systems fragile, hides potential risk, and makes agility and innovation nearly impossible.

Leaders lose visibility into what’s working - and what’s breaking below the surface.
Misaligned tools and functions lead to duplicated effort and endless rework.
People burn their limited energy managing complexity instead of solving real problems.
Complex systems resist simple fixes, making change frustratingly slow and expensive.
Technical debt accumulates quietly until it eventually becomes too risky to touch the system at all.

Where Does Complexity Come From?

Complexity compounds quietly as systems evolve and interdependencies between people, processes, and technology grow.

Without foresight or strategic planning, teams default to tactical firefighting at the expense of agile and resilient architecture.
Arbitrary constraints and pressure to move “faster” without testing assumptions create unnecessary disruption downstream.
Undisciplined growth introduces new workflows and technologies without considering how they integrate or interoperate with existing systems.
Poor documentation and siloed institutional knowledge create friction and ambiguity during critical onboarding and transition processes.
Layered decision-making across local and global levels creates competing priorities and fragmented operating models.

What Happens If Complexity Is Not Addressed?

Unmanaged complexity eventually gives way to what is known as entropy - a state of disorder where systems begin to collapse under their own weight.

Systems grow fragile and begin to fail in unpredictable ways, with interactions compounding in ways no one anticipated - leading to cascading failures.
Teams spend more time navigating the system than benefiting from it, burning energy fighting friction instead of creating value.
Decisions become slower, riskier, and increasingly influenced by social and political dynamics as trust in the system and its data erodes.
Silos deepen as teams build their own workarounds, creating fragmentation and undermining shared understanding.
Momentum stalls under the weight of compounding disorder, with agile workflows giving way to brittle processes resistant to change.

What Does It Look Like on the Other Side of Complexity?

The other side of complexity isn’t simplicity - it’s alignment with reality. Complexity isn’t something you eliminate or wish away. It’s something you learn to see clearly, design for intentionally, and ultimately embrace as a natural part of any evolving system.

Systems are approached with awareness, shifting from attempts to control complexity to intentionally designing with it in mind.
Decision-making evolves from reactive to adaptive as teams learn to move with the system instead of against it.
Interdependencies are surfaced, creating visibility into how the parts of the system interact and can be leveraged to unlock value.
Complexity becomes a source of inspiring insight, surfacing patterns, enabling exploration, and guiding innovation through continuous feedback.
Coherent systems grounded in truth and reality grow more resilient, adapting without breaking as conditions change.

Where Can We Go From Here?

Taking on complexity can feel overwhelming, but its cost is real and shows up in systems, decisions, and behaviors at every layer of the organization.