Systems & Complexity Vocabulary

the process where complex patterns arise from simple interactions

“Consciousness is often cited as an example of emergence from neural activity.”

Origin: Latin emergere `to arise, bring to light` from ex- `out` + mergere `to dip`

a system structure where outputs circle back as inputs

“The microphone created a screeching feedback loop.”

Origin: English feed + back (1920s in electronics context)

a relationship where output is not directly proportional to input

“Climate change exhibits nonlinearity, where small changes can have massive effects.”

Origin: Latin non `not` + linearis `belonging to a line`

the property of systems that benefit from shocks and volatility

“Muscles show antifragility by getting stronger after the stress of exercise.”

Origin: Coined by Nassim Nicholas Taleb; anti- `against` + fragile

the minimum amount required to start or maintain a venture

“The social network reached critical mass and grew exponentially.”

Origin: Physics term (1940s) referring to nuclear chain reactions

the point at which a series of small changes becomes significant enough to cause a larger change

“We have reached a tipping point in the adoption of electric vehicles.”

Origin: Physics/Sociology term popularized by Malcolm Gladwell

a measure of disorder or randomness in a system

“Organizations naturally tend toward entropy without active management.”

Origin: German Entropie from Greek en- `within` + trope `transformation`

the tendency toward a stable equilibrium

“The thermostat maintains the building's thermal homeostasis.”

Origin: Greek homoios `similar` + stasis `standing still`

the inclusion of extra components for reliability

“The aircraft has triple redundancy in its flight control systems.”

Origin: Latin redundantia `overflowing` from re- `again` + undare `to surge`

a point of congestion in a system that slows down the overall process

“The approval process became a bottleneck for the entire project.”

Origin: Visual metaphor from the narrow neck of a bottle restricting flow

an agent that provokes or speeds up significant change or action

“The crisis served as a catalyst for regulatory reform.”

Origin: Greek katalysis `dissolution` from kata- `down` + lyein `to loosen`

interaction of elements that when combined produce a total effect greater than the sum of individual elements

“The merger aimed to create synergy between the two departments.”

Origin: Greek synergia `joint work` from syn- `together` + ergon `work`

dependence of the state of a system on its history

“Unemployment shows hysteresis; it stays high even after the economy recovers.”

Origin: Greek hystēdēsis `shortcoming` later `lagging behind`

phenomenon where a product gains value as more people use it

“The telephone is a classic example of the network effect.”

Origin: Economic concept coined in the 20th century

the consequence of a consequence

“We considered the immediate result, but missed the second-order effect on employee morale.”

Origin: Mathematical/Systems theory terminology

the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties

“The system's resilience was tested by the sudden traffic spike.”

Origin: Latin resilire `to jump back` from re- `back` + salire `to jump`

a complex pattern where the same pattern occurs at every scale

“The coastline is fractal; it looks similar whether viewed from space or up close.”

Origin: Latin fractus `broken` coined by Benoit Mandelbrot

an unpredictable event that is beyond what is normally expected and has potentially severe consequences

“The 2008 financial crisis was described by some as a black swan event.”

Origin: Metaphor from the presumption that all swans were white until black ones were discovered in Australia