Responses to Climate Change: An Integrative Model of Organisational Processes using a Complex Evolving Systems (CESs) perspective

Abstract

This paper explores how business organisations can develop effective responses to the far-from equilibrium conditions in their environment, intensified due to climate change. The disruptions caused by climate change and the regulatory regime created in response to it, have exacerbated far-from equilibrium conditions in the business environment. Traditional studies have relied on linear assumptions to study organisations. Given the different nature of far-from-equilibrium conditions such as instability and unpredictability, these assumptions should be replaced by an understanding of organisations as complex evolving systems (CESs). Since CESs are able to meet the challenges of far-from equilibrium conditions, conceptualising organisations as CESs and understanding their underlying processes can help in developing effective responses to climate change. By reviewing current literature we present an integrative model of underlying processes in CESs which enable them to respond to far-from equilibrium conditions. This model is then applied to propose hypotheses for developing effective organisational responses to climate change.