Abstract

Becoming globally competitive has requires specific skills in developing economies as these environments are
far more complex. Business as a complex system requires acknowledgement that we cannot control
organizations to the degree that a mechanistic perspective will. Moreover, as the system’s environment changes,
so does the behaviour of its agents. Thus, the behaviour of the system as a whole can change. Linear strategies
and decision making techniques become irrelevant with a shift to patterns and relationships between entities.
Developing economies, especially, are more prone to the implementation of non-linear solutions because of the
nature of the variables, the changes and interplays between the variables, the significant human focus and the
consequent organic nature of the competitiveness. These variables introduce an unavoidable element of
unpredictability/randomness into any management decisions. Complexity allows for pattern recognition which
requires focusing on competencies, activities, technologies or resources signaling patterns that will impact on
innovation, especially with respect to organizational, management and technological forms. Technology as
knowledge is an intrinsic part of the pattern recognition the implementation of the above forms of innovation.
This paper discusses the role of non linear management theories in a complex environment with regards to these
innovations. In this sense, a resilience engineering approach provides the space for innovation implementation
and the focus on organizational and management innovation through complex adaptive systems. The literature
abounds with research on product and process innovation but less is said about organizational, management or
technological innovation and their implementation.

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