An organization on the edge of chaos: the origins of the metaphor and its impact on the theory and practice of strategic management

Abstract

The notion "edge of chaos" coined in complex systems studies has become a part of the vocabulary of modern management theory and practice. This utterance is especially significant since it has been applied in management as a metaphor associated with innovativeness and creativity. The aim of the paper is to study what are the consequences of the fact that this term is applied in management as a dead metaphor, i.e. it is decoupled from its initial meaning. A deepened analysis of the interpretations and misinterpretations of the term "organization on the edge of chaos" applied in strategic management is presented.