Co-Evolution of Diverse Elements Interacting Within a Social Ecosystem

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to discuss the evolution of diverse elements within a social ecosystem and its underlying feedback process, with special emphasis on a notion of co-evolution of the principal elements - human and artefacts - participating in the ecosystem. It is based on a research project looking at the eco-evolution of the business process and information systems (IS) development. THe project is part of the SEBPC IT Legacy Systems Programme, funded by the EPSRC. The project tests the hypothesis that if co-evolution between the business process and IS development is enabled, then the problems associated with legacy systems will be reduced. The study wen beyond the interaction between software and business evolution. First, it looked at IT systems (i.e. at both hardware and software) and at the IS domain, which includes the individuals involved with the IT systems (i.e. both developers and users). Second, it looked at the multiple elements which make up the complex environment (or social ecosystem) interacting with the two areas under study. Finally, the research identified some of the conditions that facilitated co-evolution between the business and IS development in two case studies. This chapter will focus on the complex interactions between the multiple elements within a social ecosystem, which contribute to the creation of IT legacy systems; on some of the underlying feeback processes, and on the conditions that facilitate co-evolution.