The nature of chaos in business : using complexity to foster successful alliances and acquisitions

Market globalization is changing the way companies do business. It is now necessary for businesses to use mergers, joint ventures, and research consortia if they want to stay competitive and increase returns. The problem is that venturing into such partnerships has a substantial failure rate. In many cases, failure is due to poor preparation, inability to manage conflict, and simply being overwhelmed by the complexity of the partnership issues. The Nature of Chaos in Business offers answers to why such partnerships fail and how successful partnerships can be fostered through the complexity and supposed chaos of the situation. Based on models of complexity formulated and studied at the esteemed Santa Fe Institute, this guide demonstrates how complexity in business, as in nature, eventually falls into patterns. Through the recognition and use of these patterns, today's businesses can leverage each other's strengths into powerful alliances. The Nature of Chaos in Business is a fascinating, cutting-edge treatise on the application of complexity theory in business. The "war stories" throughout the book offer insight and wisdom from the real-life experiences of some of the world's largest, high-profile corporations and individuals.

Author Notes

J. Garrett Ralls, Jr., Principal, Ralls Advisement and Investment Gary is an international consultant specializing in alliances, joint ventures, value-chain relations, research consortia, merger integration, and dynamics within the firm. His clients include global leaders such as Monsanto, Lucent, Shell, Arch Chemicals, Exxon, and Goodyear. Gary is an innovator in war rooms and learning simulations applied to business settings. He is an advisor and contributor to war games in the defense and intelligence communities, such as the President's Commission on Critical Infrastructure Protection dealing with cyber terrorism, Naval Aviation Procurement, and the Naval Shipbuilding Industry. For more information, contact www.ralls1.com.
Kimberly A. Webb, Consulting Associate, Ralls Consulting Associates Kim's experience includes assignments in the U.S., Canada, and Europe with wealthy families, multinationals, and the U.S. government. Her projects include partnering solutions for Shell, Monsanto, and a Lucent Joint Venture with GTE. Most recently, Kim attended Oxford Analytica's International Business Conference and the Santa Fe Institute's annual Business Network Meeting and Trustee Symposium. Kim lectured at the U.S. National Defense Center in Hawaii and at the Monsanto Europe Technical Center on choosing alliance partners. For more information, contact www.ralls1.com.

Preface	p. vii
Introduction: Chaos in Alliances and Acquisitions	p. 1
The Human Touch--Trust, Career, and Chaos	p. 6
Chapter 1 An Essay on Partnering--The 21st Century Strategy	p. 10
Something Old, Something New	p. 6
The Challenge in Managing Complexity	p. 13
The Drama in Partnering	p. 15
The Marriage Metaphor	p. 17
How Can You Be Sure in a World That Is Constantly Changing?	p. 18
The Complexity View of Nature	p. 19
The Order in Chaos Is Complexity--The Order for the 21st Century Is Managing Complexity	p. 24
A Casual Conversation about Sharing Value	p. 25
References	p. 27
Chapter 2 Trust in Business Relations	p. 28
It Looked Easy to Assemble, Until I Got It Home	p. 28
Look Back on Your Life Experiences--Whom Have You Trusted? Why? What Did That Trust Mean to You?	p. 29
The Language of Trust	p. 32
What Does Caring Look Like?	p. 33
Take Me to Your Leader--But Only If the Leader Cares	p. 34
Crutch Leadership	p. 34
Trust as WD-40	p. 37
The Invisible Man as a Partner	p. 38
The Trust Mystique	p. 38
Chapter 3 Careers Can Add, Subtract, Multiply and Divide Partnerships	p. 47
Why Think about Careers in Partnerships?	p. 47
The Career Track for an Entrepreneur	p. 48
Shepard's View of the Flock	p. 49
Resonance, Autonomy, and Tone--The RAT Pack	p. 52
Complexity, Trust, and Career in a Nutshell	p. 55
Free Choice Motivates and Acceptance Makes Things Happen	p. 56
The Kaleidoscope of Life	p. 63
Complexity Can Be a Pane	p. 64
The Rise and Fall of Empiricism	p. 65
References	p. 68
Chapter 4 The Building Blocks for Trust	p. 69
Stacking Your Blocks to Spell "Trust,"	p. 69
Transparency--The 21st Century Opening	p. 70
Learning--The Passport to the 21st Century	p. 75
Civility--The Grace in the 21st Century	p. 98
Envisioning the Business Landscape--The 21st Century Vista	p. 109
References	p. 118
Chapter 5 The Complexity Complex	p. 119
Gay Paris!	p. 119
The Human Landscape	p. 120
The Business Landscape	p. 131
Reaching Beyond Optimization to Managing Complexity	p. 153
In the Field of Complexity Do a Little Dance	p. 169
References	p. 174
Chapter 6 Orchestration	p. 175
Upside	p. 175
Downside	p. 177
Five Major Settings for Partnering	p. 177
Building Successful SBRs	p. 178
In the End	p. 191
References	p. 191
Index	p. 193

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Table of Contents