Control: what we can learn from complex systems science
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Updated: Jul 4, 2026
Perspectives on Neuroscience
Published on: July 31, 2007
1Mercy Hospital, Iowa City, IA 52240, USA. tom.clancy@mercyic.org
Abstract:
As systems evolve over time, their natural tendency is to become increasingly more complex. Studies in the field of complex systems have generated new perspectives on managing social organizations such as hospitals. Much of this research appears as a natural extension of the cross-disciplinary field of systems theory. This is the fifth in a 5-part series on applying complex systems science to the traditional management concepts of planning, organizing, directing, coordinating, and controlling. In this article, the concept of control is explored from a complex systems perspective.
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