Theoretical Biology: Evolution of the Whole and the Parts
Theoretical biology provides further insight into complexity by promoting anti-reductionism and co-evolving systems (Goldstein, 2008). In biology, it is nearly impossible to understand living systems by reducing them to their smallest parts. Instead, living systems must be examined by looking at the interaction of their parts with each other, and their environment. In an organization, taking a broader view of the system moves attention away from the dyadic relationship of the leader/follower dynamic and changes the point of reference for decision making to the whole system. Biological systems in nature are complex, in that they must interact with the environment, their own ecology, and multiple other systems that work to create and sustain life. The underlying premise is that systems are all connected and that a change in one subsystem impacts all the systems around it to an unpredictable degree. For example, introducing electronic medical records into the emergency department has consequences for patient admission, financial services, physician consultation, organization throughput, and many other areas, including the emergency department itself. Leaders must consider the perspectives of key stakeholders to see the system as a whole and to understand the impact to each subsystem.