Social Sciences in China (Chinese Edition)

No.10, 2015

Management of Complexity: Engineering Paradigms and Diversified Implementation Mechanisms

(Abstract)

Fan Ruguo

Modern society is highly complex and uncertain, so its management involves complex social engineering. This requires the management of complexity, but traditional theories of social management are often powerless to explain complexity and uncertainty. As practice has shown, management of social complexity involves multi-level social engineering design and analysis, and the management itself involves social practice of an engineering type. Social management requires rigorous social engineering paradigms, concrete forms realizing the idea of management. The main content and implementation mechanism in the engineering paradigm of the social management of complexity includes chaos and fractal design, cooperation and control, “two-phase” and parallel management, social simulation and social computing, and so forth. The social management of complexity based on the science of complexity and its engineering paradigms constitutes an effective response to complex social issues, providing social management with a complete program from social theory to social technology, and thence to social engineering.