Chaos theory

Describes the behavior of certain dynamical systems that are highly sensitive to initial conditions. In this state, the system appears to be operating in random fashion, generating noise, or what appears to be noise. The system behavior is still deterministic but essentially unpredictable. Chaos Theory has its roots in the mathematics of Henri Poincaré in the late 1800s. The current theory as it is known today was developed by Edward Lorenz in the mid 1960s. Applied in social systems as a theory of change it explains that as a system becomess more complex than the old rules can manage, it become irregular and sensitive to new elements or attractors that self-organize into an emergent new system. Understanding when a system is chaotic, lets the futurist know to use non-linear approaches instead of conventional forecasting and policy analysis techniques. The problem of planning and management of systems operating in the chaotic regime is a frontier of great importance. It challenges old concepts and, as with any paradigm shift, opens new opportunities of unprecedented magnitude.