Communications

Making complex ideas easier to access, understand and use

Communication is a Complex System

Oct 14 2011 Back in college I survived countless boring classes by hiding in the back of the room playing three-dimensional tic-tac-toe. In this spatial version of the classic game, three separate grids are placed one atop the other and players compete to get three in a row on or between layers. It called for thinking on multiple levels, and better prepared me to communicate in complex systems than many of my courses ever did. These days, almost any digital system a marketing campaign, a social network or the World Wide Web is complex; which means it is made up of diverse, dispersed and continually changing parts. Whats more, these various pieces connect in often unplanned and unpredictable ways. In fact, what defines a complex system is not so much its components, as how those components interact. Most interactions are based on the flow of information. So understanding how information is produced, processed, shared and perceived in other words, communication is imperative. And as systems of all kinds become more complex, communication becomes more important. Yet in the process, it too gets more complicated. Consider the conventional mass communication model. On the sender side, there are now myriad more voices than just those of traditional media. Humans and machines alike generate a glut of structured and unstructured data. On the receiving end, audiences divide and sub-divide themselves by geographic, economic, social, cultural, political, gender, age, ethnic and even religious distinctions. These disparities affect not only the types of content that interest them; but also how they access and interpret it. In between, messages may be linked, reposted or retweeted across an expanding array of media platforms; sometimes altering their meaning or intent. Not surprisingly, successful communication calls for new skill sets. Techniques like social media and advanced data analysis enhance awareness of complexity while also providing methods to deal with it. Equally essential however, is the ability to adopt different mind sets; to think differently about almost every facet of the communication process. One such approach comes under the heading of systems thinking, which looks at matters in their entirety rather than focus on individual parts. Many organizations, for example, dont fully appreciate the depth of their problems because they view them in isolation. But in complex systems all elements are related. As in a game of 3D tic-tac-toe, a move on one level can lead to an unexpected response on an entirely different level. This is especially true in social settings where human behavior significantly amplifies uncertainty. On the other hand, seeing problems in broader context, and recognizing how all parts influence each other, can produce more comprehensive solutions. For every event that occurs in a complex system there are numerous possible reasons and just as many probable results. Cause and effect dont necessarily reside close to each other in time or space. It may take awhile before actual consequences are identified; and only after reaching several false conclusions. Trial and error are critical to systems thinking. Without experimenting, it is hard to pinpoint a cause and its corresponding effect. But continuously measuring and evaluating outcomes is a legitimate means to separate what does work from what doesnt. Companies commonly base their communication solely on the messages they want to deliver and the goals they hope to achieve. They make themselves the focal point instead of first considering what kinds of content command audiences attention; how much they already know and believe about subjects; and what they will do with information once they have it. A systems approach starts by identifying the needs, interests and concerns of those who consume content; and by considering the full spectrum of technologies used to create and convey it. Plus complex systems are, themselves, frequently parts of even bigger entities. Thus, communication strategies must take into account the greater economic, social, cultural and political environments in which they operate.

Thinking differently, then, is largely a matter of perspective: discerning issues and audiences from multiple points-of-view. And while systems thinking is certainly more elaborate in detail than what is described here more like a game of multi-dimensional chess versus tic-tac-toe it is the basis for effective communication, particularly in circumstances increasingly defined by social media and big data. Communication can, indeed, enable individuals and organizations to understand and deal with complex systems. But only when they master the complexity of communication.