What’s the difference between complicated and complex?
I enjoyed hearing this straightforward comparison between complex and complicated in a talk by Professor Mary Uhl-Bien.
She refers to Paul Cillier’s analogy that a jumbo jet is complicated: equal to the sum of its parts, whereas mayonnaise is complex: once mixed, you can’t separate the parts fundamentally changed by the interaction.
It is often useful to distinguish between the notions “complex” and “complicated.” A jumbo jet is complicated, a mayonnaise is complex (a least for the French). A complicated system is something we can model accurately (at least in principle). Following this line of thought, one may argue that the notion “complex” is merely a term we use for something we cannot yet model.
The quote is from Paul Cillier’s work found here “What can we learn from a theory of complexity?“.
What does this have to do with learning, leadership and innovation?
Firstly, when we share this understanding (mental model) with others, we can be more precise in learning and leadership decisions. We also establish a more rounded view of impact.
If we are stuck with a rigid view of the educational experience as complicated but not richly interconnected (complex), changes are done with a limited scope and a narrow lens.
Secondly, it provokes us to zoom out and consider the rich connections throughout an education system. The ideas we implement are not just cogs with limited relationships that do not transform each other.
There has been a broader cry for educational leaders to adopt the view of the ecosystem of education.
If we believe that a school is an ecosystem, and act that way, we shift our perspective. We realize that every element of a school affects other parts. How our least-advantaged and most at-risk students are treated affects the success of the entire school. How teachers treat one another and students matters. How lunch aides treat students and are treated by other school professionals does matter.
The difference between mayonnaise and inter-continental aircraft is helpful as it illustrates the web of connections, dependencies, adaptations, and transformations within a stable ecosystem.
Learning is difficult to predict
Mayonnaise Vs Jumbo Jets also reminds us of the nature of learning. A rich swathe of interconnected variables is present within teaching and moments of growth. So many unique experiences mediate learning it is difficult to model and simulate.
Pause for a moment to reflect on those great learning experiences you designed that went pear-shaped in a matter of moments. This happened to me frequently as a new kindergarten teacher!
Sometimes you have to respond to something unexpected and it takes all of your attention — a nastily scraped knee, a nosebleed or a toilet problem. You have to go with it.
Lastly, when we reflect on educational innovation, change and development, we are not just changing the tyres — like for like — we are mixing and transforming experience in a complex way. What can you add to mayonnaise?
Cue the mayonnaise recipes! Muddy mayo is one of my favourites.
Your Talking Points
- What are the second-order effects of your new idea?
- Identify the richly interconnected elements of your student’s experience.
- Where do you notice a perception of teaching and learning as complicated but not complex?
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