© Oxford University Press CHAPTER 1 Why Emergence? DESCRIBING EMERGENCE Emergence is the creation of order, the formation of new properties and structures in complex systems. When emergence happens, something new and unexpected arises, with aspects that cannot be predicted even from knowing everything about the parts of the system. Emergence is studied in every field, from physics to philosophy. Physicists study emergent properties of molecules and forces, biologists study emergent behaviors of animal groups, sociologists study emergent structures in society, entrepreneurship scholars study the emergence of organizations. Emergence is one of the most ubiquitous processes in the world and yet one of the least understood. Three examples shed light on some of the key issues in emergence. The first example is seemingly simple: the V-shape that is made by a flock of flying birds. The shape is emergent: it is not caused by any one bird’s behavior, nor is there a leader in a flock. Instead, each bird individually is following simple rules that maximize its own efficiency in the group: (a) fly close together but avoid contact; (b) if you get too close, then separate; and (c) fly in the overall direction of the group. These rules, which guide the local actions of each individual bird, also lead to an emergent structure—the V that we see in the sky—which increases the efficiency of all the birds in the group. 1 The V is emergent because it is not caused by any one bird but by all the birds interacting together; the V is made up of all the birds but “transcends” them as well. In addition, the synergestic benefits allow the system much greater adaptability.