In essence, managers look for new order for structure, processes and behaviour as a response to problems. Whilst this might be coincident with achieving ‘excellence’, it represents a profound rejection of the notion of achieving equilibrium. To use the vernacular, equilibrium is not a space that an organisation can or will ever occupy. The three themes for this week describe, first, what is the nature of the organisation that leaves it amenable to CAS methods of management; second, what complexity concepts are relevant in understanding complex organisational problems; and third, what place action research (AR) has in solving these complex problems.

Given this week’s required readings and your further research, complete a 825-1,000 word Literature Synthesis

• Critically evaluates key arguments from both a scholarly and a practitioner-oriented point of view;
• Critiques underlying assumptions evident in the articles and identifies any new insights for practice and scholarship;
• Extends the thinking and application of your review with additional resources and experiential analyses.

Your Literature Synthesis will be brought to the Learning Set for further consideration to inform the problematising of the workplace-based problem you have chosen for this module’s CAL Project.