Every manager tries to make sense of the world it inhabits (organizations, markets, public policies, etc.) using some form, often implicit, of theory.

Facing the difficulties of coping with a turbulent world, some managers resort to oversimplifications: they typical take the form of "recipes".

Complex systems science is largely based upon the use of formal models, which may be very useful in addressing different problems. Yet, models must be “handled with care” as they are not recipes for the future, but rather tools to try to imagine possible futures, and to identify their features.

In present times companies and organizations must be able to sustain a continuous innovation process, whose management is the most important activity in the company. Managers should dedicate their efforts to understand how to improve this process, without wasting too much time in enforcing the respect of fixed rules or precise procedures.

Complexity means different things to different people. In our view, it deals with the general properties of nonlinear systems.