What is Complex Adaptive System

This chapter pursues the question: how viable is sustainable development? Framed alternatively as, “is sustainable development sustainable?” this question is particularly germane in the early decades of the 21st century, as business and government leaders are challenged by a continuous stream of vexing problems, dramatically-changing strategic landscapes, and the constant need to do more with less. Never before has the need for sustainability been as critically evident as it is at this moment. And, while exemplary achievements in sustainability exist, widespread sustainability remains elusive. To assist leaders to better understand and deal sustainably with contemporary challenges, this chapter introduces the idea of Sustainable Development (SD) as an ecosystem and explains how and why it may be fruitful to conceive of SD in this way and apply ecosystem thinking to organisations and other communities.