Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
attempt to predict more general trends—which he called
emergent land-
scapes
—in order to position the irm in the general vicinity of an emergent
trend and then structure the organization in a way to permit rapid strate-
gic adjustment as trends became clearer.
7
Although the application of this
notion can be fraught with diiculties in competitive, technological mar-
kets, it is conceptually not much diferent than the practice of sending out
armed scouting parties to identify favorable settlement sites during the
Western conquest of the Americas. When a favorable site was discovered,
some armed members of the scouting party would remain and defend the
site while others were dispatched to beckon the main body of settlers.
3.3 COMPLEX ADAPTIVE MARKET THEORY IN WIND POWER
MARKET ANALYSIS
Intuitively, the notion of predicting and responding to emergent landscapes
is logical when developing strategy in complex adaptive markets. After all,
if one cannot accurately predict actual developments due to complexity, the
next best thing is to try to position one's irm in the vicinity of emergent
trends and structure the irm in a way to ensure that the organization can
respond to emergent trends in a competitively expedient manner. But does
the notion of emergent landscapes have relevance for policy analysis? As the
case studies included in this topic will demonstrate, the answer is assuredly
yes.
In nations with successful track records in facilitating wind power dif-
fusion, policies and initiatives have difered. However, there have been
two common threads connecting successful wind power development
programs—a political will to signal progressive commitment to support
capacity development, and comparative political-bureaucratic prowess in
monitoring market development and adjusting policy to respond to emer-
gent market challenges. Using the language of complexity theory, the politi-
cal will to progressively support capacity development is akin to the strategic
decision a irm makes to compete in speciic market niches—this is the act
of deining the boundaries of the landscape within which activities will take
place. Political-bureaucratic prowess in monitoring market development
and adjusting policy to meet emergent needs is akin to the structural and
systematic changes that a irm makes in order for it to respond expediently
to emergent market developments. In short, conceptualizing complex mar-
kets from a complexity theory lens has as much relevance to policymaking
as it does to strategic management.
