Creativity at the edge of chaos

A widely discussed notion in the field of non-linear theory is that of the Edge of Chaos where systems, and in particular organisations, are presumed to be at their most creative. This paper presents evidence from a simulation model of a kanban system which indicates that the system performed better as it became less predictable and stable. The results from spectral analysis indicate that the system moves towards a chaotic regime under certain input conditions while at the same time improving performance on one of the key performance measures of a kanban system. While not being able to establish that the system is at the edge of chaos, nor indeed being able to establish where a the edge of chaos actually is, this paper is able to suggest that movement towards a chaotic regime is accompanied by improvement performance.