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Dynamics and Emergence: Case Examples from Literature

Handbook of Engineering Systems Design

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Abstract

The concept of emergence has roots in systems complexity and dynamics, with prominent impact in contemporary science and in design, analysis, and governance of complex engineering systems. It is almost impossible to effectively model emergence within the dynamics of systems, due to the obscurity of its nature and imperfection of our information on its relational systemic interactions. Thus, paying attention to basic meta-questions about emergent properties of complex engineering systems is crucially important in understanding both the trajectories of evolution of systems and correspondingly the patterns of system behaviour. From this trajectorial/behavioural perspective, emergence and dynamics are considered as very close concepts: understanding the variables of one can be realised by tracing and modelling the other. This chapter reviews and summarises the topics of emergence and dynamics through their applications in six case examples. Six studies conducted by researchers around the world are selected, representing a portfolio of cases studied with multiple theoretical foundations, levels of scope, application domains of engineering systems design, phenomena of emergence, and modelling methods used that detect and identify emergence through dynamics. The case reviews provide a gateway to comprehending emergence in systems through emphasising the dynamics of interactions.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Systems and Enterprises, Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ, USA

    Mo Mansouri

  2. Department of Science and Industry Systems, University of South-Eastern Norway, Kongsberg, Norway

    Mo Mansouri

  3. Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia

    Mario Štorga

  4. Department of Business Administration, Technology and Social Sciences, Luleå University of Technology, Luleå, Sweden

    Mario Štorga

Authors
  1. Mo Mansouri
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  2. Mario Štorga
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Correspondence to Mo Mansouri .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Technology, Management and Economics, DTU- Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark

    Anja Maier

  2. Department of Technology, Management and Economics, DTU- Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark

    Josef Oehmen

  3. Philosophy Department, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Zuid-Holland, The Netherlands

    Pieter E. Vermaas

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Mansouri, M., Štorga, M. (2022). Dynamics and Emergence: Case Examples from Literature. In: Maier, A., Oehmen, J., Vermaas, P.E. (eds) Handbook of Engineering Systems Design. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-46054-9_11-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-46054-9_11-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-46054-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-46054-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference EngineeringReference Module Computer Science and Engineering

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Chapter history

  1. Latest

    Dynamics and Emergence: Case Examples from Literature
    Published:
    06 January 2023

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-46054-9_11-4

  2. Dynamics and Emergence: Case Examples from Literature
    Published:
    10 May 2022

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-46054-9_11-3

  3. Dynamics and Emergence
    Published:
    12 April 2022

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-46054-9_11-2

  4. Original

    Dynamics and Emergence: Case Examples from Literature
    Published:
    12 January 2022

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-46054-9_11-1

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