Complex Phenomena in Orchestras – Metaphors for Leadership and Enterprise

This paper recognises that comparisons have been made between the role of the conductor of an orchestra and leaders of enterprises, but that little note has been taken of how the complex dynamics of orchestras can provide metaphors for transformational and / or evolutionary behaviour in complex enterprises. The paper intends to identify some of the dynamic musical patterns and phenomena that exist in orchestras and show how these can provide insights for other domains where similar complex federated structures emerge ’on-the-fly’ by providing and using a complexity-inspired framework.