Complexity sees an organization as a complex system which is composed of many interconnected parts that exhibit nonlinear-dynamic behaviour. To put it very clearly: the behaviour, outcome and future of organizations are not completely predictable and controllable. Therefore it is more effective to focus on understanding its behaviour by underlying its mechanisms than on trying to fully control it.

Self-creation, or autopoiesis, expresses that an organization is autonomous and operationally closed, in the sense that every process within it directly helps maintaining the whole. Change can, therefore, only be generated from within an organization itself. Thus, change must always consist of a learning element focused on understanding the present behaviour and on the future of the behaviour desired.

The architecture behind any organization consists of two, non-separable parts which influence each other constantly: its social (like culture and human relations) and technical part (like structure and IT). Change can only be viable when it has a mutual promoting effect on both the social and the technical. Quite often one of both is neglected with limiting, even hampering, change effects.

Interference is a function of organizing: the more complex it is organized the higher the probability of interference (it causes, so to speak, its own disturbances), and the higher the sensitivity for interference (disturbances are more difficult to manage). Therefore, change must be aimed at reducing, the often self-inflicted, organizational complexity.

The parts of an organization can be harmonized, coupled in two ways: closely or loosely. It is very common to strive for more closely coupling because it establishes the sense of being in control. It is effective when the relations between the parts are stable and predictable. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. In such a situation closely coupling creates a tense organization: all coupled relations must be changed even when not all are effected by a certain change. To put it metaphorically: a breeze can easily evolve into an 'unmanageable' hurricane.

Organizations are limited by many bottlenecks, but only one limits the organization as a whole relative to its goal: its weakest link, or better yet its constraint. Finding it is the key to manage and improve an organization. Identifying the constraint, deciding how to exploit it, subordinate everything towards it, and elevating the constraint service an acting and thinking process on how to manage and improve organizations.

Four grounding sides of an organization need to be aligned, in balance with each other: SCSH which stands for the structural, cultural, (IT) systems, and human side. Control and change are often single sided approached via a technical route (the structural and/or systems side) or a social route (the cultural and/or human side). Change can, however, only be effective and viable when it is aimed at (re-)balancing all sides, otherwise uncontrollability is structurally imposed leading to a wandering organization.

C&A and V&D are all about flexibility - a highly confusing term because it consists of paradoxical states: persistence and change. Flexibility encloses controllability (C) as its operational side, and adaptability (A) as its tactical and strategic side. Both (C&A) need to be available, and thus organized in order to be in control as well as still having the ability to change towards new levels of control. Levels that are again balanced with the variety and dynamics (V&D) of the environment. This balancing is core for Archypel's timely adjustment philosophy.

Orange is the color of change, and can be dealt with other 'colors' mixed into a desired pallet of strategies and interventions. Most common is the blue-print approach, which is often used in technical related projects. Without seeing the social effects its success is limited: change has, for instance, different impacts on various stakeholders. Political (yellow) and/or human (red) strategies and interventions should be enclosed too. Change can also be a learning (green), or even a search-oriented (white) process. Depending on the SCSH balance, a change approach must be remixed.