Affiliation

Cranfield University, ENG

Biography

Professor Allen is Emeritus Professor of Evolutionary Complex Systems at Cranfield University. He has a PhD in Theoretical Physics, and worked with Professor Ilya Prigogine at the Universite Libre de Bruxelles from 1970 - 1987. Since 1987 he has developed and run the Complex Systems Research Centre at Cranfield University which, following his partial retirement is now run by Professor Liz Varga. He is a reviewer for many journals and project evaluator for UK Research Councils as well as for the EU. He has been working on the mathematical modelling of change and innovation in social, economic, financial and ecological systems, and the development of integrated systems models linking the physical, ecological and socio-economic aspects of complex systems as a basis for improved decision support systems. Professor Allen has written and edited several books and published well over 200 articles in a range of fields including ecology, social science, urban and regional science, economics, systems theory, low carbon energy production and supply. He co-edited the Sage Handbook of Complexity and Management and is co-author with Jean Boulton and Cliff Bowman of Embracing Complexity which is just out from OUP.

p.m.allen{at}cranfield.ac.uk

Articles

Editorial
Volume: 20, Issue 2

Editorial
Volume: 20, Issue 1

Editorial (11.2)
Volume: 11, Issue 2

Pharmaceutical discovery as a complex system of decisions
Volume: 8, Issue 3

Evolutionary drive
Volume: 8, Issue 2

A case-study of the three largest aerospace manufacturing organizations
Volume: 8, Issue 2
Many of the most successful firms have placed a strong emphasis on strategy. Strategies help decision-makers in organizations to think through what the organization needs to achieve and how these needs may be satisfied. This case study considers what the Chief Executive Officers of the top three aerospace manufacturers say about their strategies and how these strategies are being implemented. The aerospace manufacturing industry is interesting from a number of respects: its dependence on innovation, its global nature, its relationships with government and other firms, and the different characteristics of the civil and defence markets. This aerospace manufacturing triad is also interesting because of its industry sector coverage: one is a largely defence aerospace manufacturer, the second a largely commercial aerospace manufacturer and the third, an aerospace manufacturer with a balanced portfolio. Strategies are shifting to take an holistic view of the firm as the firm is increasingly being recognized as a complex system. This holism is particularly evident in the manufacturing firms examined, as they balance innovation, strategy and organizational characteristics in an evolutionary manner. Innovation is fundamental to evolution and this case study employs a novel holistic approach to innovation portfolio assessment. A complex systems perspective is taken for organizational analysis allowing the examination of how fluctuations, resource richness, freedom, capacity to innovate, culture, technology and strategy are balanced and made synergetic. This case study reflects upon how these organizations’ strategies are reflected in their organizational forms, their investments in innovations, their performance and ultimately in their potential to evolve.

Editor's Introduction
Volume: 8, Issue 1

Editor's introduction (7.2)
Volume: 7, Issue 2

Academic and practitioner paper section
Volume: 6, Issue 1-2