# Working in Complexity

> *“No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man.”* 
>
> \- Heraclitus

This section aims to build a simple, shared mental model about complexity, but doesn’t go deep into latest insights from contributing disciplines, such as complexity science or systems theory. If you want to learn more, see the [Complexity appendix](https://mada.gitbook.io/experimentation-field-guide/appendix-complexity) with suggested reading.

## Metaphor 

![](https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/nWWc6Io54t67UEvVW2m7j_8S_n__uJFLGkc3fhBwEycFt81oUIOwz4XDOILZniiP77EQA3R-J6R4vY0OS8V03efMfryaqBcm7tcnNmmGHl8-F7Ur9Gn93FhMqhD7tY7UioPishe4)

*Working in complexity is like trying to find your way in a forest cloaked in fog. It’s hard to know precisely where you will end up if you follow a direction, and there’s no guarantee it will be where you want to go.*

*Even if you know the landscape well, you could easily trip up on a newly fallen tree, slip on a new patch of mud, or even walk off a cliff if the fog is thick enough. The landscape can change, and with enough fog we can easily get lost or take a wrong step.*

Instead of just following a direction (such as a pre-prepared plan), what is proposed is to act in the spirit and mode of wayfinding, not navigating. 

Wayfinding is a process of paying constant attention to the current and changing conditions, whilst trying to get to a preferred destination or state. 

Navigating is the activity of accurately ascertaining one's position and planning and following a route.

Practically speaking, that means we need: 

* To envision where we want to go
* Have a number of ways we can may try to get there
* Pay constant attention to weak and strong signals, to ensure we’re heading where we want to go, or to somewhere we’re happy to end up.