Coordination of complex systems: the case of public policy meta-organisations

This study employs complexity theory to elucidate coordination within public policy meta-organisations and explains how changes in the context of a meta-organisation affect the complexity of coordination. We offer an analytical framework linking relational and structural attributes of complex systems: self-organisation, multiple systems and interdependence, coevolution, and nonlinearity with three types of coordination: vertical, horizontal, and hybrid. Based on a comparative study of two case meta-organisations, the Intermunicipal Political Council and World Trade Organisation, the findings suggest that one attribute of a complex system cannot determine the method of coordination, and only their combination provides a comprehensive understanding of coordination in meta-organisations. Furthermore, the results highlight the pivotal role of the context of meta-organisations in determining a coordination method. This study establishes a theoretical partnership between meta-organisation and complex systems, thereby reducing the abstractness of complexity theory in public administration and management studies. Additionally, its contribution includes a comparative case study, addressing a gap in the meta-organisation literature mainly focused on single-case studies. Future research should consider other attributes of complex systems and evaluate the proposed analytical framework in other contexts, including the national public policy meta-organisations.