The complexity of governance: Towards a pragmatic systems model

Advances in Corporate Governance

 
 
Field Value
 
Title The complexity of governance: Towards a pragmatic systems model
 
Creator Carey, Perrin J.G. Mahendran, Divya
 
Subject Corporate Governance; Governance governance; corporate governance; complexity; modelling; governance complexity model; systems model
Description Background: Corporate governance is evolving and shifting, becoming more outcome-focused to address a more complex and uncertain world, rooted in ethics, accountability and integrated thinking. However, governance is complex, so there needs to be an approach to governance observation that manages this paradox.Objectives: This article proposed a pragmatic and innovative model that represents and makes the complex nature of governance accessible to boards, policymakers and regulators.Method: This exploratory and developmental article followed the stages of literature review, conceptual design, model development and visualisation.Results: Corporate governance is shifting as the modern world moves towards greater uncertainty and unpredictability, and along with this, corporate failure is not abating. The science of complexity has been proposed as an approach to observe and enhance understanding of complex systems, and some authors have connected the fields of governance and complexity. A new governance model (GOVIndicia®) was conceptually designed, constructed and visualised. The model proposed three core domains represented by a Venn diagram: culture, decision-making and implementation and oversight. The model inferred functional operation in both a cyclical and interconnected action. The three domains each had three categories, and each of those three indices made 27 indices overall.Conclusion: The critical importance of governance is clear, and yet corporate failures keep occurring. Modern governance is operating in an increasingly complex environment, and governance itself is a complex system and should be modelled as such.Contribution: The complexity governance model proposed supports boards and their organisations, as well as policymakers and regulators.
 
Publisher AOSIS
 
Contributor
Date 2025-12-11
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion — Modelling
Format text/html application/epub+zip text/xml application/pdf application/pdf
Identifier 10.4102/acg.v2i1.23
 
Source Advances in Corporate Governance; Vol 2, No 1 (2025); 11 pages 3078-2252
 
Language eng
 
Relation
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:

https://goodgovernancejournal.org/index.php/acg/article/view/23/84 https://goodgovernancejournal.org/index.php/acg/article/view/23/85 https://goodgovernancejournal.org/index.php/acg/article/view/23/86 https://goodgovernancejournal.org/index.php/acg/article/view/23/88 https://goodgovernancejournal.org/index.php/acg/article/view/23/87
 
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Rights Copyright (c) 2025 Perrin J.G. Carey, Divya Mahendran https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
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