Impact Trust • Working glossary
Emergence / emergent properties
When interactions between parts of a system create properties that none of the parts have on their own.
Details
Our Take
Central to complexity thinking. Collective resilience is not the sum of individual resilience - it emerges from context, relationships, and organisational culture. The creative capacity that arises from improvisation cannot be designed in advance. The word is used loosely enough now to feel accessible, but the technical meaning is more specific.
Examples of Use
Complex systems science
Synonyms/Variants
Emergent behaviour; System-level properties; More than the sum of its parts
Typical everyday wording
The whole being more than the sum of its parts
Contribute to this term
Share edits, alternative wording, or sources. Editors review submissions before publishing.
Thanks for contributing!
Your submission is pending review. You can track status on the Contributions page.
What's your take?
Share your perspective or experience with this term. This is feedback, not a direct term edit.
Feedback submitted
Thanks for sharing your take. You can track it from the Contributions page under My Feedback.