Coherence

Paradoxically, coherence is both simple and extremely complex. Conceptually, it is a stable, dynamic pattern of variability within a complex system. It is this stable, dynamic pattern of variability that then facilitates healthy, functional change and evolution within that system. Coherence is therefore an integral part of sustaining a great corporate reputation because the state of coherence, in business and in biology, influences great leadership. This entry explains the characteristics of a coherent system and how coherence allows an organization to thrive.

Although we live in a rapidly changing world, we never really stop to consider the deep nature of the changes. As a result, we can easily feel threatened and scared of change and will often actively resist it. Yet change is actually a sign of health in all complex systems, whether we are talking about the human body, society, business, or government. Systems that are static and never change, that demonstrate no variability or dynamism, are either dead or dying.

There are two aspects of variability that are critical to the optimum functioning of the system, namely (1) the amount of variability and (2) the pattern of that variability. When a system exhibits a consistent pattern of stable variability, it is a vibrant, healthy, living system. Lack of variability indicates a lack of health, brittleness, rigidity, and an inability to adapt to changing conditions.

To help put this idea in context, consider the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. When it was designed, the architects needed to create a design with Burj Khalifa the right amount of variability so that the building, which as of early 2015 was the tallest in the world, would bend in the wind. Too much variability or flexibility would make it unstable, and the people inside the building would feel seasick. Not enough variability, or adaptability, and the building would be rigid, making it vulnerable to high winds or a major sandstorm.

This dynamic can also be seen in business. Not enough variability or adaptability and the business is vulnerable. If a leader refuses to budge from an evidently failing strategy, the business will eventually fail. This was witnessed in the music industry when record companies focused their attention on suing illegal music downloading web sites rather than adapting their business model to embrace what their customers wanted. Conversely, too much variability (or chaos) can also make a business unstable; it becomes too changeable, jumping from one new idea or strategy to the next. Struggling businesses with their backs against the wall will often become overtly flexible—diversifying into new untested markets or new untested products or services in a desperate bid to find a solution to falling revenue or diminishing market share. This rarely works. It is something that Apple’s cofounder and CEO, Steve Jobs, clearly understood and wanted to avoid, as he ensured that Apple remained focused rather than flexible; in 1998, Jobs reduced Apple’s number of products from 350 to 10.

The same dynamic also exists in biology. If we study the heart, we can start to understand how coherence can transform performance in a complex system. Let’s start with a single heartbeat (see Figure 1). Every time the main chambers of the heart contract, a QRS complex is created. The QRS complex is simply an electrical deflection recorded on an ECG machine. If we then look at a series of five heartbeats, we can see that our heart rate is never constant. It changes every single beat; the distance between every heartbeat is constantly changing (see Figure 2). This is known as heart rate variability, or HRV. The degree of change defines how much variability we have. A loss of HRV has been repeatedly shown to predict all-cause mortality or death from anything. It is also known to predict illness before any physical symptoms emerge, which means that it can also be used to quantify risk of ill health. Plus, HRV can be used to quantify aging because as we get older we lose HRV at the rate of approximately 3% per annum.

Figure 1 A Single Normal Heartbeat

Source: Wikimedia Commons/Anthony Atkielski.

Figure 2 Heart Rate Variability

If we look at the ECG and HRV trace simultaneously, we can see the effect of both the pattern of variability and the amount of variability at the same time (see Figure 3). Initially, the ECG is normal, and the corresponding HRV trace is coherent. This means that the pattern of change or variability is stable, sinusoidal, and predictable. Such a pattern is often driven by breathing, and the ECG is said to be demonstrating respiratory sinus arrhythmia. The latter simply means that the distance between the heartbeats is varying predictably. In the second phase, the ECG is still normal, and the heart is beating properly, but the variability of the HRV is mildly chaotic and less predictable. The ECG is said to be in sinus rhythm. The heart then stops beating properly; it starts fibrillating. There are no visible beats. The amount of HRV increases to an alarming degree, and the pattern is completely chaotic. If the patient does not receive urgent defibrillation, then he or she will enter Stage 4, where there are no beats; he or she will “flatline,” and the heart will no longer generate any electrical activity. This is called “asystole” (no contractions), and death follows pretty quickly thereafter.

Figure 3 The Relationship Between Heart Rate Variability Chaos and Coherence on Heart Performance

Little or no variability, as well as excessive variability, suggests a system that is unstable and close to collapse. So a sign of health in all systems, from buildings to businesses to biology, is the right amount and the right pattern of variability.

When we are biologically coherent, we have increased possibility of becoming more emotionally coherent. Emotional coherence can increase the probability of becoming more cognitively and behaviorally coherent, and so on. Coherence, therefore, not only allows us to consciously access and deliver our highest capability, at whatever level of development we are, but also enables us to unlock our potential across multiple lines of development. Lack of coherence means that we can be brilliant one day and mediocre the next. This inconsistency is confusing because we never quite know what causes the disparity in performance. Coherence is the missing link that allows us to consciously and consistently access those elevated levels of development and deliver optimal performance (at whatever level) so that we don’t have to rely on chance or circumstance.