Abstract
As systems evolve over time, their natural tendency is to become increasingly more complex. Studies in the field of complex systems have generated new perspectives on managing in social organizations such as hospitals. Much of this research appears as a natural extension of the cross-disciplinary field of systems theory. This is the first article in a 5-part series on applying complex systems science to the traditional management concepts of planning, organizing, directing, coordinating, and controlling. In this article, the concept of planning is explored from a complex systems' perspective.