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 management 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 seventh in a series of articles applying complex systems science to the traditional management concepts of planning, organizing, directing, coordinating, and controlling. The author discusses the concept of fractals and how it can inform decision making related to collection of core hospital performance metrics.