Complex Adaptive Systems in Intelligence

Christiansen Sava
Andreea Cucut
Mihai Viteazul National Intelligence Academy
christiansen.sava@gmail.com
andreeasc@gmail.com
Abstract
Using complex adaptive systems in intelligence is a challenge from an organizational point of view.
Designing and adopting tools to facilitate collaboration and resource sharing between intelligence
workers within the intelligence community requires a paradigm shift from "need to know" to "need to
share". In this context technologies like wikis, blogs and social media emerge in the analysts
workspace , increasing collaboration among specialists and supporting the development of better
intelligence products.
Keywords: complex adaptive system, CAS, complexity, intelligence, collaborative, knowledge
management, wiki, blog, social media

Introduction
Compressing the response time in the cycle intelligence - decision implementation", feature of the 21st century, the society has determined the need to develop
appropriate tools for this development.
Not just us as actors in this process have to respond quickly, but also the
circumstances to which they respond develop in a fast pace, as well.1
The moment of transformation in the intelligence activity was given by Intellipedia
platform launched in the U.S. in 2006.
The project proposed the users a virtual environment built on the Wikipedia model,
within which the contributors using typical tools of Web 2.0 technologies would be able to
create content, communicate inside a network and connect elements of knowledge.
The first two years of use in the U.S. Intelligence Community have meant more than
1.5 million items processed only within the classified network.
At the same time, the number of contributors has reached 35,000 and all the pages
created in the system have exceeded 200,000.2
Beyond these statistics, the fast pace of adjusting to the new environment proves the
usefulness of digital collaboration within the intelligence community.
Intellipedia is completely transparent in terms of how its users contribute to the
content, thus facilitating retention of tacit knowledge, a difficult task without the proper tools
and without promoting an organizational culture that supports collaboration.3
1 Calvin, Andrus. "Toward a Complex Adaptive Intelligence Community: The Wiki and the

Blog". Studies in Intelligence, Vol 49, No 3, September 2005

2 ***. Intellipedia Marks Second Anniversary. Site-ul oficial CIA,

https://www.cia.gov/news-information/featured-story-archive/2008-featured-storyarchive/intellipedia-marks-second-anniversary.html, ultima oar accesat la data de 11.05.2014

3 Harris, Brian, op.cit.

Moreover, organizational culture change involves profound belief in the system,

values and cognitive processes.
An example of this is the development of a profile of the geographic space. In a
classical formula of work, such a product is made at the request of the beneficiary and it is
delivered within a reasonable timing from its request. Because of the speed with which
society is changing in this century, it is possible that upon receiving the analytical product l
part of the final article to be irrelevant.
Also, it is equally likely that this material will be useful to other beneficiaries who
have not thought to ask, relying on their own efforts for documentation. In a collaborative
system, individuals develop products according to their own needs and those elements of
knowledge evolve according to the interest of the community.
Compared to the classic request -response thing where updates are made on request,
in a collaborative and, wiki is such an example, knowledge elements will be continually
updated through community contribution.
Such a practice is effective in terms of operational cost management as using the
virtual environment for developing business intelligence eliminates the costs associated with
managing the flow on printed materials: supplies, equipment, labor, administration and
security.
Complex adaptive systems
The complex adaptive system (CAS - Complex Adaptive Systems), according to
complexity theory, describes a community that reinvents itself in a dynamic way by learning
and adaptation" in response to environmental changes.4
Systems which are subject to the complexity theory are characterized by selforganization, emergence, relationships, feedback, adaptability and non -linearity.5
Mitleton - Kelly highlights the general characteristics of CAS listing: selforganization, emergence, connectivity, interdependence, feedback, operating far from
equilibrium, possibility space exploration, co -evolution, historicity and path dependence.6
On the other hand, Levin defines the complex adaptive system by taking account of
the diversity of the components, the interaction between them, a self- process of using the
results of these interactions in order to select a subset of these components for consolidation
and replication .
The last feature of the system captures the adaptation mechanism. CAS elements can
share the same mental model, can have different mental models or can change their mental
models in relation to the interactions they carry within the system or external environment,
thus inducing the learning mechanism.7
The organization system is obtained naturally from the interactions of components, it
is not necessary to be imposed from the outside.8
On a scale of freedom to use a CAS, where the extreme is total freedom, causing
disorientation, and lack of freedom, determining stillness, personalization state corresponds
4 Lewin, Roger. Complexity: Life at the Edge of Chaos. New York, 1992.
5 Calvin, Andrus op. cit.
6 Calvin, Andrus op. cit.
7 Levin, Simon. Ecosystems and the Biosphere as Complex Adaptive Systems. 2002

to optimal modeling system according to the user preferences in a previously defined

conceptual framework.9
In other words, these systems foster individual creativity, allowing the modeling
environment to the particular work activities undertaken by it and personal preference.
CAS in intelligence
In the context of this article we will refer to intelligence as defined by Sherman Kent,
the word intelligence is not only used to refer to different types of knowledge but also the
organization that this knowledge produces, which is also used as a synonym for the work that
the organization performs " focusing attention on intelligence as an activity.10
Considering the need to develop a school of thought in the Romanian intelligence
community, we use our approach based on a definition proposed by Marian Sebe. The author
considers the intelligence as the planning, collection, processing, evaluation and analysis of
information that they are delivering value added in order to allow political and military
decisions makers to take the best decisions.11
Efficient running of this process involves the adoption of an algorithm that includes
requirements analysis, coordination of data collection while validating sources, data
processing and transforming them into information dissemination by integrating analytical
and decision makers.12

8 ***. Bazele ciberneticii, Capitolul 2. www.asecib.ase.ro/BCIB/CAPITOLUL-2.pdf, vizitat

la data de 09.05.2014
9 Truan-Matu, tefan. Sisteme adaptative i collaborative. http://andrei.clubcisco.ro/cursuri/f/fsym/5master/aac-sac/SAC.pdf vizitat la data de 09.05.2014
10 Kent, Sherman. Strategic Intelligence for American Foreign Policy, Princeton University

Press, First Edition, 1949

11 Sebe, Marian. Intelligence guvernamental si privat pentru competitivitate si securitate

naional. Bucureti, 2009

12 Sebe, Marian, op. cit.

Figure113
Dr. Calvin Andrus proposed to meet the complex changes in the environment in which
we operate with a equally complex process of change in our organizations, facilitating
learning and adaptation to change, an idea mentioned in the introduction to this article.14
Figure 1 presents the CAS, whose components generated as a result of multiple
interactions influences a behavior which is in its turn influenced by the interaction with the
external environment.
Such behavior gives off inverted signals, helping with the external environment to
influence the development of relationships within the SAC.
We have noticed that this model does not provide process organization, selforganization being one of the characteristics of a complex system.
In the context of intelligence a CAS is the platform that facilitates collaboration on the
organizational level, integrating functionality wikis, blogs and social media.
The adoption of such a system requires a paradigm shift in the government
organizations that it manages. "Need to share" should gain ground model to "need to know.
Creating a culture of collaboration enabling efficient use of CAS, with dynamic
information sharing are two important concepts for successful implementation of such
instruments.
But creating this culture requires changes on the individual level in terms of
integration into the community and a willingness to share resources and ideas.15

13 Calvin, Andrus op. cit.

14 Calvin, Andrus op. cit.
15 Harris, Brian. Intellipedia: leading a transformation in Knowledge Management within

the Intelligence Community. 2008

Social media type the integration into organizational work environment may seem, at
first glance, an odd approach at least because tools like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube are
regarded as time consuming and organizations inhibit access to t hem rather than to promote
their use among employees.
However social media using in organizations beings lots of benefits in terms of
components placement. The existence of a detailed user profile identifying areas of
interest for each individual, so in a certain moment the operational management of the
organization can easily identify human resource specialist.
validation of the content. Transparency collaborative systems, coupled with
achieving a user profile help the community to assess the value of the published
authors.
collaboration. Collaboration between individuals is achieved naturally. The teams are
not formed according to orders because in such association inefficient elements are
automatically rejected by the group.
productivity. A personal page allows users to bring in this area content relevant to
their own work time saving important information. If we take the example of an
analyst specializing in a geographical area, who spends a good part of his/her relevant
news reading several sources, we can imagine the time savings achieved if all these
news were to be pushed automatically to a personal homepage.
On the other hand, a platform for collaborative intelligence can be an opportunity for
lesser known individuals in an organization. They can use the system to voice their expertise
and increase their authority in the community.
At the same time, the organization can use system resources to open up to external
sources of knowledge and innovation.16
CIA, by the non-profit In- Q Tel Organization, has invested since 2002 in the
development of software to support organizational collaboration tools such as wikis and
blogs.
Among the CIAs investments there is also included the Team Page application
developed by Traction Software Inc. based in Boston.
Gilman Louie , President and CEO of In- Q Tel, at the time, labeled the TeamPage as
a valuable tool extremely useful for organizations in the fields of intelligence and security, in
line with the developments in science and technological innovation , societal changes and
engines and thus in the intelligence discipline.17
The evolution of science and the innovation in technology drove the the changes in
our society and as a consequence in the field of intelligence.18
A CAS model for intelligence
Developing a collaborative informatics model perfectly suited for the present times, to
support the work of intelligence must be based on the characteristics of a complex system.
Self- organization. The interior is given without any intervention.
16 Raban, Daphne. A wiki collaborative platform. SCIP, 11(1), 34-36, 2008
17 Johnson, Arik. Intelligence Blogs in the enterprise - Traction 3.0, SCIP, 2004
18 Sebe, Marian. Intelligence transformations in 21st century Intellinomics. KROSS -

FSPUB Conference, 2011

Emergence. System-level results are more important than those obtained by each
individual. The contributions of each analyst in an article resulting in a final product
with higher value.
Connectivity. All content elements of the system are related to giving background
knowledge.
Feedback. The contributors provide a strong signal, enabling optimal adjustment of
the gear.
Co-evolution. Individuals and the ecosystem in which they operate evolve together.
The concept of "ecosystem applies to both the organization and its external
environment.
Historicity. The transparency of the actions and keeping a chronological record of
them is a prerequisite to the operation of a collaborative system.
A system with these characteristics, organized so as to allow users to join a team to
achieve common goals is a collaborative platform.

Figure 2
Figure 2 shows schematically the structure of a collaborative platform adapted for an
organization focused on intelligence. User access to system resources is achieved through a
graphical interface which requires authentication with user name and password.
The basic knowledge of the system is the article/page, essentially an HTML document
indexed by the system.
The platform is organized into virtual workspaces created by the organization's
projects, which are equipped with specific tools to work:
Wiki. Users have two options for generating content or initiate page or contribute to
the pages already created by other users. In both cases they use a text editor integrated
in the platform and the pages created will receive a unique name in the system. Using
this name we may refer later (hyperlink), building the complex web structures.
Blog . The pages can be displayed chronologically according to the structure of a
blog,while allowing interaction through comments. When publishing a material, the
author has the possibility to assign the documents a set of keywords/tags that help
characterize text and to facilitate subsequent retrieval.

Social Media. Each user is able to create a homepage that publishes relevant personal
information in the context of the professional community. Also individuals can this
private space to capture a flow of information useful in the work they perform.
Knowledge Warehouse. All elements generated in the platform will be stored in a
single information silo structured by keywords suggested by users and software
generated metadata (date, author , entities obtained through text mining and so on ) .
Users will find and will filter out the required data using a search mode integrated
platform.
The processes behind these modules are transparent to users so that they will access
the contextual tools without extra effort .
Basically when engaging a new page the user calls a function wikis and product
completion when material assign keywords using the blog specific features .
A collaborative platform built in these guidelines will be a useful tool for the
government and private organizations in which knowledge production is the main activity .
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