Organisations & Teams as Islands of Coherence in Dissipative Structures
In the world of organisations and teams, we often imagine order arises from design, authority, or top-down strategy. Yet a richer lens lies in the domain of systems thinking and non-equilibrium dynamics: that of dissipative structures. In the work of Ilya Prigogine, we find a compelling metaphor for how organisations under stress, turbulence, or rapid change can become islands of coherence — pockets of alignment, renewal and purpose — which ripple out to shift the wider whole.
Who was Ilya Prigogine?
Ilya Prigogine (1917-2003) was a Belgian physical chemist, awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1977 for his contributions to non-equilibrium thermodynamics and the theory of dissipative structures. His key insight: systems far from equilibrium can spontaneously form new ordered structures, rather than coasting toward disorder.
The phrase “islands of coherence”
The metaphor of “islands of coherence in a sea of chaos” is widely attributed to Prigogine — for example a recent piece notes:
“When a complex system is far from equilibrium, small islands of coherence in a sea of chaos have the capacity to shift the entire system to a higher order.” However, while this precise wording lacks a confirmed original source in his published texts, the idea aligns well with his framework: that non-equilibrium, open systems can generate self-organising structures (dissipative structures) through fluctuations and energy flows. So in our organisational language it is best treated as metaphorically inspired by his work — powerful to use, yet not a direct quote from his scientific writing.
Why this matters for organisations and teams
Consider an organisation under rapid change: disruptive markets, digital transformation, hybrid work patterns, talent fluidity, competing priorities. Such a system resembles a dissipative system — i.e., an open system exchanging energy/matter with its environment, operating far from equilibrium. In this state, the default is either collapse into chaos or rigid lock-step behaviour (stasis). Prigogine’s insight: under the right conditions, fluctuations (instabilities) can lead to new forms of order — coherence emerges through self-organisation.
Here’s the translation into organisational terms:
System far from equilibrium → A team or organisation under turbulence, high change, ambiguity.
Sea of chaos → The broader environment: market shifts, internal silos, conflicting metrics, cultural fragmentation.
Small islands of coherence → Small teams, units or leadership nodes where alignment on purpose, values, practices already exists; where clarity, psychological safety, and generative action are present.
Capacity to shift the entire system → These islands, by virtue of their momentum, coherence and connection, act as leverage points: they serve as prototypes, attractors, models for the wider system and can catalyse larger transformation.
Practical implications for transformation
Locate islands of coherence: Identify pockets in your organisation where alignment is strong: a team with unusually high trust and speed, a leader whose practice models presence and collective clarity, a unit whose way of working feels generative rather than reactive. These do not have to be large; often the most impactful nodes are small and agile.
Support and amplify them: Provide resources, visibility, and connectivity to these pockets. Encourage them to document practices, share stories of alignment and generative action. Connect them with other parts of the system so the coherence begins to transmit.
Link islands into a network: Avoid leaving them as isolated “best-practice silos”. Link them via cross-team dialogue, shared visions, peer learning circles. The more interconnection, the more the “field” of coherence grows — the system begins to reorganise around coherence rather than fragmentation.
Use the metaphor in narrative and culture: Frame transformation work in terms of “cultivating islands of coherence” rather than “fixing broken teams”. This language shifts attention: from deficit, to generative; from problem-solving, to possibility-creation.
Mind the limits and tensions: While these islands are powerful, they cannot compensate entirely for environmental turbulence or conflicting system-wide incentives. If the surrounding chaos is unaddressed (e.g., misaligned metrics, toxic culture, unsupported change), coherence may be pulled back or the islands may burn out. Also, treat the metaphor with rigour: Prigogine’s work was about physical systems and non-equilibrium thermodynamics; the analogy into human systems is rich but indirect. Be clear about the analogy, not the equivalence.
Leadership practices to enable islands of coherence
Activate sensing capability: Leaders cultivate listening modes that detect where coherence is forming — not just where things are broken.
Design open flow of energy: In dissipative structures, order emerges through flows of energy (input + dissipation). In organisational terms, this means enabling transparency, feedback loops, boundary spanning, allowing innovation to emerge rather than suppressing fluctuation.
Support safe instability: Some instability (fluctuation) is required for new forms of order. Rather than aiming for rigid stability, allow safe spaces for experimentation, failure, iteration.
Cultivate relational connectivity: Coherent islands thrive when connected to ecosystem — with peers, other teams, external partners. Leaders foster relational, not just hierarchical, connectivity.
Narrate the system: Use the island metaphor to shift culture: speak of coherence, emergence, connectivity. Through narrative, the field of organisational awareness changes.
In Closing
Ilya Prigogine’s discovery that order can emerge in systems far from equilibrium offers profound insight for organisational transformation. When we translate his idea into the language of teams and culture, the notion of “islands of coherence” becomes a strategic beacon. It invites us to shift focus from fixing broken parts to cultivating living pockets of aligned energy, purpose and connection — and then connecting those pockets to seed systemic change.
In a world of rapid change and complexity, organisations that become islands of coherence will not only survive — they will become attractors of the future. Because the future will not simply be predicted; it will be co-created by those who are already embodying the coherence they wish to see.
