What is Emergent Properties (Emergence)?

Emergent properties are characteristics and behaviors of a system that arise from the interaction of its parts but are not present in, or predictable from, any single part on its own. A traffic jam, a flock of birds turning in unison, and a company's culture are all emergent phenomena.

Because emergent properties cannot be engineered directly, only enabled through the design of relationships and rules that govern the parts, systems thinkers who want to encourage a positive emergent outcome, like innovation or resilience, focus on shaping the conditions and interactions in a system rather than dictating the outcome itself.