Sociotechnical systems are nonlinear, dynamic systems that can exhibit complex and unpredictable behavior. These systems are constantly changing to provide value to customers, gain a competitive edge in the market or simply survive. Understanding the evolution patterns of sociotechnical systems is important to anticipate their behavior, designing improvement trajectory and managing change.

In this talk, we explore evolution from real world use cases in its broadest scope, e.g., modernization, migration, adaptation, restructuring… We combine software evolution with the organization dynamics and people interactions to identify evolution patterns in sociotechnical systems. Finally, we study the impact of leadership and decision making on the success or failure of these cases.