"What happens is that the complexity of the surroundings may
intimidate the self-organising system into a state of apathy. "
I completely agree, having much experience in the manufacturing
industry especially with complex, highly configurable systems. I would
like to substitute 'chaos' for 'apathy' as I think that the two are
mutually derivative in the metaphysical sense. I think that this could
go a long way towards understanding the level of complexity that is
practical in avoiding the entropic state of apathy and the ensuing
chaos (resultant lack of quality).
Finding the level of complexity that is practical in the manufacturing
process is a delicate balancing act. Make a product too difficult to
produce and you may actually decrease the level of quality. The trick
is to understand the system well enough to know what to test, what may
be redundant, and what can be considered acceptable by implication.