What does ‘emergent’ mean in context of Graves/SD?

(This article was originally posted to the Spiraldynamics FAQ)

This question has caused lots of head scratching among  scholars of chaos and complexity theories, as well as Gravesians  and serious students of Spiral Dynamics (SD). The lack of a clear  answer leads to protracted discussions and considerable  frustration. In the SD world, that's especially true for the analytical sorts who want - even demand – a single 'true  meaning' and would like to impose one on Dr. Graves post mortem.

Rather than that, we will look at how he employed the word  and its relatives. While that will not satisfy those searching for  a definitive answer, a brief discussion with some examples drawn  from his writings might better clarify the usages of the  term in a Gravesian context – at least some operational definitions for those prepared to accept a bit of semantic  relativism.