A computer system dynamically balances a workload of a distributed computing application at runtime. A distributed computing application is monitored at runtime for the occurrence of one or more conditions, wherein the distributed computing application comprises one or more nodes that include one or more processing elements, and wherein each processing element includes one or more operators. One or more adjustments to the distributed computing application are determined. The one or more adjustments to the distributed computing application are performed at runtime. Embodiments of the present invention further include a method and program product for configuring processing elements within a distributed computing system in substantially the same manner described above.