BCSSS

International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics

2nd Edition, as published by Charles François 2004 Presented by the Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science Vienna for public access.

About

The International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics was first edited and published by the system scientist Charles François in 1997. The online version that is provided here was based on the 2nd edition in 2004. It was uploaded and gifted to the center by ASC president Michael Lissack in 2019; the BCSSS purchased the rights for the re-publication of this volume in 200?. In 2018, the original editor expressed his wish to pass on the stewardship over the maintenance and further development of the encyclopedia to the Bertalanffy Center. In the future, the BCSSS seeks to further develop the encyclopedia by open collaboration within the systems sciences. Until the center has found and been able to implement an adequate technical solution for this, the static website is made accessible for the benefit of public scholarship and education.

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ORDER through FIT 1)4)

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G. BROEKSTRA describes this managerial concept as based on "… the notion of fit or internal consistency between core organizational variables" and signals that: "Thus, from the beginning the rationality of equilibium became associated (with it). It was understood that fluctuations in the form of misfits, inconsistencies, paradoxes, or contradictions, had to be dampened or suppressed. In this way, the fit paradigm became a unitary approach driving an organization towards a particular stable attractor state (configuration). However, although a tight fit may lead temporarily to excellence… paradoxically, in the long run, fit may lead to failure" (1993, p.76).

Maintaining stability at any cost may not be the correct response when some internal or external condition basic for such a "stable attractor" is not anymore guaranteed.

BROEKSTRA explains that in this case: "… a new way of thinking about organizing is called for, one that encompasses this paradox. The old fit perspective does not disappear, but is absorbed into a more comprehensive theory" (p.77).

BROEKSTRA proceeds in his paper to the elaboration of such a theory based on the chaos hypothesis of change.

Categories

  • 1) General information
  • 2) Methodology or model
  • 3) Epistemology, ontology and semantics
  • 4) Human sciences
  • 5) Discipline oriented

Publisher

Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science(2020).

To cite this page, please use the following information:

Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science (2020). Title of the entry. In Charles François (Ed.), International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics (2). Retrieved from www.systemspedia.org/[full/url]

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