Mike Jay wrote:
> On Friday, August 08, 1997 7:59 PM, Richard C. Holloway wrote:
>
> > I look at pattern, structure and process as the organizational
> > triumvirate, and their interdependence on one another are probably a
> > fundamental source of life's robustness and the cause for organizations
> > always being true to themselves despite our best efforts to make them true
> > to fancy words in vision and mission statements.
>
> Doc,
>
--snip---
> What I'm trying to add is that structure is "at times" user-assimilated
> through their own identity as a composite of that being compared to
> organizational identity. The complex interrelationship and the
> interdevelopmental nature of these constructs must be entered into the
> equation as we deal with structure as some what of an ethereal force which
> governs behavior and attribution.
I'm still struggling with my own attempt to synthesize the "key criteria
for living systems" to organizational systems. To better express these
ideas, and not knowing how many have had the chance to study the reference
(Capra's "Web of Life"), I'm providing the following summary (a mix of
paraphrase and quotes) directly from the reference:
PATTERN----The pattern of life, or autopoiesis: a self-making network
pattern in which the function of each component is to participate in the
production or transformation of other components in the network. The
network is organizationally closed, though it is open to the flow of
energy and matter. Its order and behavior are not imposed but established
by the system itself. It is autonomous, while interactive with its
environment through a continual exchange of energy and matter. Their
continual self-making includes the ability to form new structures or
patterns of behavior. The network is a set of relations among processes
of production of components. They must continuously regenerate themselves
to maintain their organization.----
STRUCTURE----Dissipative structure-the structure of living systems: a
system that is structurally open but organizationally closed. Matter
continuously flows through it, but the system maintains a stable form, and
does so through self-organization. The structure's stability relies on
the catalytic loops in the system's autopoietic network that act as
self-balancing feedback loops. These catalytic cycles may also act as
self-amplifying feedback loops, which may push the system away from
equilibrium until it reaches a threshold of stability. Beyond this
threshold is the bifurcation point-a point of instability at which new
forms of order may emerge spontaneously, resulting in development and
evolution. A living dissipative structure needs a continual flow of air,
water and food from the environment through the system in order to stay
alive and maintain its order. The network of processes keeps the system
far from equilibrium and through the feedback loops gives rise to
bifurcations, and thus to development and evolution.-----
PROCESS----Cognition-the process of life: the organizing activity of a
living organism is mental activity. The interactions of a living organism
with its environment are cognitive, or mental, interactions. Life and
cognition are inseparably connected. Mind is the essence of being alive.
Cognition includes perception, emotion, action, thinking, language,
conceptual thinking and (parenthetically) all the other attributes of
human consciousness. The entire dissipative structure participates in the
cognition process. The soul, or spirit, is the breath of life. Cognition
is a continual bringing forth of a world through the process of living.
To live is to know. Cognition (the life process) consists of all
activities involved in the continual embodiment of the system's
(autopoietic) pattern of organization in a physical (dissipative)
structure.----
I believe that understanding pattern, structure and process in this
context, and with regards to organizations, is imperative to effective
diagnosis, treatment and healing and coping with the evolutionary traits
exhibited by this model and our experience. The mental models frequently
presented by those posting to this list demonstrate the incongruity of old
and new symbols, jargon and images. Despite the seeming incongruous
dialog, though, the common theme occurs. We continue to discuss those
patterns of relationships--the networking--and the cognitive activities
that continually embody that pattern in the dissipative structure of the
organization.
To conclude, it is this abstraction that continues to capture my
imagination--and despite my frequent grounding in the here and now, I
intuitively perceive that wrestling with this Capra model, as a new model
for human-created organizations, is a worth-while effort.
thanks for your comments, Mike--
regards,
Doc
-- Richard C. "Doc" Holloway Thresholds--Human Development and Networking for Learning Organizations Visit the bookstore at <http://www.thresholds.com/> <mailto:learnshops@thresholds.com>"To create a little flower is the labour of ages." William Blake
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>