Maurice Yolles

Viable Boundary Critique

Issue-based problem situations can often be seen as conflicts that must be managed or resolved. Boundary critique theory, developed by Midgley as part of critical systems thinking, can be used to model conflicts. However, its utility can be enhanced when it is linked to the cybernetic theory of viable systems, therefore creating viable boundary critique analysis. Boundary critique can provide an ethical analysis that can explore the meanings and processes associated with conflicts. Viable boundary critique enables differentiable social pluralities to be better explored and provides a broader space for the consideration of political and ideological attributes of conflict that develop beyond Midgleys ethical analysis. It also provides for a new way of defining and measuring power. A number of the characteristics of boundary critique analysis are considered in the context of a case study relating to the recent Liverpool dock strike.

A Configuration Model of Organizational Culture

The article proposes a configuration model of organizational culture, which explores dynamic relationships between organizational culture, strategy, structure, and operations of an organization (internal environment) and maps interactions with the external environment (task and legitimization environment). A major feature of the configuration model constitutes its well-defined processes, which connect the elements of the model systematically to each other, such as single- and double-loop learning, operationalization of strategies, legitimization management, and so on. The model is grounded in a large review of literature in different research areas and builds on widely recognized models in the field of organization and culture theory. It constitutes a response to the call for new models, which are able to explain and facilitate the exploration of the empirical complexity that organizations face today. The configuration model of organizational culture is of particular interest to scholars who investigate into cultural phenomena and change over time.

International Joint Ventures, HRM and Viable Knowledge Migration

International joint ventures (IJVs) are an increasingly popular form of voluntary co-operation between organizations of different sizes, sectors and geographical locations to satisfy strategic purposes and manage increasingly complex business environments. However, international joint ventures may fail, and HRM plays an important role in their success or failure. From a systems perspective, IJVs offer several kinds of complexity which may contribute to the generation of con? ict and failure. The paper proposes that we explore the role of HRM in IJVs through viable systems theory, especially in relation to knowledge migration and organizational learning. The theory presented distinguishes between the cognitive, organizing and behavioural domains of the IJV as a system in the analysis of the relationship between types of worldview and behaviour in IJVs. It proposes a model of viable knowledge development in IJVs and its relationship to HRM, involving knowledge migration, appreciation and action, leading to organizational learning, and identi? es directions for future research.

Organisations, Complexity, and Viable Knowledge Management

Organisations experience complex situations that affect their ability to survive in the longer term. Complex situations are full of uncertainty and lack of knowledge and clarity. It is through the manifestation of information and the creation of knowledge that complexity can be addressed, thus affording organisations the possibility of greater viability. Information is manifested through structured methods of inquiry, and in the systems domain there has been a great deal of exploration into methods that create information. However, methodological exploration into the creation of knowledge is less well developed. One knowledge creation cycle by Nonaka and Takeuchi operates a constructivist process through a positivist structure. A different critical approach for knowledge creation comes from viable systems that are not susceptible to this schizophrenia.

A social psychological basis of corruption and sociopathology

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the social psychological basis of pathologies, from which result neuroses and behaviours like corruption and sociopathic behaviour. It takes the perspective that social collectives have normative minds and can be explored in terms of their social psychological processes.Design/methodology/approach – Knowledge cybernetics will be used to show how pathologies can develop from the interconnection between such noumenal attributes as ideology and ethics.Findings – Social entities have similar psychological pathologies to individual ones. Piagets notions of how the mind operates can be applied to corporate personality, and their inability to create and coordinate different perspectives can be seen as an organisational pathology.Research limitations/implications – The paper is a theoretical construct that explores corruption and sociopathology at a deep conceptual level. It requires elaboration through case examples to provide pragmatic meaning.Practical implica...

International HRD Alliances in Viable Knowledge Migration and Development: The Czech Academic Link Project

International HRD alliances (IHRDAs) are increasingly popular forms of voluntary co-operation between organizations of different sizes, sectors and international locations to satisfy HRD purposes in increasingly complex business environments. However, IHRDAs may fail, often associated with cultural differences and differences in management, training and learning styles. The paper proposes that we explore IHRDAs through viable systems within a critical theory perspective, especially focusing on knowledge development in IHRDAs, explored through the cognitive interests, cognitive purposes and knowledge migrations involved. The framework is applied to the analysis of one particular IHRDA, the Czech Academic Link Project (CZALP), involving UK and Czech partners in the university sector.

Migrating Personality Theories Part 2: Towards a Theory of the Balanced Personality?

Some personality schemas are seen to compete with others, but might they are really be complimentary? Two trait approaches, MBTI and Mindscape theory, are normally considered to be competitive, and we shall show that their migrated forms into knowledge cybernetics can illustrate complementarity. This paper was the Highly Commended Award Winner at the Literati Network Awards for Excellence 2010.

Organisations as emergent normative personalities: part 1, the concepts

Purpose – Modelling the organization to enable purposeful analysis and diagnosis of its ills is often problematic. This is illustrated by the unconnected non-synergistic plurality of organizational models each of which relates to a particular isolated frame of thought and purpose. A cybernetic approach is adopted to create a generic psychosocial model for the organization that is used to characterize its emergent normative personality. Organizations are often complex, and seeing them in terms of their normative personality can reduce the complexity and enable a better understanding of their pathologies. This paper seeks to do two things. The first is to show that it is possible to set up a generic model of the organization as an agency, and the second is to show that this same model can also be represented in the alternative terms of the emergent normative personality. In order to do this, an understanding of what it is that constitutes generic criteria is required. In addition, the paper shall show that organizational and personality theories can be connected generically. One of the consequences of the theory is that the patterns of behavior which occur in an agency have underlying trait control processes.Design/methodology/approach – A meta-systemic view of the organization is adopted through knowledge cybernetics that enables more flexibility and formality when viewing organizational models. The paper develops a formal generic model of the organization that should facilitate the exploration of problem situations both theoretically and empirically.Findings – The outcome of the research formulates the cognitive processes of normative personality as a feasible way of explaining organizations and provide a capacity to analyse and predict the likelihood of their behavioral conduct and misconduct. As an agency trait model, agency explains the socio-cognitive aspects of self-organization and the efficacy of connections between the traits. These traits control the personality, and inter-trait connections are Piagetian intelligences that orient the traits and work through forms of first- and second-order autopoiesis. The development of a typology of pathologies is also suggested as feasible.Originality/value – There are previous metaphorical notions that link agency with traits. Here, metaphor is extended to produce a formal model for the emergent normative personality. This is the first time that socio-cognitive and trait approaches are formally linked, as it is the fist time that a typology for organizational pathologies is proposed.

Implications for Beer's Ontological System/Metasystem Dichotomy

Stafford Beer developed managerial cybernetics, but there were many facets of his work. Most of his work concerned epistemology, and little concerned ontology. Not all of the aspects or implications of his work has been fully recognised, and an attempt shall be made to explore one of these. In particular, this paper explores his paradigm by considering some of the epistemologically and ontological angles. Some of the implications for Beers work will also be shown to have led to the creation of a virtual paradigm capable of exploring his achievements “externally”, after Godel.

THE THEORY OF VIABLE JOINT VENTURES

In countries like China and Russia, which are developing a new market economy, joint ventures are being created with western organizations. These form situations that involve complexity and chaos, and they, therefore, sometimes work well, and sometimes not. In management systems, methodologies exist that are able to reduce complexity. They are thus able to facilitate strategies of intervention that can remedy failure in complex situations. Curiously, there is a theoretical problem in management systems about the ability to mix methods that is joint venture parallel. Resolving this can shed light on how joint venture processes are understood.