Autopoietic organization theory: drawing on Niklas Luhmann's social system perspective

Description

In bringing together authors from different European countries and institutions, as well as from different disciplines, this anthology introduces the reader to selected areas of Luhmann's autopoiesis that have bearing on organization theory. It discusses aspects that are of particular interest to both theoretical and empirical organization theory, and in doing so it enables students of organizations to acquire better appreciation of Luhmann's thinking. 1. Introduction: Niklas Luhmann's autopoietic theory and organization studies -- a space of connections Tor Hernes and Tore Bakken 2. Communications with decisions as medium and form -- some notes on Niklas Luhmann's theory of organization Jan Inge Jönhill 3. Organization Niklas Luhmann 4. The macro-micro problem in organization theory: Luhmann's autopoiesis as a way of handling recursivity Tore Bakken and Tor Hernes 5. The emergence of autopoietic organisation Gorm Harste 6. Observing organizations: an evaluation of Luhmann's organization theory John Mingers 7. Organisational identity in Luhmann's theory of social systems David Seidl 8. Polyphonic organisations Niels Åkerstrøm Andersen 9. Management within the system Dirk Baecker 10. Luhmann and management: a critique of the management theory in Organisation und Entscheidung Ole Thyssen 11. The undecidability of decision Niels Åkerstrøm Andersen 12. The emergence of open-source software projects: how to stabilize self-organizing processes in emergent systems Michèle Momer 13. Standards for care and statutory flexibility Holger Højlund and Anders La Cour