SVIBOR - Project code: 5-05-143

MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

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Project code: 5-05-143


AUTOPOIETIC ORGANIZATION VERSUS CHAOS


Main researcher: LAUC, ANTE (25463)


Assistants
Type of research: basic
Duration from: 01/01/91. to 12/31/93.
Papers on project (total): 78
Papers on project quoted in Current Contents: 6
Institution name: Ekonomski fakultet, Osijek (10)
Department/Institute: Economic faculty
Address: Gajev trg 7
City: 31000 - Osijek, Croatia
Communication
Phone: 385 (0)31 24644
Summary: Parsons and other sociologists failed to realize that system produces and reproduces itself. With autopoietic interpretation we are more capable for understanding the society. The constant self-continuation requires sufficiently simplified connections, compatibility and coordination. According to the definition given by Zeleny, an autopoietic organization is generated through interaction of their own products. Atopological boundary emerges as a result of the same constitutive processes. Owing to the property of informational iteration and recurrence, we are effective in learning and reaching the optimal behavior, when differences between expected and observed information can be pleasant (harmonic) or unpleasant. Recognizing the deviations (expected/observed phenomena in the exchange of positive, negative and neutral signals) is the basisof a complex learning. Selection of thinking and behavioralpatterns produce the fight or flight, the happiness or sadness. The reality consists of a multitude of circular processes. The more the system gains in operational closure, the more it gains in openness towards the human needs, social facts,economical and political demands. A communication system is an autopoietic system that (re)produces everything that functions as a unity for the system through the system itself. An autopoietic system constitutes the elements of which it consists through the elements of which it consists. The core of AUTOPOIETIC theory is the control loop, the kind of a closed negative feedback system. A loss of control caused by the frustration induces negative emotions, while satisfaction ofneeds (Maslow) brings positive emotions (Plutchik EPI). The knowledge is the becoming of the "ultimate substitute," replacing the more traditional forms of power (violence, wealth, energy). The basic question is to DEVELOP the individual, teamand population capability, or to stay incapable, to be or not to be free. Eastern Europe is a spiritual graveyard in this sense. What is the key concept? The concept is the communication as the self-referential, self-organizing, autopoietical entity, wherethe process of emergence of meaning is attributable to utterances, information, and understanding. Autopoiesis concerns production processes. In moving to thesocial autopoiesis, it is vital to be clear about WHAT and HOW toproduce. The next step is to integrate the work: customers, orders, plans, products and exchange of materials, information and money. The whole process is in bifurcation point, going either towards chaos or towards the autopoiesis, with zero defect and JIT productionand people-oriented systems. The ECONOMIC system is also autopoietic because it ties all operations to payments and is closed in monetary terms. Payments serve to the purpose of making other payments possible. The LEGAL system is encoded through the binary schematism of legal/illegal. Development can be realized with attaining closure and openness at the same time. Indeterminacy means (reveals) incomplete differentiation. In self-referential system, we have the selection of structure by the structure of the selection. Law can control the outcome of conflict. Improvements can be made on the basis of interdisciplinary theoretical developments. ART, as the most developed autopoietical system, is esthetic informing in feeling, thinking, fantasizing with differentelements (words, colors, voices, gesture, etc.). LaRouche's theory of combining music (return to Verdi's A of 432 Hz) and physical economy (Schiller Institute, Germany) is the real chance for each person as imago vivo Dei and for the Renaissance of the whole mankind. Without understanding of autopoiesis, the developmentwill be more expensive, longer and of the lower quality. In conclusion, those who prove capable of managing and using knowledge effectively with autopoietic approach, will lead the firms and nations of the world of the 21st century.

Keywords: autopoiesis, self-organization, efficiency, humanness, human development, organizational development, economic development, cultural development, total quality management, permanent balance sheet

Research goals: On the theoretical level, the main point is to develop the theory of autopoietical organization, because the present level of the theoretical thoughts does not fit to the requests of time. Our society (if we learn from the history) finished with capitalism (until 1941), nationalism (1941-1945), and socialism (1945-1990). We should have in our collective memory the good and the bad sides of each of these phases. With the background consisting of the lots of mistakes, there is a chance for Luhmann's renegation looking for postmodern community (defined as postcapitalism, postnationalism, and postsocialism) through economical effectiveness and political democracy. It means that everything that satisfies Pusi's filters (good, truth, beauty) has to be preserved, while opposite has to be eliminated. When scientific, economic and political verification will be positive (B types will then be stronger then C types), when scientists, business people and politicians recognize the autopoiesis as a solution to overcome the chaos, we will have a chance to open the new task the application of the theory. The effect will be in the better quality of life (having, loving, being), inspite of the enthropy that is created by the environment. The results will be realised only if we develop the motivation, knowledge, and cooperation (x1-x3), actually with bigger investments in the human factor. Only with the greater investments in the people there is a possibility for real effects from investments in physical capital (x4), because the rate of return in physical capital is much smaller, especially if we ignore, as it is done now, the investement in human capital. We are starting from the "bottom-up and top-down integration" principle through the operative closure (Maturana and Zeleny). With the self-regulation from the individual level to the organizational level including firm, smaller and large economic and political community, there is an enormous chance for autopoiesis. The key is to recycle the mistakes (we have a great "humus" for doing that) with the defined criteria (good, truth, beauty) through self-education and self- organization. The result will be the developed self-referent systems resistant to the chaos produced by the environment. If the people capable of developing and wider organizational units recognized themselves (category A i B in our model), self-organize themselves much better and isolate the C-typed people and organization, the quality and speed of the development will be satisfying.

COOPERATION - PROJECTS


  1. Name of project: Autopoiesis
    Name of institution: Fordham University, Lincoln Center
    City: New York, USA

  2. Name of project: Morfogeneza i autopoiesis
    Name of institution: Stane Saksida
    City: Ljubljana, Slovenija

  3. Name of project: 5-02-149 Teorijske i institucionalne pretpostavke poduzetničke ekonomije
    Name of institution: Ekonomski fakultet
    City: 31000 - Osijek, Croatia

  4. Name of project: 5-02-146 Transparentnost tržišta - uvjet regionalnog razvoja
    Name of institution: Ekonomski fakultet
    City: 31000 - Osijek, Croatia

  5. Name of project: Dizajniranje organizacije u tržišnim uvjetima privredjivanja
    Name of institution: Ekonomski fakultet
    City: 21000 - Split, Croatia

COOPERATION - INSTITUTIONS


  1. Name of institution: BRATSTVO, tvornica strojeva za obradu drveta
    Type of institution: State institute
    City: 10000 - Zagreb, Croatia

  2. Name of institution: Zavod za prostorno planiranje
    Type of institution: Non-profit
    City: 31000 - Osijek, Croatia

  3. Name of institution: Zaklada za duhovnu obnovu "Hrvatski križ"
    Type of institution: Other
    City: 31000 - Osijek, Croatia

  4. Name of institution: PP LIVANA
    Type of institution: State institute
    City: 54000 - DARDA, HRVATSKA

  5. Name of institution: Schiller-Institut
    Type of institution: State administration
    City: Munchen, Njemacka

  6. Name of institution: Fordham University, Lincoln Center
    Type of institution: Economical/Production
    City: New York, USA

  7. Name of institution: GLOSAS
    Type of institution: University/Faculty
    City: New York, USA

  8. Name of institution: GAIA UNLIMITED
    Type of institution: State administration
    City: Cincinnati, USA

  9. Name of institution: SPIN d.o.o. informatički inžinjering
    Type of institution: State institute
    City: 31000 - Osijek, Croatia

  10. Name of institution: HPT Zagreb, HPT Osijek - telekomunikacije
    Type of institution: Non-profit
    City: 10000 - Zagreb, Croatia
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