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Sunday, September 6, 2009
SpringerLink - Journal Article
SpringerLink - Journal Article: "The cybernetic institution: Toward an integration of governance theories
The cybernetic institution: Toward an integration of governance theories
Journal Higher Education
Publisher Springer Netherlands
ISSN 0018-1560 (Print) 1573-174X (Online)
Issue Volume 18, Number 2 / March, 1989
DOI 10.1007/BF00139183
Pages 239-253
Subject Collection Humanities, Social Sciences and Law
SpringerLink Date Saturday, November 06, 2004
The cybernetic institution: Toward an integration of governance theories
Robert Birnbaum1, 2
(1) National Center for Postsecondary Governance and Finance, USA
(2) Teachers College, Columbia University, Columbia, USA
Abstract This paper presents a new conceptual approach to institutional governance, management, and leadership based upon a cybernetic model of organizations. The cybernetic paradigm integrates existing models by suggesting how bureaucratic, collegial, political, and anarchical subsystems function simultaneously in colleges and universities of all kinds to create self-correcting institutions. The cybernetic paradigm posits that organization control systems can be described in terms of sensing mechanisms and negative feedback loops that collectively monitor changes from acceptable leve"
The cybernetic institution: Toward an integration of governance theories
Journal Higher Education
Publisher Springer Netherlands
ISSN 0018-1560 (Print) 1573-174X (Online)
Issue Volume 18, Number 2 / March, 1989
DOI 10.1007/BF00139183
Pages 239-253
Subject Collection Humanities, Social Sciences and Law
SpringerLink Date Saturday, November 06, 2004
The cybernetic institution: Toward an integration of governance theories
Robert Birnbaum1, 2
(1) National Center for Postsecondary Governance and Finance, USA
(2) Teachers College, Columbia University, Columbia, USA
Abstract This paper presents a new conceptual approach to institutional governance, management, and leadership based upon a cybernetic model of organizations. The cybernetic paradigm integrates existing models by suggesting how bureaucratic, collegial, political, and anarchical subsystems function simultaneously in colleges and universities of all kinds to create self-correcting institutions. The cybernetic paradigm posits that organization control systems can be described in terms of sensing mechanisms and negative feedback loops that collectively monitor changes from acceptable leve"
CYBERNETICS OF SOCIETY
CYBERNETICS OF SOCIETY: "Cybernetics and governance are quintessentially teleological.
As ontology (asking, What is?) called forth epistemology (asking, How do we know what is?), so these two coevolved, over time, to call forth the teleological question — ultimately the touchstone of human striving and the greatest philosophical question of any time and all times — So what?
What should I do with my ontology and epistemology this morning? How shall we live our lives? How can humankind best balance liberty and justice, here and now? How can our emergent planetary civilization find and pursue the path of virtue? In short, how can wisdom, sophia, put Logos — knowledge of the naturally found — into best service to the culturally made, the Nomos: knowledge, wisdom, understanding, and know-how focused on ordaining and establishing 'quality' governance that will sustain Regenerative Intelligence Still Evolving (RISE)?
***
The teleological quest for 'good government' was the preoccupation of the ancient Sophists, of whom (despite Plato's protestations) Socrates was the greatest. As cybernetics is quintessentially teleological, so law must advance as a quintessentially cybernetic 'calling' — transcending science as science transcends logic."
As ontology (asking, What is?) called forth epistemology (asking, How do we know what is?), so these two coevolved, over time, to call forth the teleological question — ultimately the touchstone of human striving and the greatest philosophical question of any time and all times — So what?
What should I do with my ontology and epistemology this morning? How shall we live our lives? How can humankind best balance liberty and justice, here and now? How can our emergent planetary civilization find and pursue the path of virtue? In short, how can wisdom, sophia, put Logos — knowledge of the naturally found — into best service to the culturally made, the Nomos: knowledge, wisdom, understanding, and know-how focused on ordaining and establishing 'quality' governance that will sustain Regenerative Intelligence Still Evolving (RISE)?
***
The teleological quest for 'good government' was the preoccupation of the ancient Sophists, of whom (despite Plato's protestations) Socrates was the greatest. As cybernetics is quintessentially teleological, so law must advance as a quintessentially cybernetic 'calling' — transcending science as science transcends logic."
Steinbruner, J.D.: The Cybernetic Theory of Decision: New Dimensions of Political Analysis.
Steinbruner, J.D.: The Cybernetic Theory of Decision: New Dimensions of Political Analysis.: "In this classic work, John Steinbruner argues that the time is ripe for exploration of a new theoretical perspective on the decision-making process in government. He suggests that the cybernetic theory of decision as developed in such diverse fields as information theory, mathematical logic, and behavioral psychology generates a systematic but non-rational analysis that seems to explain quite naturally decisions that are puzzling when viewed from the rational perspective. When combined with the basic understanding of human mental operations developed in cognitive psychology, the cybernetic theory of decision presents a striking picture of how decision makers deal with the intense uncertainty and fundamental value conflicts that arise in bureaucratic politics. To illustrate the advantages of using cybernetic theory, Steinbruner analyzes the issue of sharing nuclear weapons among the NATO allies."
Synergy, Cybernetics, and the Evolution of Politics
Synergy, Cybernetics, and the Evolution of Politics: "THE EVOLUTION OF POLITICAL SYSTEMS
How does this theoretical framework relate specifically to the evolution of political systems? We begin with the perennial problem of defining politics. Charles Evans Hughes, a distinguished Chief Justice of the United States, was indiscreet enough in his pre-Supreme Court days to remark that 'The Constitution is what the judges say it is.' In like manner, or so it seems, politics is whatever political scientists, and political anthropologists, say it is. And, not surprisingly, there seem to be almost as many definitions of politics as there are theorists. The problem is that any given definition may rule in, or out, certain kinds of phenomena, or perhaps stress only one aspect of a multi-faceted class of phenomena.
Political Scientist Robert Dahl has written that a definition is in effect 'a proposed treaty governing the use of terms.' The treaty I advocate defines politics as isomorphic with social cybernetics: A political system is the cybernetic aspect, or 'sub-system' of any socially organized group or population. Politics in these terms is a social process involving efforts to create, or to acquire control over, a cybernetic sub-system, as well as the process of exercising control.
This definition is not original. The term 'cybernetics' can be traced to the Greek word kybernetes"
How does this theoretical framework relate specifically to the evolution of political systems? We begin with the perennial problem of defining politics. Charles Evans Hughes, a distinguished Chief Justice of the United States, was indiscreet enough in his pre-Supreme Court days to remark that 'The Constitution is what the judges say it is.' In like manner, or so it seems, politics is whatever political scientists, and political anthropologists, say it is. And, not surprisingly, there seem to be almost as many definitions of politics as there are theorists. The problem is that any given definition may rule in, or out, certain kinds of phenomena, or perhaps stress only one aspect of a multi-faceted class of phenomena.
Political Scientist Robert Dahl has written that a definition is in effect 'a proposed treaty governing the use of terms.' The treaty I advocate defines politics as isomorphic with social cybernetics: A political system is the cybernetic aspect, or 'sub-system' of any socially organized group or population. Politics in these terms is a social process involving efforts to create, or to acquire control over, a cybernetic sub-system, as well as the process of exercising control.
This definition is not original. The term 'cybernetics' can be traced to the Greek word kybernetes"
Puncturing Equilibrium: Radical Innovation As New Market Emergence | tvass on technology innovation
Puncturing Equilibrium: Radical Innovation As New Market Emergence | tvass on technology innovation: "Market selection in innovation economics is not neutral either, as Kimura suggests it is for genetic selection. Neutral selection works as a metaphor for equilibrium economics, not innovation. A new product in sustaining innovation that actually gets selected by consumers, however, is influenced by the genetic pattern of interaction in the technological procreation of the product.
As Kimura points out, in genetics “proximity,” not size, is what matters. In this case, close counts. “Probably, what determines the pattern of interaction between amino acids in evolution, says Kimura, “is their physical proximity or direct contact within the folded protein.”
Proximity matters both for small adaptive changes, which consumers select, and for the closeness in the one-way information flows in technological innovation that occurs in distinct geographical settings. The more the technological features of the new sustaining innovation look like the old product features, the greater the likelihood of consumer selection.
Technological closeness in sustaining product innovation for regional economics is analogous to closeness in amino acids in the DNA structure of the folded proteins. Sustaining innovation is like nearly neutral evolution because the technological genetics existed in the previous generation of products"
As Kimura points out, in genetics “proximity,” not size, is what matters. In this case, close counts. “Probably, what determines the pattern of interaction between amino acids in evolution, says Kimura, “is their physical proximity or direct contact within the folded protein.”
Proximity matters both for small adaptive changes, which consumers select, and for the closeness in the one-way information flows in technological innovation that occurs in distinct geographical settings. The more the technological features of the new sustaining innovation look like the old product features, the greater the likelihood of consumer selection.
Technological closeness in sustaining product innovation for regional economics is analogous to closeness in amino acids in the DNA structure of the folded proteins. Sustaining innovation is like nearly neutral evolution because the technological genetics existed in the previous generation of products"
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Power curves natural and economic disasters - McKinsey Quarterly - Strategy - Globalization
Power curves natural and economic disasters - McKinsey Quarterly - Strategy - Globalization: "‘Power curves’: What natural and economic disasters have in common
Parallels between the failures of man-made systems, such as the economy, and of similarly complex natural ones offer fascinating food for thought.
JUNE 2009 • Michele Zanini
Source: Strategy Practice
Energy, Resources, Materials, Environment article, Power curves natural and economic disasters
In This Article
This short essay is a Conversation Starter, one in a series of invited opinions on topical issues. Read the original essay, then let us know what you think. The author has also responded to the main themes in the letters, and asked a few follow-up questions below.
Executives, strategists, and economic forecasters, somewhat sheepish after missing the “big one”—last year’s global credit crisis—turned to the lexicon of natural disasters, describing the shock as a tsunami hitting markets and as an earthquake shaking the world economy’s foundations. Shopworn as these metaphors may be, they aptly capture the extreme and unexpected nature of the circumstances. In fact, the parallels between the dynamics and failures of man-made systems, such as the economy or the electricity grid, and similarly complex natural ones are bringing new ideas to economic forecasting, strategic planning, and risk management. This trend may have profound implications for policy makers, economists, and corporate strategists alike.
Scientists, sometimes in cooperation with economists, are taking the lead in a young field that applies complexity theory to economic research, rejecting the traditional view of the economy as a fully transparent, rational system striving toward equilibrium. The geophysics professor and earthquake authority Didier Sornette, for example, leads the Financial Crisis Observatory, in Zurich, which uses concepts and mathematical models that draw on complexity theory and statistical physics to understand financial bubbles and economic crises."
Parallels between the failures of man-made systems, such as the economy, and of similarly complex natural ones offer fascinating food for thought.
JUNE 2009 • Michele Zanini
Source: Strategy Practice
Energy, Resources, Materials, Environment article, Power curves natural and economic disasters
In This Article
This short essay is a Conversation Starter, one in a series of invited opinions on topical issues. Read the original essay, then let us know what you think. The author has also responded to the main themes in the letters, and asked a few follow-up questions below.
Executives, strategists, and economic forecasters, somewhat sheepish after missing the “big one”—last year’s global credit crisis—turned to the lexicon of natural disasters, describing the shock as a tsunami hitting markets and as an earthquake shaking the world economy’s foundations. Shopworn as these metaphors may be, they aptly capture the extreme and unexpected nature of the circumstances. In fact, the parallels between the dynamics and failures of man-made systems, such as the economy or the electricity grid, and similarly complex natural ones are bringing new ideas to economic forecasting, strategic planning, and risk management. This trend may have profound implications for policy makers, economists, and corporate strategists alike.
Scientists, sometimes in cooperation with economists, are taking the lead in a young field that applies complexity theory to economic research, rejecting the traditional view of the economy as a fully transparent, rational system striving toward equilibrium. The geophysics professor and earthquake authority Didier Sornette, for example, leads the Financial Crisis Observatory, in Zurich, which uses concepts and mathematical models that draw on complexity theory and statistical physics to understand financial bubbles and economic crises."
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Maturana and Varela « Frames /sing
Maturana and Varela « Frames /sing: "Here is Spinoza’s famous Ethics defintion, and an even more elementary and bold one from his much earlier Short Treatise on God, Man and His Well-Being (KV)
Ethics: When a number of bodies of the same or different magnitude form close contact with one another through the pressure of other bodies upon them, or if they are moving at the same or different rates of speed so as to preserve an unvarying relation of movement among themselves, these bodies are said to be united with one another and all together to form one body or individual thing, which is distinguished from other things through this union of bodies (E2p13a2d)"
Ethics: When a number of bodies of the same or different magnitude form close contact with one another through the pressure of other bodies upon them, or if they are moving at the same or different rates of speed so as to preserve an unvarying relation of movement among themselves, these bodies are said to be united with one another and all together to form one body or individual thing, which is distinguished from other things through this union of bodies (E2p13a2d)"
Is Spinoza a Cyberneticist, or a Chaocomplexicist? « Frames /sing
Is Spinoza a Cyberneticist, or a Chaocomplexicist? « Frames /sing: "Valueably Bousquet notes that the passage from Cybernetics to Chaoplexic thinking has been characterized as the move from concerns of “control” to those of “coordination”, what has been called the “coordination revolution”. Bousquet cites Arquilla and Ronfelt who put the case in the context of military theorization. No longer is the ultimate thought for the control of all events internal to a network or system, but rather in terms of the loosely configured relatability of elements:
In these and related writings, we see a trend among theorists to equate information with “organization,” “order,” and “structure”—to argue that embedded information is what makes an object have an orderly structure. As this trend has developed, its emphasis has shifted. At first, in the 1940s and 1950s, information theorists emphasized the concept of “entropy”—and were thus concerned with exploiting feedback to improve “control.” Now, the emphasis has shifted to the concept of “complexity”—and this has led to a new concern with the “coordination” of complex systems. Control and coordination are different, sometimes contrary processes; indeed, the exertion of excessive control in order to avoid entropy may inhibit the looser, decentralized types of coordination that often characterize advanced forms of complex systems. What James Beniger called the “control revolution” is now turning into what might be better termed a “coordination revolution.” Entropy and complexity look like opposing sides of the same coin of order. About the worst that can happen to embedded information is that it gives way to entropy, i.e., the tendency to become disorganized. The best is that it enables an object to grow in efficiency, versatility, and adaptability (148)"
In these and related writings, we see a trend among theorists to equate information with “organization,” “order,” and “structure”—to argue that embedded information is what makes an object have an orderly structure. As this trend has developed, its emphasis has shifted. At first, in the 1940s and 1950s, information theorists emphasized the concept of “entropy”—and were thus concerned with exploiting feedback to improve “control.” Now, the emphasis has shifted to the concept of “complexity”—and this has led to a new concern with the “coordination” of complex systems. Control and coordination are different, sometimes contrary processes; indeed, the exertion of excessive control in order to avoid entropy may inhibit the looser, decentralized types of coordination that often characterize advanced forms of complex systems. What James Beniger called the “control revolution” is now turning into what might be better termed a “coordination revolution.” Entropy and complexity look like opposing sides of the same coin of order. About the worst that can happen to embedded information is that it gives way to entropy, i.e., the tendency to become disorganized. The best is that it enables an object to grow in efficiency, versatility, and adaptability (148)"
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Political Feedback Loops and Climate Change (Opinion) : TreeHugger
Political Feedback Loops and Climate Change (Opinion) : TreeHugger: "2. Scarce resources will create instability. If business leaders are right and water is the new oil — we can expect shortages to lead to wars and dislocation. Environmental refugee exoduses will surely cause unrest—Bangladesh alone may have millions of environmental refugees, pouring a mass of impoverished people into an already instable region. In China, the new wave of prosperity, and promise of more to come, constitutes a major portion of the legitimacy of the national government; reductions in economic growth could undercut that legitimacy and lead to political unrest. Facing internal threats, governments may lock down or lash out, leaving little patience for creating or maintaining a global warming compromise."
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Entropyman.org Explains Why Pots 'Unbreak' on the Nanoscale (Video)
Entropyman.org Explains Why Pots 'Unbreak' on the Nanoscale (Video): "Entropyman.org Explains Why Pots 'Unbreak' on the Nanoscale (Video)
February 16th, 2009 by Lisa Zyga Entropyman
Enlarge
Edward Feng, a researcher at Sandia Livermore National Laboratory, has created a new Web site called Entropyman.org to explain the Second Law of Thermodynamics
(PhysOrg.com) -- A man lifts his hand in the air, and broken pieces of ceramic lying on the sidewalk spring up into his hand, coming together to form a flower pot. He lifts his hands again, and more broken pieces spring together to make a square ceramic tile."
February 16th, 2009 by Lisa Zyga Entropyman
Enlarge
Edward Feng, a researcher at Sandia Livermore National Laboratory, has created a new Web site called Entropyman.org to explain the Second Law of Thermodynamics
(PhysOrg.com) -- A man lifts his hand in the air, and broken pieces of ceramic lying on the sidewalk spring up into his hand, coming together to form a flower pot. He lifts his hands again, and more broken pieces spring together to make a square ceramic tile."
Physicists investigate how time moves forward
Physicists investigate how time moves forward: "Physicists investigate how time moves forward
September 5th, 2008 By Lisa Zyga
As humans, we have a very intuitive concept of time, and of the differences between the past, present, and future. But, as scientists Edward Feng of the University of California, Berkeley, and Gavin Crooks of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory point out, science does not provide a clear definition of time.
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“In our everyday lives we have the sense that time flows inexorably from the past into the future; water flows downhill; mountains erode; we are born, grow old, and die; we anticipate the future but remember the past,” the scientists write in a recent study in Physical Review Letters. “Yet almost all of the fundamental theories of physics – classical mechanics, electrodynamics, quantum mechanics, general relativity, and so on – are symmetric with respect to time reversal.
“The only fundamental theory that picks out a preferred direction of time is the second law of thermodynamics, which asserts that the entropy of the Universe increases as time flows toward the future. This provides an orientation, or arrow of time, and it is generally believed that all other time asymmetries, such as our sense that future and past are different, are a direct consequence of this thermodynamic arrow.”"
September 5th, 2008 By Lisa Zyga
As humans, we have a very intuitive concept of time, and of the differences between the past, present, and future. But, as scientists Edward Feng of the University of California, Berkeley, and Gavin Crooks of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory point out, science does not provide a clear definition of time.
Ads by Google
How Consciousness Creates - www.Free-Will.de
Reality - Free will is far more than an illusion. Read now!
“In our everyday lives we have the sense that time flows inexorably from the past into the future; water flows downhill; mountains erode; we are born, grow old, and die; we anticipate the future but remember the past,” the scientists write in a recent study in Physical Review Letters. “Yet almost all of the fundamental theories of physics – classical mechanics, electrodynamics, quantum mechanics, general relativity, and so on – are symmetric with respect to time reversal.
“The only fundamental theory that picks out a preferred direction of time is the second law of thermodynamics, which asserts that the entropy of the Universe increases as time flows toward the future. This provides an orientation, or arrow of time, and it is generally believed that all other time asymmetries, such as our sense that future and past are different, are a direct consequence of this thermodynamic arrow.”"
Physicist Proposes Solution to Arrow-of-Time Paradox
Physicist Proposes Solution to Arrow-of-Time Paradox: "Physicist Proposes Solution to Arrow-of-Time Paradox
August 27th, 2009 By Lisa Zyga Physicist Proposes Solution to Arrow-of-Time Paradox
A new theory suggests that we don’t observe phenomena where entropy decreases because all evidence from these processes is erased when correlations are removed from the system. Image credit: cguu.com.
(PhysOrg.com) -- Entropy can decrease, according to a new proposal - but the process would destroy any evidence of its existence, and erase any memory an observer might have of it. It sounds like the plot to a weird sci-fi movie, but the idea has recently been suggested by theoretical physicist Lorenzo Maccone, currently a visiting scientist at MIT, in an attempt to solve a longstanding paradox in physics."
August 27th, 2009 By Lisa Zyga Physicist Proposes Solution to Arrow-of-Time Paradox
A new theory suggests that we don’t observe phenomena where entropy decreases because all evidence from these processes is erased when correlations are removed from the system. Image credit: cguu.com.
(PhysOrg.com) -- Entropy can decrease, according to a new proposal - but the process would destroy any evidence of its existence, and erase any memory an observer might have of it. It sounds like the plot to a weird sci-fi movie, but the idea has recently been suggested by theoretical physicist Lorenzo Maccone, currently a visiting scientist at MIT, in an attempt to solve a longstanding paradox in physics."
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