The basis of the logic of will, discipline, and
communication.
This theory is based on the epistemology of the Logic of Feeling by
ARNOLD CORNELIS (1993). Adjustments and expansions come from:
·
the system theory as articulated by CHECKLAND, SENGE, VENNIX
·
autopoiesis and evolution of systems as articulated on the Principia
Cyberneticaweb, and by DE ZEEUW, MATURANA & VARELA
·
memory making and sensemaking by WEICK
Description
The manner in which people order their worlds, what is found to be logical,
how they develop their identities, are steered by their own drive
towards development and the capacities attained in the process. I call this
the natural system. It is assumed that every living system wants to grow,
wants to expand itself. You learn who you are in your extended family or
organisation in the natural system. The memory of the natural system is
unconscious to a significant degree, but expresses itself in symbols, myths,
stories, and rituals.
The development of identity is affected by the rules, norms, and structures
of the society or organisation that you, along with other people, are part
of. The rules, norms, and structures comprise the social system. In the
social system, you learn to adapt yourself. The memory in the social system
has been recorded in rules, procedures, organisational structures, ranks,
and the like.
In this way, every organism, every organisation, develops its own logic: a
set of images of reality, models for what is logical. These models are
stored in the memory.
The development of capacities and performance capability reach their limits
at a certain point. Changes in the environment can require new activities,
which cannot be conceived of at that time for the organisation because they
are not logical, and do not fit in the models of reality. The more the
environment changes, the greater the need for new actions. This requires the
performance repertoire to be expanded. However, to enable this, we must
revise the rules, norms, and social structures from the social system,
tested against the personal development and values of the natural system.
This test can only be conducted in communication with others, bringing the
existing models of reality up to the conscious level and discussing them.
Only then can new models of reality arise. When the transition is made to
testing the drive for growth in the natural system against sthe drive for
justice in the social system, then a new layer arises, the system of
communicative self-steering. Here, the memory consists of the intentions of
a person or organisation: What do you want to learn? What direction has an
organisation chosen for development?
Thus, the development of capacities has dual-steering from two systems,
which can be integrated by a third system. So every identity can develop
three layers: natural system, social system, and system of communicative
self-steering.
A crucial point in this model is that one layer is not any more important
than another.
For complete and thorough development, you cannot miss any of the three
layers. One system builds on another.
continu: model for
organisational development
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