Human Systems Management

This paper evaluates the effectiveness of ‘dynamic value voting’ when used by a group in making a sequence of decisions. The essential and novel characteristic of this group decision-making procedure is the use of ‘flotes’, a kind of currency that enables each group member to weight each of his votes in accordance with his estimate of the relative importance of the current decision in comparison with future decisions the group will be making. It is shown by computer simulation and mathematical analysis that groups do well using dynamic value voting when contrasted with results achieved using ordinary majority voting and related ordering procedures. The procedure is also suitable for use by an individual, or a group, for a multi-attribute decision application – where the flote allocations reflect anticipated changes in relative importance of individual attributes over time. Dynamic value voting has been used by groups interacting entirely by computer conferencing, with individual members geographically dispersed. The procedure is especially attractive for this type of modern communication and decision system.

Development is a core concept of the systems view of the world. In contrast to the mechanistic and organismic views which are concerned with efficiency and growth, respectively, the systems view is basically concerned with development.

A critical review of the major traditional views of development suggests that they are generally characterized by problems of: (1) ethnocentrism, (2) unidimensionality, and, on the whole, (3) a deterministic perspective.

Misconceptions about the nature of development and the properties usually identified with it call for at least a clarification of the systems view of development and its relationship to other views.

A typology of the major theoretical traditions is developed based on their underlying assumptions (explicit or implicit) with regard to the singularity or plurality attributed to function, structure and process. Finally, the telosystemic concept of development is discussed.

Obstructions to development can be viewed as malfunctioning in anyone of the five dimensions of the social system. Scarcity, maldistribution and insecurity in anyone of the five social functions, that is, scientific, political, economic, ethical, and aesthetic are considered to be primary obstructions. Corruption, alienation, polarization and so on are among the social phenomena that represent secondary obstructions to development. Secondary obstructions are coproduced by the interaction of more than one dimension. Therefore, their resolution requires some kind of structural change.

To understand the obstructions to the development of a social system we will deal with the structures and processes which help or limit the creation of collective desire and ability in a social system for the pursuit of its ends.

The metasystem approach, where decision-making is studied from a control point of view, is applied to the system of Environmental Pollution Control in Japan. Through a defined theoretical framework and methodology, this approach leads to identification and diagnosis of failures and malfunctions in the system, which are classified into failures of rationality, of translation and/or transduction, of behavior, and of evolution. The metasystem approach reveals serious problems which could lead the Environmental Pollution Control system to failures and disasters, and shows that this system may not be in a position to withstand environmental changes.

This paper uses various models of culture change, along with historical analyses, to explain differences in the rates of industrial innovation in England and France between the years 1066 and 1850. As a point of focus, the particular innovation considered is the development of railroads in England, and the lack of such development in France, during the time period considered. From this study conclusions are drawn concerning how managers of modern firms can develop organizational cultures that encourage innovations. The study suggests such steps as reducing the numbers of top management, rewarding innovation, maximizing contact with outside organizations, minimizing reliance on company policies and fostering a spirit of individualism and competition.

This is the first of a three-part series of papers on ‘A strategy and its application for organizational design’. The problem of organizational design is introduced and a strategy is proposed for improving the theory of group structures by means of organizational design. Thirteen desiderata for judging the process and results of organizational design methodologies are presented with commentary. There is an appendix which briefly summarizes the conceptual framework for a theory of organizational structures.

The value underpinnings of policy conflict and decision-making are generally recognized as important but given little attention. A perspective on policy-relevant value dimensions is presented which argues that values exist in juxtaposed sets. Emphasis upon one element in the set stresses the other value, causing value conflict and the need for adjustment. Policy makers need to take account of these value conflicts and devise strategies to overcome their potential negating effects. A list of ten strategies is suggested for optimizing policy impact in the fact of multiple and conflicting values.

The meaning and search for truth are surveyed to reflect shifts in emphases and trends of the last four-hundred years. The contributions of the systems movement to the concept of truth are discussed. While notions of epistemology and of philosophy of science are involved, a pragmatic and down-to-earth approach to the meaning of truth is taken.

We are largely surrounded by and included in increasingly complex technical systems. These systems often border on the absurd even though they rely on logical and physical forms. This is because they move away from the logical ‘simplicity’ of natural forms. This paper approaches some specific aspects of technical products, i.e. those connected to their formative structure. M. Draganescu emphasized that the aesthetics and the functions of a product are determined by the consonance between the formative structure and the natural structure, and called this ‘architectural thinking’. As an example, consider the well-known ‘golden number’ found both in natural crystals and in artistic and technical products such as the Parthenon.

Two questions which this paper addresses are: What is a formative structure? How can the consonance, or harmony, between such a structure and that of a ‘natural’ one be approached?

Multiple Management examines the multiple roles of managers which require special skills, styles, and strategies in specific situations. By expanding your own managerial skills and learning how to use them in specific situations, you can develop additional managerial styles and alternative strategies which extend your own managerial career potential.