Abstract
A long tradition in the analysis of social institutions incorporates organismic analogies and metaphors as basic components into general conceptual frameworks which serve as the general conceptual context within which more specific theoretical propositions that can be empirically tested are derived. A part of this tradition involves the attempt to extend biocybernetic and general systems principles whose origin comes from research on natural systems, to the analysis of complex social institutions. To the extent that these general perspectives of social systems employ metaphors and analogies from natural systems, it is important to investigate the explanatory or theoretical benefit that they provide for a better understanding of social institutions.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Alderfer, C.P., Group and intergroup relations, in: J.R. Hackman and J.L. Suttle (Eds.), Improving life at work, Santa Monica, Ca.: Goodyear, 1977
Barbour, I.G., Myths, models and paradigms, New York: Harper and Row 1974
Barker, E., Greek political theory, (5th ed.) London: Methusen, 1960
Bateson, G., Steps to an ecology of mind, New York: Ballantine Books, 1972
Bateson, G., Mind and nature, New York: Bantam Books, 1979
Beer, S., Brain of the Firm, London, 1972
Beer, S., The heart of enterprise, London, 1979
Black, M., Models and metaphors, Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 1962
Brwon, R.H., Social theory as metaphor. Theory and society, 1976, 3, 169–197
Campbell, D.T., On the conflicts between biological and social evolution and between psychology and moral tradition, American Psychologist, 1975, 30, 1103–1126
Dulany, D.E., Awareness, rules and propositional control: A confrontation with S-R behavior theory, in: D. Horton & T. Dixon (Eds.), Verbal behavior and general behavior theory, New York: Prentice Hall, 1968
Frankl, V., Der Mensch vor der Frage nach dem Sinn, München, 1979
Gergen, K.J., Toward transformation in social knowledge, New York: Springer Verlag, 1982
Hayek, F.A., Studies in philosophy, politics and economics, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1967
Hayek, F.A., Die Theorie komplexer Phänomene, Walder Eucken Institut, Vorträge und Aufsätze, Bd. 36, Tübingen, 1972
Hesse, M.B., Models and analogies in science, Notre Dame, in: Notre Dame Press, 1966
Hesse, M.B., Models versus paradigms in the natural sciences, in: Lyndhurst Collins (Ed.), The use of models in the social sciences, 1–15, London: Tavistock, 1976
Kanter, R.M., Men and Women of the corporation, New York: Basic Books, 1977
Keeley, M., Organizational analogy: A comparison of organismic and social contract models, Administrative Science Quarterly, 1980, 25, 337–362
Kilmann, R.H., Thomas, K.W., Slevin, D.P., Nath, R. & Jerrell, S.L. (eds.) Producing useful knowledge for organizations, Prager Scientific Publications, 1983
Kimberley, J.R., Miles, R.H. and associates The organizational life cycle, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1980
Luhmann, N., Sinn als Grundbegriff der Soziologie, in: J. Habermas and N. Luhmann, Theorie der Gesellschaft oder Sozialtechnologie, Frankfurt, 1971
Malik, F., Zwei Arten von Managementtheorien: Konstruktion und Evolution, in: Hans Siegwart und Gilbert J.B. Probst (Hrsg.), Mitarbeiterführung und gesellschaftlicher Wandel, Bern/Stuttgart: Paul Haupt, 1983
McCaskey, M.B., Managing change and ambiguity, Marshfield Mass., 1982
Mitroff, I.I., Stakeholders of the organizational mind, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1983
Neisser, U., Cognition and reality, San Francisco: Freeman, 1976
Parsons, T., Suggestions for a sociological approach to the theory of organizations — 1, Administrative Science Quarterly, 1956, 1, 63–85
Pettigrew, A.S., The politics of organizational decision making, London: Tavistock, 1973
Piaget, J., The origins of intelligence in children, New York: International Universities Press, 1952
Piaget, J., The construction of reality in the child, New York: Basic Books, 1954
Pondy, L.R., Mitroff, I.I., Beyond open system models of organizations, in: Barry, M. Staw (Ed.), Research in organizational behavior, vol. 1, Greenwich, Conn.: JAI Press, 1979
Probst, J.B., Kybernetische Gesetzeshypothesen als Basis für Gestaltungs- und Lenkungsregeln im Management, Bern/Stuttgart: Paul Haupt, 1981
Rapoport, A., Foreword, in: Walter Buckley (Ed.), Modern systems research for the behavioral scientist: xii–xiii, Chicago: Aldine, 1968
Schön, D.A., Displacement of concepts, London: Tavistock, 1963
Segal, S.J., Processing of the stimulus in imagery and perception, in: S.J. Segal (Ed.), Imagery: Current cognitive approaches, New York: Academic Press, 1971a
Segal, S.J. (Ed.) Imagery: Current cognitive approaches, New York: Academic Press, 1971b
Smith, K.K., An intergroup perspective on individual behavior, in: J.R. Hackman, E.E. Lawler, L.W. Porter (Eds.), Perspectives on behavior in organizations, New York: McGraw-Hill, 1977
Smith, K.K., Groups in conflict: Prisons in disguise, Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt, 1982
Smith, K.K., Social comparison processes and dynamic conservatism in intergroup relations, in: L.L. Cummings, Barry M, Staw (Eds.), Research in organizational behavior, vol. 5, Greenwich, Conn., 1983
Sperry, R.W., Bridging science and values: a unifying view of mind and brain, American Psychologist, 1977, 32, 237–245
Ulrich, H., Unternehmungspolitik, Bern/Stuttgart: Paul Haupt, 1978
Ulrich, H., Management — eine unverstandene gesellschaftliche Funktion, in: Hans Siegwart und Gilbert, J.B Probst (Hrsg.), Mitarbeiterführung und gesellschaftlicher Wandel, Bern/Stuttgart: Paul Haupt, 1983
von Bertalanffy, L., General systems theory, New York: George Braziffer, 1968
Watzlawick, P., The language of change, New York: Basic Books, 1978
Weber, M., Economy and society, edited by Guenther Ross and Claus Witlich, Berkeley, CÂ: University of California Press, 1978
Weick, K.E., The social psychology of organizing, (2nd ed.) Reading, Addi son-Wesley, 1979
Willke, H., Systemtheorie, Stuttgart: UTB, 1982
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1984 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Dachler, P. (1984). Some Explanatory Boundaries of Organismic Analogies for the Understanding of Social Systems. In: Ulrich, H., Probst, G.J.B. (eds) Self-Organization and Management of Social Systems. Springer Series in Synergetics, vol 26. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-69762-3_11
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-69762-3_11
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-69764-7
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-69762-3
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive