Abstract
In this chapter we discuss a few implications of the bifurcation concept for organisational theory; the notions of branching and hot point — that point in time and space where a phenomenon splits — are applied to the structuring processes of organisations and, to a lesser extent, decision making and organisational spin-offs (new forms being being established from older ones). We show that the concept is easy to apply in at least a few situations in organisational theory; this then means that the mathematics, which have been presented elsewhere in this volume, could and should be adopted in organisational analysis. We begin first with a brief discussion of bifurcation.
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References
While multinational firms existed before the invention of telegraph and telephone, the ease of establishing, and especially controlling the behaviour of subsidiaries is much easier nowadays.
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It should be emphasized that just because this volume is concerned with bifurcation does not mean that all phenomena in social systems are reflect bifurcation processes. Our contention is, however, that bifurcation has been neglected.
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The concepts slow and fast growth are taken from John Freeman and Michael Hannan: Growth and decline processes in organizations, American Sociological Review, 40, pp. 215–228.
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© 1985 D. Reidel Publishing Company
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Jurkovich, R. (1985). Bifurcation: Implications of the Concept for the Study of Organisations. In: Hazewinkel, M., Jurkovich, R., Paelinck, J.H.P. (eds) Bifurcation Analysis. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-6239-2_12
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-6239-2_12
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
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