Emergent organization
Encyclopedia
The term emergent organizations (alternatively emergent organisations) first appeared in the late 1990s and was the topic of the Seventh Annual Washington Evolutionary Systems Conference at University of Ghent, Belgium
in May, 1999.
An emergent
organization
differs from a traditional organization in that its existence spontaneously emerges from and exists in a complex dynamic environment
or market place
, rather than being a construct or copy of something that already exists.
Emergent organizations and their dynamics pose interesting questions; for example, how does such an organization achieve closure and stability?
Alternatively, James R. Taylor
wrote in 2000 his seminal book, The Emergent Organization, where he suggests that all organizations emerge from communication, especially from the interplay of conversation and text. This idea concerns human organizations, but is consistent with Leibniz or Gabriel Tarde
's monadology
, or with Alfred North Whitehead
's process philosophy
, which explains the macro - both in human and non-human "societies" - from the processes taking place between its constituent parts.
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
in May, 1999.
An emergent
Emergence
In philosophy, systems theory, science, and art, emergence is the way complex systems and patterns arise out of a multiplicity of relatively simple interactions. Emergence is central to the theories of integrative levels and of complex systems....
organization
Organization
An organization is a social group which distributes tasks for a collective goal. The word itself is derived from the Greek word organon, itself derived from the better-known word ergon - as we know `organ` - and it means a compartment for a particular job.There are a variety of legal types of...
differs from a traditional organization in that its existence spontaneously emerges from and exists in a complex dynamic environment
Natural environment
The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof. It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living species....
or market place
Market Place
Market Place is the financial programme broadcast Monday to Friday at 10:30pm in Hong Kong by television channel TVB Pearl....
, rather than being a construct or copy of something that already exists.
Emergent organizations and their dynamics pose interesting questions; for example, how does such an organization achieve closure and stability?
Alternatively, James R. Taylor
James R. Taylor
James Renwick Taylor is Professor Emeritus at the of the Université de Montréal, which he founded in the early 1970s.Drawing from research in fields such as organizational psychology James Renwick Taylor (born in 1928) is Professor Emeritus at the of the Université de Montréal, which he founded...
wrote in 2000 his seminal book, The Emergent Organization, where he suggests that all organizations emerge from communication, especially from the interplay of conversation and text. This idea concerns human organizations, but is consistent with Leibniz or Gabriel Tarde
Gabriel Tarde
Jean-Gabriel De Tarde or Gabriel Tarde in short French sociologist, criminologist and social psychologist who conceived sociology as based on small psychological interactions among individuals , the fundamental forces being imitation and innovation.- Theory :Among the concepts...
's monadology
Monadology
The Monadology is one of Gottfried Leibniz’s best known works representing his later philosophy. It is a short text which sketches in some 90 paragraphs a metaphysics of simple substances, or monads.- Text :...
, or with Alfred North Whitehead
Alfred North Whitehead
Alfred North Whitehead, OM FRS was an English mathematician who became a philosopher. He wrote on algebra, logic, foundations of mathematics, philosophy of science, physics, metaphysics, and education...
's process philosophy
Process philosophy
Process philosophy identifies metaphysical reality with change and dynamism. Since the time of Plato and Aristotle, philosophers have posited true reality as "timeless", based on permanent substances, whilst processes are denied or subordinated to timeless substances...
, which explains the macro - both in human and non-human "societies" - from the processes taking place between its constituent parts.
See also
- EmergenceEmergenceIn philosophy, systems theory, science, and art, emergence is the way complex systems and patterns arise out of a multiplicity of relatively simple interactions. Emergence is central to the theories of integrative levels and of complex systems....
- Chaos theoryChaos theoryChaos theory is a field of study in mathematics, with applications in several disciplines including physics, economics, biology, and philosophy. Chaos theory studies the behavior of dynamical systems that are highly sensitive to initial conditions, an effect which is popularly referred to as the...
- EvolutionEvolutionEvolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
- Natural selectionNatural selectionNatural selection is the nonrandom process by which biologic traits become either more or less common in a population as a function of differential reproduction of their bearers. It is a key mechanism of evolution....
- Organizational behavior
- Organizational development
- Self-organizing system