Gerard Endenburg
Encyclopedia
Gerard Endenburg is a Dutch entrepreneur, who developed a governance model for organizations that draws on equivalence
and cybernetics
. This model is inspired by the idea of sociocracy
of Kees Boeke
.
in 1933. He was a Quaker, and attended a Quaker boarding school, where he was influenced by Kees Boeke and his wife Betty Cadbury, and the ideas of sociocracy.
He became general manager of his family's engineering company, Endenburg Elektrotechniek BV, in the mid 1960s, and in the 1970s started pioneering and applying the sociocratic method of organizing
within the company. In 1978, Endenburg founded the Sociocratic Center Netherlands to develop and implement the sociocratic approach in other organizations, serving as its director. In 1992, Endenburg obtained a doctoral degree from the University of Twente, based on his dissertation "Sociocratie als Sociaal Ontwerp" (Sociocracy as Social Design). He currently is an honorary professor in Organizational Learning at Maastricht University.
Equivalence
Equivalence or equivalent may refer to:*In chemistry:**Equivalent **Equivalence point**Equivalent weight*In computing:**Turing equivalence *In ethics:**Moral equivalence*In history:...
and cybernetics
Cybernetics
Cybernetics is the interdisciplinary study of the structure of regulatory systems. Cybernetics is closely related to information theory, control theory and systems theory, at least in its first-order form...
. This model is inspired by the idea of sociocracy
Sociocracy
Sociocracy is a system of governance, using consent-based decision making among equivalent individuals and an organizational structure based on cybernetic principles...
of Kees Boeke
Kees Boeke
Cornelis Boeke was a Dutch reformist educator, Quaker missionary and pacifist. He is best known for his popular essay/book Cosmic View which presents a seminal view of the universe, from the galactic to the microscopic scale, and inspired several films.Boeke tried to renovate education by letting...
.
Biography
Endenburg was born in RotterdamRotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
in 1933. He was a Quaker, and attended a Quaker boarding school, where he was influenced by Kees Boeke and his wife Betty Cadbury, and the ideas of sociocracy.
He became general manager of his family's engineering company, Endenburg Elektrotechniek BV, in the mid 1960s, and in the 1970s started pioneering and applying the sociocratic method of organizing
Sociocracy
Sociocracy is a system of governance, using consent-based decision making among equivalent individuals and an organizational structure based on cybernetic principles...
within the company. In 1978, Endenburg founded the Sociocratic Center Netherlands to develop and implement the sociocratic approach in other organizations, serving as its director. In 1992, Endenburg obtained a doctoral degree from the University of Twente, based on his dissertation "Sociocratie als Sociaal Ontwerp" (Sociocracy as Social Design). He currently is an honorary professor in Organizational Learning at Maastricht University.