109 research outputs found
Railway management : an evaluation of management cybernetics in a public enterprise
Two are the objectives of this thesis:
To identify structural and cultural causes of ineffectiveness in a state-owned railway enterprise
in the light of the management cybernetics area of knowledge.
To assess the capacity of this area of knowledge, especially in its abstract and coded form
(Beer's Model of the Viable System), to provide adequate explanations of organizational
performance and organizational failure.
The objectives are sought in the analysis of an actual enterprise, the Greek Railways
Organization (OSE).
An 'ethnographic type' pilot study is initially undertaken, to highlight organizational problems
under a management cybernetics perspective. The study, though demonstrating structural problems
associated with a certain organizational culture, is assumed in itself inadequate, as it reflects a
subjective interpretation of reality.
A 'survey within the case study' is therefore undertaken aiming at deriving the real dimensions
of organizational problems from an analysis of managerial responses.
Responses are designed to provide a picture of both
the actual way in which the enterprise organizes in the pursuit of its tasks, and
the organizational culture.
The first subtheme (organizational structure) is examined in terms of the cybernetic model of
the viable organization. The findings, in general, validate the assumptions of the ethnographic
study. Numerous structural problems are identified.
The second subtheme (culture) is examined in terms of managerial cohesiveness, defined as the
agreement between managers on key issues of the identity of the enterprise. The overall conclusion
is that though managers are, in general, in agreement, the content of this agreement tends rather to
reflect a shared pessimistic view of the future than cohesiveness facilitating viability and
development.
The conclusion, as regards the enterprise, is, that though many problems are reflected in the
organizational structure, proper modifications of this structure may not suffice to guarantee
improved performance, unless considerable attention is paid in the building of a relevant
organizational culture, quite difficult under the specific circumstances.
The conclusion, as regards the adopted methodology, is that though Beer's model of the viable
system assists in a diagnosis of many organizational deficiencies, it may not suffice to promote
organizational change, especially when narrowly perceived, i. e., when results to a concentration on
structural arrangements in the expense of the building of a corporate culture. Certain
methodologies should develop, which, while making use of the advantages of the model, will not
underestimate other significant aspects of organizational reality
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Management cybernetics: Computer simulation models of operational management organizations
This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.Cybernetics is the science of effective organization, i.e. the science that describes the general principles of growth, learning and adaptation in complex, dynamical systems.
Stafford Beer regards his viable system model as a design for effective formal organization. He also declares that since his model is explicitly based upon the principles of cybernetics, it facilitates consideration of what is and is not possible within formal organizations and provides guidance in creating efficient structures. The purpose of this research is to demonstrate and test Stafford Beer's ideas on the viable system model via the simulation of certain business activities. A methodology for getting access to the cybernetic body of knowledge is given as well as examples of cybernetic laws relevant to managerial and business practice. An important part of the work is devoted to the explanation and discussion of Stafford Beer's viable system model, and the importance it represents as a cybernetic method for the design of organizational structures. Simulation models incorporating the major activities of a business firm are represented and used as case studies to investigate how basic industrial organizations based on Beer's viable system model work under operational conditions
Requirements for effective participation in self-constructed organizations
This is an article about effective participation in organizations. It offers insights about the interplay between individual action and organization structure. It is argued that our actions produce these structures at the same time that these structures create the space for our actions in a never ending regression. Effective participation requires that all of us are involved in the invention and formation of self-constructed action spaces. This is in contrast to participation in organizations where a few create the context for the most, that is, where the organizational context of our actions is constructed (for us) rather than self-constructed. Organizations emerging from effective participation are called recursive organizations. The idea of recursive organizations is further developed using Beer's Viable System Model. This is a model of the communicational requirements to self-construct our action spaces and to align them with those of others. The argument is focused on our participation in team work and the requirements for us to develop organizational citizenship, cohesion and effective performance. These are all requirements to have an effective organization
A role allocation model for IT controls in a cloud environment.
The rapid adoption of cloud computing by organizations, along with the need to comply with relevant IT governance (ITG) controls, has increased the complexity of governance in the cloud. This transition from a classical data center to a virtualized data center has resulted in the reallocation of roles and responsibilities of IT personnel for managing and accounting for the relevant IT controls. With a lack of guidelines or model for practitioners to choose from, with regard to the allocation of roles and responsibilities, there is a lack of clarity on the responsibilities and accountability for these IT controls. The purpose of this paper is to propose a theoretical model for assigning roles and responsibilities for IT controls for an organization operating in a cloud environment. The proposed model is based on a strong theoretical grounding and can be used to inform good practice
All That Is Cyber Melts into Control: a Rhetorical Analysis of Cybernetic Metaphors
This thesis historicizes and interprets the logic of cybernetics as a communication technology and how it shaped notions of control in the mid-20th century. To situate my analysis, I focus on cybernetics, the tradition within communication studies that focuses on controlling communication through the application of feedback loops to a particular system. Since the discovery and popularization of cybernetics by the late 1950s, its central logic has been widely applied to computational technology and influenced future systems theories. Specifically, my thesis employs a rhetorical examination of cybernetic metaphors through metaphor criticism to trace the genealogy of cybernetic discourses that I argue attempted to reconstitute political structures through stabilizing systems that would maintain and regulate the social, political, and economic forces of society. My thesis explores archival exchanges between Soviet Cybernetics Review, Ali İrtem, and Stafford Beer to tracing the intellectual history of discourses that employed cybernetic thinking through metaphors to re-constitute the political-economic systems internationally
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Control and communication in developing countries: A cybernetic analysis and a proposed solution, exemplified by a distributed database system for the implementation of a national plan
This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.This thesis proposes some enhancements of the control and communication aspects of the implementation of a National Plan in any developing country. A cybernetic model for the viable system is used following the approach developed by Beer. Weaknesses of typical current practice are identified and a hierarchical organization, based on the model, is suggested as an alternative, in which all the systems implementing and monitoring the N. P. are considered as one single system, making its functions easier to recognize. Deficiencies, which are characteristic of the situation of developing countries, are identified and remedies are suggested to increase effectiveness. The model provides for the cybernetic principle of freedom, allowing the creation of autonomous subsystems with their own computational needs. A distributed system using micros, databases, and national communication networks, is described, which provides the requirements for realizing the suggested organization, together with packaged software to compensate for missing experience and know-how. The proposals are made in the form of a comprehensive package whose built-in complexity (sophistication) is very high. It is still effective even with inexperienced users but can take full advantage of their developing knowledge. This thesis includes listings and sample runs of some portions of the package which, for purposes of demonstration, have been implemented in dBASE II and an 8080 assembly program on an Intertec Superbrain QD microcomputer.Iraqi Governmen
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