The “when” of organizing:

TIME AS CYCLICAL DEVELOPMENT OR PUNCTUATED EQUILIBRIUM?

Introduction to Workshop 5: Timing

Aula Meeting of Minds

Helsinki, Saturday 15 September 2001 13:30-16:00

 

 

”While certain systems run down, other systems simultaneousle evolve and grow more coherent.”

- From Alvin Toffler’s Foreword to Order out of chaos: Man’s new dialogue with nature, by Nobel prize winner Ilya Prigogine with Isabelle Stengers

 

I propose to look at organizations as web of interactions.  Interactions repeated through time and space constitute patterns that contribute to ‘organize’ collective action.  As communication changes with the integration of new technologies, ‘organizing’ processes sustaining collective actions also evolve.  This raises a series of questions:  How are web of interactions constituted in these new organizational environment?  How do these patterns of interaction change from traditional organizations?  How do they change the way members of organizations relate to one another?  Does new technology contribute to shape new organizations?  How are they different?

 

Best regards,

 

 

Carole Groleau, with Jyri Engeström and Jussi Silvonen