[Host's Note: Peter connected his reply to Jackie's "Clinging and grasping
LO2016," but from the context I think he's replying to LO2017... Hope I'm
not making an error here.]
Re: Jackie Mullen's comments on Italian business networks.
I think we are starting to see the development of these types of networks
in the United States. Communications technology has enabled me to work as
part of such a network, for example. A number of people in different parts
of the United States and Canada are able to work together on projects in a
way that, just 5 years ago, was impossible.
I've also seen references from time to time in magazine stories, etc. that
lead me to believe that we are begining to see a tremendous growth in
holonic organizations. (A holonic organization is a network-type
organization that is able to "dynamically reconfigure" itself to meet new
business needs/conditions.)
A holonic organization is the prototypical learning organization in that
it adapts quickly to changes in its environment, altering its structure,
products, etc. to meet the new conditions. This adaptation is generally
done with little or no centralized control.
I think that complexity theory and artificial life can provide many of the
theoretical concepts that underlie holonic organizations. These
theoretical concepts, when compared with the empirical data that can be
derived from the structure of business in Italy that Jackie refers to, can
provide significant new ideas in what a learning organization real is and
how it works.
-- Regards, Peter von Stackelberg Applied Futures, Inc. PeterVS1@aol.com