VAN DER ERVE, MARCUS LUCAS BARTHELOMEUS; PHD

                         KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT BRABANT (THE NETHERLANDS), 1993

                         SOCIOLOGY, THEORY AND METHODS (0344)
 

                         Can corporate cultures really be managed as various respected publications claim? Or are they the result
                         of inevitable self-organizing forces which emerge in social structures? The objective of Evolution
                         Management is to rejuvenate the performance of evolving organizations by the deliberate creation of
                         chances. With its focus on dynamic balance situations, Evolution Management aims to bring about more
                         refined ways of achieving differentiation, both cultural and business as a means of improving competitive
                         potential. The approach followed in this book relies on basic cybernetic principles. Process models have
                         been developed for concepts such as culture, attitudes, corporate evolution, and the business,
                         assuming one is dealing with operationally closed, self-organizing social systems. The reference to
                         cultural and business metasystems emphasizes the specific concern for the underlying dynamics of
                         socioeconomic processes. The idea is to connect the various stages of evolution by identifying patterns
                         as well as evolutionary principles. The overarching aim is to improve our capacity: to continuously and
                         effectively question 'the limits that are placed on action'. Researchers will find several models which can
                         be used to plot and assess the states of organizations in flux. Managers who read this book will find a set
                         of practical steps which will help them in the strategic repositioning of their organizations. These steps
                         have been incorporated in a comprehensive computer system (the Evolution Management System) for
                         business development. This book may provide an understanding of how evolutionary aspects permeate
                         the entire society, enabling managers to become more effective in creating the conditions that provide
                         the freedoms necessary for their organizations to develop.

Social Systems Simulation Group P.O. Box 6904 San Diego, CA  92166-0904 Roland Werner, Principal Phone/FAX  (619) 660-1603