Gareth Morgan

1
Organizations as Brains

• Gareth Morgan

2
G.R. Taylors Opening Observations/Questions

• Is it possible to design learning organizations
  that have the capacity to be as flexible,
  resilient, and inventive as the functioning of
  the brain?
• Is it possible to distribute capacities for
  intelligence and control throughout an enterprise
  so that the system as a whole can self-organize
  and evolve along with emerging challenges?

3
Herbert Simon

• Why did Simon argue that organizations can never
  be completely rational?
• Because their members have limited information
  processing abilities.
• Argued that people a) usually have to act on
  incomplete information b) are able to explore on
  a limited number of alternatives and c) are
  unable to attach accurate values to outcomes.
• He concluded that individuals and organizations
  settle for bounded rationality of good enough
  decisions based on simple rules of thumb and
  limited search and information.

4
Cybernetics

• What is cybernetics?
• The ability of a system to engage in
  self-regulating behaviour depending on the
  process of information exchange involving
  negative feedback.

5
4 Key Principles of Cybernetic Theory

• Systems must have the capacity to sense, monitor,
  and scan significant aspects of their
  environment.
• They must be able to relate this information to
  the operating norms that guide system behaviour.
• They must be able to detect significant
  deviations from these norms.
• They must be able to initiate corrective action
  when discrepancies are detected.

6
Single-loop Learning
7
Double-loop Learning
8
Guidelines for Learning Organizations

• Scan and anticipate change in the wider
  environment to detect significant variations.
• Develop the ability to question, challenge, and
  change operating norms and assumptions.
• Allow an appropriate strategic direction and
  pattern of organization to emerge.
• Evolve designs that allow them to become skilled
  in the art of double-loop learning, to avoid
  getting trapped in single-loop learning processes.

9
Organizations as Holographic Brains

• How does Morgan describe the metaphor of the
  holographic brain?

10
What are the Principles of Holographic design?

• Build the whole into all the parts.
• The importance of redundancy.
• Requisite Variety
• Minimum Specs
• Learn to Learn
• See chart in text to help discuss examples

11
Critical Analysis

• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the
  brain metaphor?