Abstract

The evolution of systems theory has progressed from the study of material systems toward abstract conceptual systems. Early work in systems theory tended to focus on physical systems -- transportation systems, communication systems, production system, etc. Even in cybernetics, with its emphasis on control, communication, and cognition, the early work focused on neurophysiology. As systems ideas matured, people began to turn their attention to more abstract systems -- modes of communication within families, and cultures within organizations, etc. But the emphasis was on the social system. Studying the beliefs and values in people's minds was a way to understand the functioning of a particular social system. The study of "conceptual systems" treats ideas as the primary interest. Society becomes a source of explanations for why and how certain ideas arise -- what problems the ideas are intended to solve. As we understand better how ideas arise and the consequences they have, we shall be better able to create ideas to transform social systems and the circumstances that influence their effectiveness. Two of the examples discussed will be ideas from cybernetics and systems theory.
 

Biography

Stuart Umpleby is a professor in the Department of Management Science at The George Washington University and Director of the Research Program in Social and Organizational Learning at GW. In recent years he has been working with professors in the former Soviet Union on strategies for transforming that society in the direction of democracy and free markets. He is a past president of the American Society for Cybernetics.