Self-Organized Service Management in Social Systems

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. del Val ◽  
M. Rebollo ◽  
V. Botti
Keyword(s):  
Service Management ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Self Organized

Criticality: How Changes Preserve Stability in Self-Organizing Systems

2018 ◽  
Vol 40 (11) ◽  
pp. 1613-1629 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philippe Accard
Keyword(s):  
Complex System ◽  
System Theory ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Fundamental Issue ◽  
Self Organized ◽  
Self Organized Criticality ◽  
New Treatment ◽  
Over Time ◽  
Self Organizing

Self-organizing systems are social systems which are immanently and constantly recreated by agents. In a self-organizing system, agents make changes while preserving stability. If they do not preserve stability, they push the system toward chaos and cannot recreate it. How changes preserve stability is thus a fundamental issue. In current works, changes preserve stability because agents’ ability to make changes is limited by interaction rules and power. However, how agents diffuse the changes throughout the system while preserving its stability has not been addressed in these works. We have addressed this issue by borrowing from a complex system theory neglected thus far in organization theories: self-organized criticality theory. We suggest that self-organizing systems are in critical states: agents have equivalent ability to make changes, and none are able to foresee or control how their changes diffuse throughout the system. Changes, then, diffuse unpredictably – they may diffuse to small or large parts of the system or not at all, and it is this unpredictable diffusion that preserves stability in the system over time. We call our theoretical framework self-organiz ing criticality theory. It presents a new treatment of change and stability and improves the understanding of self-organizing.

PUNCTUATED EQUILIBRIUM: A VIEW FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE THEORY OF SELF-ORGANIZED CRITICALITY

METOD ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 416-442
Author(s):  
Dmitriy Zhukov
Keyword(s):  
Social Systems ◽  
Punctuated Equilibrium ◽  
Computer Experiments ◽  
Political Activity ◽  
Pink Noise ◽  
Social Transformations ◽  
Protest Movements ◽  
Self Organized ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Self Organized Criticality

Punctuated equilibrium is regarded as the state of natural and social systems manifested in occasional intense, quick bursts of activity. Within the framework of the theory of self-organized criticality (SOC), punctuated equilibrium can be formalized as pink noise. SOC theory, having been developed by the end of 1980s, was originally intended to explain natural science phenomena. However, soon after its presentation, it began to spread across the social and humanitarian field of knowledge. Critical state is one on the brink of a bifurcation point. It turns out that some systems can stay in a state of permanent choice for a fairly long time. The author presents the examples of punctuated equilibrium revealed in computer experiments with artificial societies, as well as through empirical observation (particularly, in the dynamics of voting patterns, internet activity, and protest movements in the past and present). The key concepts of SOC theory and tools for pink noise identification are laid out. The sandpile model has been given special attention. Certain papers have been analyzed in which SOC theory was applied to gain some political science knowledge. According to SOC, in certain cases, there is no need to search for some significant extraordinary factor to shed light on explosive social transformations (including revolutions and other bursts of social and political activity). Social transformations can be induced by quite ordinary - and thus undistinguished - properties of systems, micro-level pro- cesses, and local impulses. SOC theory, therefore, refocuses the attention of researchers from the search for direct causes of events to the identification of states of the subject that generates these events.

scholarly journals Psychotherapy in the era of artificial intelligence: Therapist Panoptes

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexios Brailas
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Feedback Loop ◽  
Therapeutic Agent ◽  
Initial Conditions ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Individual Action ◽  
Self Organized ◽  
Sensitive Dependence ◽  
Technological Singularity ◽  
New Perspective

“What will happen when an artificial intelligence entity has access to all the information stored about me online, with the ability to process my information efficiently and flawlessly? Will such an entity not be, in fact, my ideal therapist?” Would there ever come a point at which you would put your trust in an omniscient, apperceptive, and ultra-intelligent robotic therapist? There is a horizon beyond which we can neither see nor even imagine; this is the technological singularity moment for psychotherapy. If human intelligence is capable of creating an artificial intelligence that surpasses its creators, then this intelligence would, in turn, be able to create an even superior next-generation intelligence. An inevitable positive feedback loop would lead to an exponential intelligence growth rate. In the present paper, we introduce the term Therapist Panoptes as a working hypothesis to investigate the implications for psychotherapy of an artificial therapeutic agent: one that is able to access all available data for a potential client and process these with an inconceivably superior intelligence. Although this opens a new perspective on the future of psychotherapy, the sensitive dependence of complex techno-social systems on their initial conditions renders any prediction impossible. Artificial intelligence and humans form a bio-techno-social system, and the evolution of the participating actors in this complex super-organism depends upon their individual action, as well as upon each actor being a coevolving part of a self-organized whole.

scholarly journals Reflections on the Complexity of Ancient Social Heterarchies: Toward New Models of Social Self-Organization in Pre-Hispanic Colombia

2014 ◽  
Vol 12 (1/2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathalie Mezza-Garcia ◽  
Tom Froese ◽  
Nelson Fernández
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Self Organization ◽  
Political Systems ◽  
Social Self ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Rule Based ◽  
Political Processes ◽  
Self Organized ◽  
Controlled Systems

All political systems have limitations in their information processing and action capacities to face large-scale crises and challenges, but especially if they happen to be too hierarchically and centrally controlled systems. In contrast, some other cultures whose political structure is heterarchically organized, such as the Zenú, the Muiscas, and the Tayronas in pre-Hispanic Colombia, presented adaptiveness even without advanced scientific knowledge and without powerful centralized top-down control. We therefore propose that creating and analyzing computer models of their decentralized processes of management could provide a broader perspective on the possibilities of self-organized political systems. Our hope is that this approach will eventually go beyond the scope of basic science. It seeks to promote more computer-model-based research of social systems that exhibit an adaptive balance of flexibility and robustness, i.e., systems that do not rely on the current ideal of rule-based control of all systemic aspects, with the practical aim of improving current social and political processes.

scholarly journals Nature-Inspired Design for Self-Organized Social Systems: A Tool for Collaborative Communities

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 189-198
Author(s):  
Sumin Lee ◽  
Joon Sang Baek
Keyword(s):  
Unmet Needs ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Self Organization ◽  
Limited Resources ◽  
Learning Effects ◽  
Organisational Structure ◽  
Self Organized ◽  
Collaborative Community ◽  
Student Club

AbstractThis research was motivated by the need to design for self-organized and sustained collaborative communities. A collaborative community is defined as a group of people who are bound by a sense of community and fulfil their unmet needs through collaboration (Baek, Meroni, & Manzini, 2015). A community with limited resources and premature organisational structure and therefore experience an unbalanced workload is fragile. If the community fails to distribute workloads fairly within and the commitment of the sacrificing members is exhausted, it is likely to fall apart. Inspired by the self- organization phenomena in nature, we designed a tool that these communities can use to conceive strategies that contribute to autonomy and collaboration. For validation, we applied the tool to an industrial design student club. The results demonstrate that despite the differences between social and ecological systems, there is a potential to learn from nature to design for self-organized collaborative communities with the condition that one has sufficient knowledge about both the references and the design target. We also discuss the problem-solving and learning effects of the tool.

scholarly journals US social fragmentation at multiple scales

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (159) ◽  
pp. 20190509 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leila Hedayatifar ◽  
Rachel A. Rigg ◽  
Yaneer Bar-Yam ◽  
Alfredo J. Morales
Keyword(s):  
Communication Networks ◽  
Multiple Scales ◽  
Preferential Attachment ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Complex Structure ◽  
Virtual Space ◽  
Network Growth ◽  
Multi Scale ◽  
Self Organized ◽  
American Society

Despite global connectivity, societies seem to be increasingly polarized and fragmented. This phenomenon is rooted in the underlying complex structure and dynamics of social systems. Far from homogeneously mixing or adopting conforming views, individuals self-organize into groups at multiple scales, ranging from families up to cities and cultures. In this paper, we study the fragmented structure of American society using mobility and communication networks obtained from geo-located social media data. We find self-organized patches with clear geographical borders that are consistent between physical and virtual spaces. The patches have multi-scale structure ranging from parts of a city up to the entire nation. Their significance is reflected in distinct patterns of collective interests and conversations. Finally, we explain the patch emergence by a model of network growth that combines mechanisms of geographical distance gravity, preferential attachment and spatial growth. Our observations are consistent with the emergence of social groups whose separated association and communication reinforce distinct identities. Rather than eliminating borders, the virtual space reproduces them as people mirror their offline lives online. Understanding the mechanisms driving the emergence of fragmentation in hyper-connected social systems is imperative in the age of the Internet and globalization.

scholarly journals Ladders of Authority, Status, Responsibility and Ideology: Toward a Typology of Hierarchy in Social Systems

Systems ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 20
Author(s):  
A. Georges L. Romme
Keyword(s):  
Complex System ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Social Mechanisms ◽  
Social Mechanism ◽  
Organization And Management ◽  
Self Organized ◽  
Complex Social Systems ◽  
And Behavior

Hierarchy is a key characteristic of any complex system. This paper explores which notions of hierarchy are being used in the field of organization and management studies. Four distinct types of hierarchy are identified: a ladder of formal decision-making authority, a ladder of achieved status, a self-organized ladder of responsibility and an ideology-based ladder. A social mechanism-based perspective serves to define and distinguish these four types. Subsequently, the typology is further developed by comparing the four hierarchy types in terms of their tacit/explicitness, (in)transitivity and behavior- versus cognition-centeredness. This article contributes to the literature by dissecting the general metaphor of hierarchy into four different constructs and their social mechanisms, which serves to create a typology of the various ways in which complex social systems can be characterized as hierarchical. This typology can inform future research drawing on any type of hierarchy.

scholarly journals Psychotherapy in the era of artificial intelligence: Therapist Panoptes

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexios Brailas
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Feedback Loop ◽  
Therapeutic Agent ◽  
Initial Conditions ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Individual Action ◽  
Self Organized ◽  
Sensitive Dependence ◽  
Technological Singularity ◽  
New Perspective

“What will happen when an artificial intelligence entity has access to all the information stored about me online, with the ability to process my information efficiently and flawlessly? Will such an entity not be, in fact, my ideal therapist?” Would there ever come a point at which you would put your trust in an omniscient, apperceptive, and ultra-intelligent robotic therapist? There is a horizon beyond which we can neither see nor even imagine; this is the technological singularity moment for psychotherapy. If human intelligence is capable of creating an artificial intelligence that surpasses its creators, then this intelligence would, in turn, be able to create an even superior next-generation intelligence. An inevitable positive feedback loop would lead to an exponential intelligence growth rate. In the present paper, we introduce the term Therapist Panoptes as a working hypothesis to investigate the implications for psychotherapy of an artificial therapeutic agent: one that is able to access all available data for a potential client and process these with an inconceivably superior intelligence. Although this opens a new perspective on the future of psychotherapy, the sensitive dependence of complex techno-social systems on their initial conditions renders any prediction impossible. Artificial intelligence and humans form a bio-techno-social system, and the evolution of the participating actors in this complex super-organism depends upon their individual action, as well as upon each actor being a coevolving part of a self-organized whole.

Problem behavior in autism spectrum disorders: A paradigmatic self-organized perspective of network structures

2019 ◽  
Vol 42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucio Tonello ◽  
Luca Giacobbi ◽  
Alberto Pettenon ◽  
Alessandro Scuotto ◽  
Massimo Cocchi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Problem Behaviors ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
The Self ◽  
Network Structures ◽  
Self Organized ◽  
Critical Equilibrium ◽  
Self Organized Criticality ◽  
Acute Agitation ◽  
Spectrum Disorders

AbstractAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) subjects can present temporary behaviors of acute agitation and aggressiveness, named problem behaviors. They have been shown to be consistent with the self-organized criticality (SOC), a model wherein occasionally occurring “catastrophic events” are necessary in order to maintain a self-organized “critical equilibrium.” The SOC can represent the psychopathology network structures and additionally suggests that they can be considered as self-organized systems.

Business: Conceptualizations of Organizational Change Viewed Through the Lens of Power: A Tutorial for the Speech-Language Pathologist/Audiologist Administrator

2011 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-17
Author(s):  
Patrick R. Walden
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Change ◽  
Health Care Organizations ◽  
Social Power ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Front Line ◽  
Organization Level ◽  
Speech Language Pathologist ◽  
Constant State ◽  
Theories Of Change ◽  
Or Organization

Both educational and health care organizations are in a constant state of change, whether triggered by national, regional, local, or organization-level policy. The speech-language pathologist/audiologist-administrator who aids in the planning and implementation of these changes, however, may not be familiar with the expansive literature on change in organizations. Further, how organizational change is planned and implemented is likely affected by leaders' and administrators' personal conceptualizations of social power, which may affect how front line clinicians experience organizational change processes. The purpose of this article, therefore, is to introduce the speech-language pathologist/audiologist-administrator to a research-based classification system for theories of change and to review the concept of power in social systems. Two prominent approaches to change in organizations are reviewed and then discussed as they relate to one another as well as to social conceptualizations of power.

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