Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2003. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The advent of the computer age has seen many fundamental changes in the
economics. The ease with which organisations can store and transmit information in
unprecedented quantities and speeds has changed the face of the economy as well
as the way in which organisations conduct their day to day operations. Information
has become the primary resource for organisational competitiveness and this has
seen an increasing drive for efficient information generation and management in an
economy that is interconnected on a global scale. The demand for better information
management practices is driven by the realisation that the global economy is
susceptible to sudden and unpredictable changes that can potentially have global
consequences. The more information organisations have at their disposal, the better
their chances are of remaining competitive and relevant in the global economy. The
informational economy confronts organisations with two very significant problems,
the first is information overload due to the sheer volume of information that is
available to them. The second problem is that despite the volume of available
information organisations still are not privy to all the information that is required to
lessen the impact of uncertainty that is so characteristic of the global economy.
Organisations therefore always run the' risk of becoming irrelevant if they do not
change constantly. This drive for continuous change and the dependence on
information has led some organisational theorists and economists to compare the
global economy and organisations to nonlinear systems found in nature. Examples of
nonlinear systems are living organisms, ecologies and solar systems. All of these
systems are characterised by high levels of interconnectedness and interdependence
among individual units within a shared environment, which they co-create. Nonlinear
systems are of particular interest to organisational theorists because these systems
process information about the environment to adapt in an unpredictable way to
unpredictable changes. Such systems are incredibly resilient because they are able
to learn and adapt to different conditions. Another notable aspect of nonlinear
systems is the clear structured and complex organisation that they exhibit in the
absence of centralised control mechanisms. Every unit has the liberty to experiment
with new designs and from the success of individual units an organised and stable
system emerges with a strong link between the success of individuals and the whole
system. The order that exists within nonlinear systems is known as self-organisation
because it is not superimposed but emerges instead in a spontaneous manner.
Nonlinear systems are therefore more than just the sum of their parts. The notion of
nonlinear systems and self-organisation has seen authors such as Stacey, Wheatley
and Senge develop new ideas about organisational development, leadership and
organisational strategic thinking. Their ideas are based on what is popularly known
as 'The New Science'. These ideas attempt to encourage organisations realise that
the global economy functions as a nonlinear system and that organisations stand a
better chance of success if they learn to understand the principles of nonlinear
systems and to utilise the inherent creative and organising characteristics of such
systems. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die aanvang van die rekenaar era het verskeie fundamentele veranderinge in
ekonomie mee gebring. Die gemak en snelheid waarmee organisasies informasie
kan stoor en versprei is ongekend en het terselfde tyd die voorkoms van die
ekonomie verander asook die wyse waarop organisasies op 'n daaglikse basis
funksioneer. Informasie het die belangrikste hulpbron geword vir organisasies in
terme van kompetering en dit het 'n groter dryfkrag vir doeltreffende informasie
ontginning en bestuur mee gebring in 'n ekonomie wat op 'n wereldwye skaal in
mekaar gevleg is. Die aanvraag vir beter informasie bestuur praktyke word gedryf deur die wete dat die wereld ekonomie vatbaar is vir skielike en onvoorspelbare
veranderinge wat potensieel 'n wereldwye impak kan he. Hoe meer informasie
organisasies tot hul beskikking het hoe beter is hul kans om relevant en kompeterend
te bly in die wereld ekonomie. Die informasie ekonomie konfronteer organisasies met
twee fundamentele probleme. Die eerste gevaar is dat organisasies oorlaai kan word
met informasie as gevolg van die absolute volume van beskikbare informasie. Die
tweede probleem spruit voort uit die feit dat ten spyte van die beskikbare informasie,
lei organisasies steeds aan 'n gebrek aan algehele informasie, organisasies kan dus
nooit toegang he tot al die informasie wat benodig word om die impak te verminder
van die onsekerheid wat so kenmerkend is van die wereld ekonomie. Organisasies
loop dus altyd die gevaar om irrelevant te raak as hulle nie konstant aanpas by nuwe
omstandighede nie. Hierdie soeke na konstante verandering en die afhanklikheid op
informasie het verskeie organisasie teoretici en ekonome daartoe gelei om 'n
vergelyking te tref tussen die wereld ekonomie en organisasies aan die een kant en
nie-Iiniere sisteme wat in die natuur voorkom. Voorbeelde van sulke sisteme sluit
lewende organismes, ekostelsels en sterre stelsels in. Die komponente van al hierdie
sisteme is op 'n komplekse wyse inmekaar geweef en interafhanklik op mekaar binne
die raamwerk van gemeenskaplike omgewing waarvoor hierdie komponente mede
verantwoordelik is. Nie-liniere sisteme is van besondere belang vir organisasie
teoretici omdat die betrokke sisteme informasie verwerk aangaande hul omgewing
om op 'n onvoorspelbare wyse aan te pas by onvoorspelbare veranderinge in die
omgewing. Sulke sisteme is uitsonderlik standvastig deurdat hulle kan leer en
aanpas by verskillende omstandighede. Nog
'n merkbare aspek van sulke sisteme is
die duidelik gestruktureerde en komplekse organisasie wat bestaan ten spyte van 'n
algehele gebrek aan gesentraliseerde beheer meganismes. Elke komponent is vry
om met 'n nuwe ontwerp te eksperimenteer en vanuit die sukses van die
komponente spruit die sukses van die sisteem. Die organisasie wat sigbaar is in nie-liniere
sisteme staan bekend as self-organisasie omdat dit nie voortspruit uit 'n
sentrale beheer meganisme nie maar instede spontaan onstaan as 'n gevolg van die
aksies van komponente. Nie-Iiniere sisteme het die potensiaal om meer te kan wees
as die somtotaal van hul komponente. Die beginsel van nie-liniere sisteme en selforganisasie
het skrywers soos Stacey, Wheatley en Senge daartoe gelei om nuwe
idees te ontwikkel rakende organisasie ontwikkeling, leierskap en strategiese
beplanning in organisasies. Hierdie idees is gegrond in wat algemeen bekend staan
as 'The New Science'. Die idees van hierdie skrywers is gemik daarop om
organisasies aan te moedig om raak te sien dat die wereld ekonomie soos 'n nie-liniere
sisteem funksioneer en dat organisasies as sulks 'n beter kans staan om sukses
te behaal as hulle sou leer om die beginsels van nie-liniere sisteme te begryp en die
inherente kreatiewe en organiserings eienskappe van sulke sisteme uit te buit.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/53663 |
| Date | 12 1900 |
| Creators | Myburgh, Roche Francois |
| Contributors | Kinghorn, Johann, Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Information Science. Centre for Knowledge Dynamics and Decision-making. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | Unknown |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 113 p. |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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