CYBERNETICS & HUMAN KNOWING

Volume 6 No. 2, 1999

Darek M. Eriksson and Volker Wulf: Self-Organising Social Systems: A Challenge to Computer Supported Cooperative Work Full Text

Christiane Floyd: Software Development Process: Some Reflections on its Cultural, Political and Ethical Aspects from a Constructivist Epistemology Point of View  Abstract

Katharina Just-Hahn and Thomas Herrmann: Step-by-Step: A Method to Support Self-organized Co-ordination
within Workflow Management Systems  Abstract

Michael Paetau: Can Virtual Enterprises Build up an Own Identity? Abstract

Volker Wulf: Evolving Cooperation when Introducing Groupware:
A Self-Organization Perspective Abstract

Kurt Dauer Keller: Sociotechnics and the Structuring of Meaning: Beyond the Idea of Autopoietic Social Systems  Abstract

The artist of this issue is Bruno Kjaer

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Index, forewords and abstracts to back volumes

Abstract: Self-organized units arrange their work in accordance with local rules. Those rules being implemented in a workflow management systems . Such arrangements may be modified by individuals, which may affect the unit’s work as well as the interaction between units. Each modification may cause organizational problems affecting one, several or even all individuals within the organization. This paper discusses and introduces the method Step-by-Step. It is meant to support the modification of workflow models by end-users and to catch the effects that occur when the flexibility to modify business processes and WMS is given to the end-user. Section three points out major questions in order to catch the effects, like Who is affected? Who needs to be informed? etc. The method itself is introduced within section four. The paper closes with the discussion of open questions.