Contents:
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
C&HK
Homepage
Subscriptions
Index,
forewords and abstracts to back volumes |
|
Sociotechnics
and the Structuring of Meaning: Beyond the Idea of Autopoietic Social Systems
By Kurt
Dauer Keller
Abstract: Luhmann’s remarkable
idea of social systems may appear to be potentially helpful for the conceptualization
of social life as it relates to systems, not least technical systems. Established
concepts of sociotechnical systems are not sufficient for guiding the ‘wild
growing’ discussion and formation of social systems in relation to, for
instance, research and development on computer-supported work. Luhmann’s
theory of autopoietic social systems might seem to offer the higly required
understanding of social life as being based upon meaning. However, a critical
investigation of Luhmann’s position reveals that it can hardly be useful
in this regard. A phenomenological approach suggesting a focus on ‘play
and games’ is briefly introduced to indicate how the problems of Luhmann’s
position may be avoided.
|