Emerging Autopoietic Communities – Scalability of Knowledge Transfer in Complex Systems

IFIP International Workshop on Distributed Knowledge Management, 2008

8 Pages Posted: 13 Feb 2011 Last revised: 1 Dec 2011

See all articles by Susu Nousala

Susu Nousala

Aalto University; University of Melbourne

William P. Hall

University of Melbourne - Melbourne School of Engineering; Kororoit Institute

Date Written: October 18, 2008

Abstract

Knowledge-based communities are important but poorly understood systems for helping enterprises maintain their organizational integrity and address organizational imperatives. Based on an autopoietic theory of organization, we examine the emergence and development of knowledge-based communities at different scales up to large distributed enterprises and industry clusters. Knowledge-based communities are highly complex systems that evolve and mature through the phased emergence of new features and capabilities. Development and support of successfully sustainable communities needs to be based on a better understanding of how these features and capabilities emerge. To comprehend the impact of emergent behavior within and beyond organizational communities requires an understanding of the social or sociological aspects of a system in relation to the explicit formal/physical structures in the organization.

Keywords: Organization Theory, Autopoiesis, Community of Practice, Knowledge Management, Complexity, Emergence

JEL Classification: D21, D70, D83, J24, L15, M12, M14, M54, O31, O32

Suggested Citation

Nousala, Susu and Hall, William P., Emerging Autopoietic Communities – Scalability of Knowledge Transfer in Complex Systems (October 18, 2008). IFIP International Workshop on Distributed Knowledge Management, 2008, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1760585

Susu Nousala (Contact Author)

Aalto University ( email )

P.O. Box 21210
Aalto, FI-00076
Finland

University of Melbourne ( email )

Parkville
Melbourne, 3000
Australia

William P. Hall

University of Melbourne - Melbourne School of Engineering ( email )

185 Pelham Street
Carlton, Victoria 3053
Australia

HOME PAGE: http://www.orgs-evolution-knowledge.net

Kororoit Institute ( email )

127 Power Street
St Albans, Vic. 3021
Australia

HOME PAGE: http://kororoit.org

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