Phenomenological Turbulence and Innovation in Knowledge Systems

Hearn, Greg; Rooney, David; Mandeville, Thomas

doi:10.1080/08109020308127

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Prometheus

Volume 21, Issue 2

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Phenomenological Turbulence and Innovation in Knowledge Systems

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Author(s): Greg Hearn , David Rooney , Thomas Mandeville

Publication date (Print): June 2003

Journal: Prometheus

Publisher: Pluto Journals

Keywords: Complexity Theory, Knowledge Management, Knowledge Systems, Public Policy, Self-organisation, Self-referencing, Self-transformation

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Abstract

Most considerations of knowledge management focus on corporations and, until recently, considered knowledge to be objective, stable, and asocial. In this paper we wish to move the focus away from corporations, and examine knowledge and national innovation systems. We argue that the knowledge systems in which innovation takes place are phenomenologically turbulent, a state not made explicit in the change, innovation and socio-economic studies of knowledge literature, and that this omission poses a serious limitation to the successful analysis of innovation and knowledge systems. To address this lack we suggest that three evolutionary processes must be considered: self-referencing, self-transformation and self-organisation. These processes, acting simultaneously, enable system cohesion, radical innovation and adaptation. More specifically, we argue that in knowledge-based economies the high levels of phenomenological turbulence drives these processes. Finally, we spell out important policy principles that derive from these processes.

Content

Author and article information

Journal

Journal ID (publisher-id): cpro20

Journal ID (archive): CPRO

Title: Prometheus

Subtitle: Critical Studies in Innovation

Publisher: Pluto Journals

ISSN (Print): 0810-9028

ISSN (Electronic): 1470-1030

Publication date (Print): June 2003

Volume: 21

Issue: 2

Pages: 231-245

Article

Publisher ID: 10032492 Coden ID: Prometheus, Vol. 21, No. 2, June 2003, pp. 231-245

DOI: 10.1080/08109020308127

SO-VID: 572949d6-f9c8-427a-8f31-4e3568003206

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Figures: 0, Tables: 0, References: 43, Pages: 15

References

Hearn G., Mandeville T. and Anthony D.. 1998. . The Communication Superhighway: Social and Economic Change in the Digital Age . , Sydney : : Alien & Unwin. .
Kiel L. D.. 1994. . Managing Chaos and Complexity in Government . , San Francisco : : Jossey-Bass. .
Ninan A. and Hearn G.. 1998. . 'Self-referencing versus self-organising communication: a case study of strategic planning'. . The Australian Journal of Communication . , Vol. 25((3)): 113––9. .
Sardar Z. and Ravetz J. R.. 1994. . 'Complexity: fad or future?'. . Futures, Special Issue . , Vol. 26((6)): 563––696. .
Stacey R.. 1991. . The Chaos Frontier Creative Strategic Control for Business . , Oxford : : Butterworth Heinemann. .
Paquet G.. 1998. . 'Evolutionary cognitive economies'. . Information Economies and Policy . , Vol. I((10)): 343––4. .
Alien P. M.. 2000. . 'Knowledge, ignorance and learning'. . Emergence . , Vol. 2((4)): 78––103. .
Goodwill B.. 1997. . How the Leopard Changed its Spots: The Evolution of Complexity . , London : : Phoenix. .
Merali Y. and Snowden D. J.. 2000. . Special Issue on Complexity and Knowledge Management. . Emergence . , Vol. 2((4)): 5––164. .
Ormerod P.. 1994. . The Death of Economics . , London : : Faber and Faber. .
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Hodgson G. M.. 2000. . 'The concept of emergence in social science: its history and importance'. . Emergence . , Vol. 2((4)): 65––77. .
Louçâ F.. 1997. . Turbulence in Economies: An Evolutionary Appraisal of Cycles Complexity in Historical Processes . , Cheltenham , , UK: : Edward Elgar. .
Chia R.. 1996. . 'The problem of reflexivity in organizational research: towards a postmodern science of organization'. . Organization . , Vol. 3((1)): 31––59. .
Smith K.. 1995. . 'Interactions in knowledge systems: foundations, policy implications and empirical methods'. . OECD S77 Review . , Vol. 16:: 72
Rooney D., Hearn G., Mandeville T. and Joseph R.. 2003. . Public Policy and the Knowledge Economy: Foundations and Frameworks . , London : : Edward Elgar. .
Howkins J.. 2001. . The Creative Economy: How People Make Money from Ideas . , London : : Alien Lane. .
Potts J.. 2000. . The New Evolutionary Microeconomics: Complexity, Competence and Adaptive Behaviour . , Cheltenham , , UK: : Edward Elgar. .
Sveiby K. E.. 1997. . The New Organisational Wealth . , San Francisco : : Berrett-Koehler. .
Alien P. M.. 1992. . 'Evolutionary theory, policy making and planning'. . Journal of Scientific and Industrial Research . , Vol. 51:: 644––57. .
Polanyi M.. 1967. . The Tacit Dimension . , Garden City , NY : : Doubleday. .
Graham P. and Hearn G.. 2000. . Reality's construction of the social- language vs biology vs logistics in human affairs . , Brisbane : : Queensland University of Technology. .
Mitroff I. and Bennis W.. 1989. . The Unreality Industry: The Deliberate Manufacturing of Falsehood and What it is Doing to our Lives . , New York : : Birch Lane Press. .
Hearn G. and Ninan A.. 1998. . 'Self-referencing versus self-organising communication: a case study of strategic planning'. . The Australian Journal of Communication . , Vol. 25((3)): 113––9. .
Laszlo E.. 1992. . 'Information technology and social change: an evolutionary systems analysis'. . Behavioral Science . , Vol. 37:: 240
Castells M.. 1996. . The Rise of the Network Society . , Cambridge , MA : : Blackwell Publishers. .
Mulgan G. J.. 1997. . Connexity: How to Live in a Connected World . , p. 21 London : : Chatto and Windus. .
Friedman T. L.. 1999. . The Lexus and the OKve Tree: Understanding dobalisation . , New York : : Random House. .
Shapiro C. and Varian H.. 1999. . Information Rules: A Strategic Guide to the Network Economy . , Boston : : Harvard Business School Press. .
Machlup F.. 1962. . The Production and Distribution of Knowledge in the United States . , Princeton : : Princeton University Press. .
Campbell D.. 1974. . “'Evolutionary epistemology'. ”. In Language, Development and Culture . , Edited by: Campbell D.. p. 421 New York : : Wiley and Sons. .
Graham P.. 2000. . 'Hypercapitalism: a political economy of informational idealism'. . New Media and Society . , Vol. 2:: 131––56. .
Cohen B.. 1997. . The Edge of Chaos-Financial Booms, Bubbles, Crashes and Chaos . , Chichester : : Wiley. .
Stacey R. D.. 2001. . Complex Responsive Processes in Organizations: Learning and Knowledge Creation . , London : : Routledge. .
Rooney D. and Hearn G.. 1999. . 'The zone of entanglement: change, non-change and the new managerial ideology of ephemera'. . Foresight . , Vol. 1((2)): 141––51. .
Morgan G.. 1997. . Images of Organization . , p. 251––300. . London : : Sage. .
Alien P. M.. 1994. . 'Coherence, chaos and evolution in the social context'. . Futures . , Vol. 26((6)): 583––97. .
Alien P. M.. 1997. . 'Modelling the co-evolution of communications and socioeconomic structure'. . Prometheus . , Vol. 15((1)) April;: 83––100. .

Comments

Comment on this article

[1] Hearn G., Mandeville T. and Anthony D.. 1998. . The Communication Superhighway: Social and Economic Change in the Digital Age . , Sydney : : Alien & Unwin. .

[2] Kiel L. D.. 1994. . Managing Chaos and Complexity in Government . , San Francisco : : Jossey-Bass. .

[3] Ninan A. and Hearn G.. 1998. . 'Self-referencing versus self-organising communication: a case study of strategic planning'. . The Australian Journal of Communication . , Vol. 25((3)): 113––9. .

[4] Sardar Z. and Ravetz J. R.. 1994. . 'Complexity: fad or future?'. . Futures, Special Issue . , Vol. 26((6)): 563––696. .

[6] Stacey R.. 1991. . The Chaos Frontier Creative Strategic Control for Business . , Oxford : : Butterworth Heinemann. .

[7] Paquet G.. 1998. . 'Evolutionary cognitive economies'. . Information Economies and Policy . , Vol. I((10)): 343––4. .

[9] Alien P. M.. 2000. . 'Knowledge, ignorance and learning'. . Emergence . , Vol. 2((4)): 78––103. .

[10] Goodwill B.. 1997. . How the Leopard Changed its Spots: The Evolution of Complexity . , London : : Phoenix. .

[11] Merali Y. and Snowden D. J.. 2000. . Special Issue on Complexity and Knowledge Management. . Emergence . , Vol. 2((4)): 5––164. .

[12] Ormerod P.. 1994. . The Death of Economics . , London : : Faber and Faber. .

[14] Mihata K.. 1997. . “'The persistence of "emergence" '. ”. In Chaos, Complexity and Sociology . , Edited by: Eve R. A., Horsfall S. and Lee M. L.. p. 33 Thousand Oaks , CA : : Sage. .

[15] Boisot M. and Cohen J.. 2000. . 'Shall I compare thee to … an organization?'. . Emergence . , Vol. 2((4)): 113––5. .

[16] Hodgson G. M.. 2000. . 'The concept of emergence in social science: its history and importance'. . Emergence . , Vol. 2((4)): 65––77. .

[17] Louçâ F.. 1997. . Turbulence in Economies: An Evolutionary Appraisal of Cycles Complexity in Historical Processes . , Cheltenham , , UK: : Edward Elgar. .

[18] Chia R.. 1996. . 'The problem of reflexivity in organizational research: towards a postmodern science of organization'. . Organization . , Vol. 3((1)): 31––59. .

[19] Smith K.. 1995. . 'Interactions in knowledge systems: foundations, policy implications and empirical methods'. . OECD S77 Review . , Vol. 16:: 72

[20] Rooney D., Hearn G., Mandeville T. and Joseph R.. 2003. . Public Policy and the Knowledge Economy: Foundations and Frameworks . , London : : Edward Elgar. .

[21] Howkins J.. 2001. . The Creative Economy: How People Make Money from Ideas . , London : : Alien Lane. .

[22] Potts J.. 2000. . The New Evolutionary Microeconomics: Complexity, Competence and Adaptive Behaviour . , Cheltenham , , UK: : Edward Elgar. .

[23] Sveiby K. E.. 1997. . The New Organisational Wealth . , San Francisco : : Berrett-Koehler. .

[24] Alien P. M.. 1992. . 'Evolutionary theory, policy making and planning'. . Journal of Scientific and Industrial Research . , Vol. 51:: 644––57. .

[25] Polanyi M.. 1967. . The Tacit Dimension . , Garden City , NY : : Doubleday. .

[26] Graham P. and Hearn G.. 2000. . Reality's construction of the social- language vs biology vs logistics in human affairs . , Brisbane : : Queensland University of Technology. .

[27] Mitroff I. and Bennis W.. 1989. . The Unreality Industry: The Deliberate Manufacturing of Falsehood and What it is Doing to our Lives . , New York : : Birch Lane Press. .

[28] Hearn G. and Ninan A.. 1998. . 'Self-referencing versus self-organising communication: a case study of strategic planning'. . The Australian Journal of Communication . , Vol. 25((3)): 113––9. .

[29] Laszlo E.. 1992. . 'Information technology and social change: an evolutionary systems analysis'. . Behavioral Science . , Vol. 37:: 240

[30] Castells M.. 1996. . The Rise of the Network Society . , Cambridge , MA : : Blackwell Publishers. .

[31] Mulgan G. J.. 1997. . Connexity: How to Live in a Connected World . , p. 21 London : : Chatto and Windus. .

[32] Friedman T. L.. 1999. . The Lexus and the OKve Tree: Understanding dobalisation . , New York : : Random House. .

[33] Shapiro C. and Varian H.. 1999. . Information Rules: A Strategic Guide to the Network Economy . , Boston : : Harvard Business School Press. .

[34] Machlup F.. 1962. . The Production and Distribution of Knowledge in the United States . , Princeton : : Princeton University Press. .

[35] Campbell D.. 1974. . “'Evolutionary epistemology'. ”. In Language, Development and Culture . , Edited by: Campbell D.. p. 421 New York : : Wiley and Sons. .

[37] Graham P.. 2000. . 'Hypercapitalism: a political economy of informational idealism'. . New Media and Society . , Vol. 2:: 131––56. .

[38] Cohen B.. 1997. . The Edge of Chaos-Financial Booms, Bubbles, Crashes and Chaos . , Chichester : : Wiley. .

[39] Stacey R. D.. 2001. . Complex Responsive Processes in Organizations: Learning and Knowledge Creation . , London : : Routledge. .

[40] Rooney D. and Hearn G.. 1999. . 'The zone of entanglement: change, non-change and the new managerial ideology of ephemera'. . Foresight . , Vol. 1((2)): 141––51. .

[41] Morgan G.. 1997. . Images of Organization . , p. 251––300. . London : : Sage. .

[42] Alien P. M.. 1994. . 'Coherence, chaos and evolution in the social context'. . Futures . , Vol. 26((6)): 583––97. .

[43] Alien P. M.. 1997. . 'Modelling the co-evolution of communications and socioeconomic structure'. . Prometheus . , Vol. 15((1)) April;: 83––100. .

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