Chris Corrigan Menu
  • Blog
  • Services
    • What I do
    • How I work
  • Resources
    • Books in my library
    • Facilitation Resources
    • Open Space Resources
      • Planning an Open Space Technology Meeting
  • Courses
  • About
    • Books and Papers
    • CV and Client list
    • Music
    • Who I am
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • Services
    • What I do
    • How I work
  • Resources
    • Books in my library
    • Facilitation Resources
    • Open Space Resources
      • Planning an Open Space Technology Meeting
  • Courses
  • About
    • Books and Papers
    • CV and Client list
    • Music
    • Who I am
  • Contact

Art Kleiner on the organization as living body

March 29, 2011 By Chris Corrigan BC, Organization

The new issue of Fieldnotes is out from ALIA and within it, Art Kleiner muses about the metaphor of the body’s systems as a way of understanding information flow in organizations:

 

–     The hierarchy is a circulatory system for messages of authority; specifically, for anything that can be expressed as a number. It is the means by which the organization seeks scale. It flows from and to the top: the CEO and then the shareholders or owners. It might be analogous to muscle coordination.

–     The network conveys knowledge – in the form of gossip, guidance, information about opportunities, and anything else that people talk about easily. It is the means by which the organization develops its capabilities. It flows from and to a broad base of people throughout (and outside) the company. It might be analogous to neural networks.

–     The market is the exchange of goods, services, and money within an organization and its value chain. It is the means by which the organization manages its workflow. It transmits anything that can be bought, sold, or traded, flowing ultimately to the customer. It might be analogous to the cardiovascular system.

–     The clan is the family or community-like circulatory system, operating below the surface of every organization (and often subconsciously). It is the means by which a company’s culture is maintained, with a “core group” of its most important people at the center. The organization establishes its view of legitimacy through the clan. It might be analogous to the endocrine system.

via The Organization is Alive | ALIA Institute.

Art will be among the faculty at the ALIA Summer Institute this year, where I’m also teaching again.

Share:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)

Related

Share
  • Tweet
The true bottom line in business is life.
The week's tweets
Find Interesting Things
Events
  • Complexity from the Inside Out with Caitlin Frost, October to December 2022
Resources
  • A list of books in my library
  • Facilitation Resources
  • Open Space Resources
  • Planning an Open Space Technology meeting
SIGN UP

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.
  

Find Interesting Things

© 2015 Chris Corrigan. All rights reserved. | Site by Square Wave Studio

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.