Search results

Holism is a familiar concept, but it lacks a coherent definition in either theory or practice. This impedes common understanding and realistic observation and action. At the heart of the problem is the inevitability of human specialisation, which tends to be accompanied by a lack of cooperation, especially of an interdisciplinary nature. False holism may result in unpleasant surprises due to oversights. People who are able to avoid them tend to employ, even though tacitly, the law of requisite holism. This article seeks to explain this phenomenon by associating it with the practice of entrepreneurial management.

An ecologically sustainable future calls for fruitful dialogues between spirituality, modern science and policymaking at large. What could be that connects them all? We found out that ideas about holism exist across time, space, culture and thinkers – ranging from mathematics, philosophy, sociology, medicine, education, religion and quantum physics to finding its roots in ancient Indian Vedic tradition and later usage in Greek and Roman cultures.

This chapter takes a look at the history and intricacies of two seemingly distinct but interconnected fields – spirituality and modern science, particularly quantum science – with an aim to uncover what these fields can teach us about the idea of holism. This chapter, therefore, highlights one of the most fundamental and profound spiritual principles of the unity and interconnectedness of the entire universe – encapsulated in the concept of holism – and its practical applications in approaching sustainable development. We hope to ignite further research on this topic.

Outlines the findings of a mail questionnaire sent to 100 female graduates of one Canadian University in 1996. Indicates significant relationships between workaholism and extra‐work satisfaction, poorer wellbeing, health and stress. Advocates further research in this area to validate findings.

To show that systems theory (ST) has surfaced as innovation of worldview and thinking, aimed at holism. After ST's subordination to narrow specialists using it inside traditional disciplines, if at all, humankind needs a new innovation of ST. An option is offered.

Mulej's Dialectical ST is applied as worldview and methodology of requisite holism using Mulej's Dialectical System concept.

Mulej's Dialectical System concept applies to synergies of several STs, not only viewpoints. Here, six soft STs and the social responsibility (SR) concept are combined around human subjective starting points aimed at holism and innovation, including ethics of interdependence. Combination offers new insights.

Research is limited to soft STs and implies knowledge of more STs and SR as well as participants' readiness for creative interdisciplinary co‐operation.

The new concept offers a new step toward increased innovation capacity, especially toward innovation of culture toward requisite holism and innovation. This is a crucial precondition for survival in the modern global society and economy.

The authors know neither books nor articles presenting synergies of several STs and SR nor their application to preconditions of innovation.

This paper aims to suggest a new way toward reliability of contents of business information, on which quality of business critically depends. Contribution considers two problems: how to innovate information support for business with non‐technological innovations? And how can enterprises improve reliability of information for their work?

In this paper, qualitative analysis on the basis of the dialectical systems theory and business cybernetics is applied.

Modern markets require innovated business concepts. They include creation and implementation of requisitely holistic information support. Hence, enterprises need information management innovation. The use of requisite holism (as non‐technical innovation) to increase content‐reliability of business information is discussed. Matching information requirements by business cybernetics based on dialectical systems thinking can diminish errors by providing requisite holism.

Research is limited to three hypotheses and qualitative analysis in desk research. Practical experience is considered indirectly.

The habit of limiting business information to financial information or marketing information separately as well as the habit of discussing mostly or even only, information reliability from technical support viewpoints, is attacked. An alternative is suggested.

The available literature does not provide for a similar model of how to provide information that is reliable in terms of its contents by matching Mulej/Kajzer's law of requisite holism.

The corporate social responsibility (CSR) is an essential topic of both life and sociocybernetics. It requires businesspersons and other decision makers to be broad and hence to apply inter‐disciplinarity incorporating many, mutually partly different and therefore interdependent, viewpoints for requisite holism. To do so, they should use systems thinking. But the modern diversity of systems theories, including cybernetics, opens the issue: which systems theory and/or cybernetic should one use? Aims to discuss the dialectical systems theory (DST), its definition of holism and its definition of the seven principal groups of notions making systems thinking possible, when applied in a synergy. This may lead to a requisite holism, and hence to efficiency and effectiveness of the work on and of the CSR; it has often been done so in the 30 years of DST.

Desk research and indirect field research were used. The concept of CSR is a rather soft topic. It demands a holistic treatment and hence a plural theoretical foundation following recent trends in economics (business and environmental), management as well as systems thinking. The problem was investigated empirically from the systems‐oriented perspective supported by DST, because it tackles human personality and impacts over it and by it, rather than offers tools for people to use for whatever purposes.

The CSR concept belongs in sociocyberbetics linking cybernetics, systems theory and social aspects of the reality. The definition of CSR requires humans to think, decide, and act on a very broad basis rather than to reduce their horizons to the narrow habit of businesses to find profit only essential. CSR links the hard‐systemic and soft‐systemic versions of modern systems theories. It could be seen as an attribute of human personality and as a process between humans and organisations.

As CSR has many dimensions (economic, environmental and social ones, at least), the research focused on the requisitely holistic performance of an organisation being aware of diversified needs of multi‐stakeholders (including its own employees, as well).

The research findings and conclusions can support endeavors to implement the CSR concept in practice: in organisations, among different stakeholders and broader public audience (including governmental institutions and communities).

The paper provides the theoretical foundation to raise and improve socially responsible activities by supporting a maturing management philosophy approaching the viable, balanced organisation.

To show that holism, which has been the original aim of the systems theory as a worldview of holism rather than reductionism, is best attained by application of those versions of systems theory that result from synergies of mutually complementary systems theories as methodologies.

Mulej's dialectical systems theory (DST) is applied as worldview and methodology of requisite holism using Mulej's dialectical systems concept.

Two methodologies of co‐operative systems thinking – the network thinking and the DST – are compatible and complementary. They can be used for development of a new systems theory.

Research is limited to making a methodology helping managers attain more holism in a new synergy of two well established systems theories. Its application is expected with managers of business organizations.

The new concept was tried in railway management successfully. But this paper is too short to contain this application.

Authors neither know books nor articles presenting the new “Dialectical Network Thinking” theory nor its application except for their own unpublished texts.

The purpose of this paper is to suggest a more holistic definition and basic guidelines for implementation of specific cybernetics dealing with business systems (BSs) from the viewpoint of managing them. The paper aims to consider three problems: how to develop a general methodology of requisitely holistic thinking for business cybernetics (BC) and its application; how to consider the attributes of BC (e.g. all attributes of BC and their generalization in BSs); and how to recognize and define relations between attributes of BC and their synergies.

In this paper, qualitative analysis on the basis of the cybernetics (e.g. especially general cybernetics), BC (different) systems theories, and dialectical systems theory is applied.

BC is shown to be a specific cybernetic dealing with BSs from viewpoint of managing/impacting on them. Thus, BC is trying to complete previous cognitions about possible approaches for managing/impacting on BSs. It covers the basic, information, and managerial processes, their interdependences, the resulting interaction and synergies. In addition, BC is also trying to make room for consideration of the general, group‐specific, and individual parts of attributes of BSs. BC itself is based on the concept of the Dialectical Systems Theory that the law of requisite holism is met by dialectical system which creates synergetic networks of all essential kinds of cybernetics.

Research is limited to three hypotheses and qualitative analysis in desk research. Practical experience is considered implicitly.

Authors falsifying the practice of prevailing general approach to researching and understanding of management in BSs (as an area of human activity with specific characteristics) from cybernetics viewpoint. This paper suggests a more specifically created and target‐oriented approach for cybernetic understanding and researching of BSs.

The available literature does not provide for a similar concept and/or model of specific cybernetics dealing with BSs from the viewpoint of managing BSs or their impact.

This study aims to understand the practices and perceptions of education for sustainable development (ESD) in the university classrooms of Malaysia, exploring how holistic, pluralistic and action-oriented approaches to ESD were linked to their knowingness, attitudes and behavior regarding sustainability.

The perceptions of 2,678 students and 1,013 teachers from a range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses at four Malaysian universities were surveyed. Their views of ESD and sustainability consciousness (SC) were recorded on five-point Likert-type scales, and the resulting data was investigated using descriptive and analytical statistics.

Holistic, pluralistic and action-oriented approaches to ESD teaching and learning were widespread in Malaysian universities, with significant associations found between ESD approaches and SC. While all three approaches enhanced each aspect of SC, the results indicated the need to develop action-oriented approaches more fully.

This research underlines the importance of sustainability education in the context of higher education. It provides empirical evidence for developing action-oriented approaches to ESD and confirms the utility of holistic content and pluralistic pedagogy to the teaching and learning of sustainability.

Cognitive style has been identified to be significantly influential in deciding users' preferences of search engines. In particular, Witkin's field dependence/independence has been widely studied in the area of web searching. It has been suggested that this cognitive style has conceptual links with the holism/serialism. This study aims to investigate the differences between the field dependence/independence and holism/serialism.

An empirical study was conducted with 120 students from a UK university. Riding's cognitive style analysis (CSA) and Ford's study preference questionnaire (SPQ) were used to identify the students' cognitive styles. A questionnaire was designed to identify users' preferences for the design of search engines. Data mining techniques were applied to analyse the data obtained from the empirical study.

The results highlight three findings. First, a fundamental link is confirmed between the two cognitive styles. Second, the relationship between field dependent users and holists is suggested to be more prominent than that of field independent users and serialists. Third, the interface design preferences of field dependent and field independent users can be split more clearly than those of holists and serialists.

The contributions of this study include a deeper understanding of the similarities and differences between field dependence/independence and holists/serialists as well as proposing a novel methodology for data analyses.