Title: Setting the theoretical stage: a reply to Magala

Authors: Maurice Yolles

Addresses: Centre for the Creation of Coherent Change and Knowledge, Liverpool John Moores University, John Foster Building, 98 Mount Pleasant, Liverpool, L3 5UZ, UK

Abstract: This article is a reply to the paper in this issue by Slawomir J. Magala |Commentary: Setting the theoretical stage|. He comments that the use of my core social viable systems model from knowledge cybernetics depends crucially on its adequacy of use in their bridging of the gap between two views: that culture is a relatively stable and identifiable causal factor triggering human behaviour, and that culture (a la Hofstede) is a mutable flow of action resources, which is co-shaped by social interactions, modified by learning loops and continuously corrected by self-reflexive actions. The consideration of learning loops requires an incite into the nature of cybernetics and feedback, and so I will begin with this. Comment is also made on the nature of culture from that follow Sorokin which predates Hofstede by more than 30 years. Magala also is interested in a better understanding of the Maruyama Universes, and a clearer understanding of the nature of the recursive approach, as well as the relationship between domains and processes of the model. This paper briefly attempts to respond to these questions.

Keywords: knowledge cybernetics; social viable systems model; culture; Sorokin; Maruyama universes; recursion; domains; processes; social interactions; learning loops; self-reflexive actions; feedback.

DOI: 10.1504/EJCCM.2010.031993

European Journal of Cross-Cultural Competence and Management, 2010 Vol.1 No.2/3, pp.146 - 156

Published online: 03 Mar 2010 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article