Principles of Self-Organization — In a Socio-Managerial Context

Abstract

I have to confess that when I first received the kind invitation from Dr. Probst to participate in a meeting entitled "Management and Self-Organization in Social Systems" I was not quite clear about my role in such a meeting. I am not a stranger to the notion of Self-Organization; but when I considered it in the context of management and, moreover, in the environment of a Hochschule für Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaften, I felt lost. I understand so little about management that already in grade school my teachers complained that this boy is unmanageable. In fact, I had to look "management" up in my dictionary (1). Here I found that it is derived from... "constraining the movement of hands", having the same root as "to manacle", that is, putting someone into handcuffs: I was prepared to decline this invitation.