Society and the moral semantics of the COVID-19 pandemic: a social systems approach

Kybernetes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco X. Morales
Keyword(s):  
Systems Approach ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Second Order ◽  
Critical Transition ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Moral Communication ◽  
Moral Semantics ◽  
Healthcare Politics ◽  
Healthcare Crisis

PurposeIn a context of critical transition such as the COVID-19 pandemic, moral semantics take a prominent role as a form of self-description of society. However, they are not usually observed, but rather assumed as self-evident and necessarily “good.” The purpose of the article is to summarize the theory of morality from the social systems' perspective and illustrate with concrete examples the polemogenous nature of moral communication.Design/methodology/approachThis article presents an analysis of the role of morality in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, from the perspective of Niklas Luhmann’s social systems theory. Applying the method of second-order observation, it describes three cases of moral semantics disseminated via mass media and social media, and it examines their connection with the structural situation of subsystems of society during the pandemic crisis (particularly healthcare, politics and science).FindingsSecond-order observation of moral communication demonstrates to be fruitful to describe the conditions and consequences in which moralization of communication occurs, particularly in a situation of critical transition around the healthcare crisis. The three examples examined, namely, the hero semantics directed to healthcare workers, the semantics of indiscipline and the controversies around pseudo-sciences and conspiracy theories, show how they are based on social attribution of esteem and disesteem, how they try to answer to troublesome situations and contradictions that seem difficult to cope, and how they are close related to the emergence of conflicts, even when they seem positive oriented and well intentioned.Originality/valueThis paper is an attempt to test the usefulness of Luhmann's theory of society to understand the ongoing COVID-19 crisis and particularly the role of moral communication in concrete examples.

Moral communication and legal uncertainty in small and medium enterprises

Kybernetes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Winczorek
Keyword(s):  
Systems Theory ◽  
Legal System ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Functional Differentiation ◽  
Theoretical Issue ◽  
Sociology Of Law ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Moral Communication ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Legal Uncertainty

PurposeThe links between moral communication and legal communication have long been studied in sociology of law. Little has yet been said about moral communication invoking when communication in the legal system is impossible, ineffective or uncertain. The paper fills this gap to demonstrate that systems theory-based sociology of law can effectively recognise the role of moral communication in such situations.Design/methodology/approachThe paper presents an empirical study of moral communication in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It focused on situations when SMEs' interactions with function systems, particularly the legal system, result in irremovable legal uncertainty. The data depict strategies of managing such uncertainty and were obtained in a paths-to-justice survey of 7,292 owners and managers of SMEs and 101 in-depth interviews. The findings are interpreted using the author's concept of “uncertainty translation”, rooted in Luhmann's systems theory. It suggests that business organisations such as SMEs deal with the ubiquitous uncertainty in their operations by translating it into a convenient type.FindingsThe study distinguishes between formative and absorbing moral communication and finds that both types play a role in steering the uncertainty translation mechanism in SMEs. Six scenarios of invoking moral communication are identified in SMEs dealing with legal uncertainty. In such scenarios, moral communication facilitates the translation of business uncertainty “away from law”. Under some circumstances, this, in turn, leads to latent systematic results, reflexively affecting the legal system, the economic system and the SMEs.Research limitations/implicationsIn its core argument, the study is based on qualitative material. While it identifies empirical scenarios of invoking moral communication, it does not report the prevalence of these scenarios due to methodological limitations.Originality/valueThe study results pose questions related to the staple theoretical issue in post-Luhmannian social systems theory: functional differentiation. If moral communication–a type of communication not linked to any social system–can produce far-reaching, systematic results that affect function systems, then the functional differentiation thesis should be less pronounced than Luhmann typically stressed. This said, the paper argues that the contradiction between the findings and Luhmannian theory of morality is only apparent and may be reconciled.

Second-order error; error that illuminates context

Kybernetes ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 43 (9/10) ◽  
pp. 1354-1361
Author(s):  
Ted Krueger
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Second Order ◽  
Order Error ◽  
Content Type

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose a novel classification of errors. Design/methodology/approach – A review of the classification of errors in several disciplines is undertaken. Findings – The role of errors in the delineation of the frameworks in which they occur is suggested.

Consumer engagement with eWOM on social media: the role of social capital

2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 482-505 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yaniv Gvili ◽  
Shalom Levy
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Second Order ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Consumer Engagement ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Order Construct ◽  
Channel Type

Purpose The nature of digital media channels are important factors in explaining consumers’ behavior over the Web, and specifically on social network sites (SNS). The purpose of this paper is to propose a conceptual framework explaining consumer engagement with electronic word of mouth (eWOM) communication via SNS, based on key attributes of this media channel. Design/methodology/approach Based on the expectancy value theory (EVT), a conceptual framework is proposed to model the effect of eWOM channel attributes on eWOM engagement process. Consumer eWOM engagement is conceptualized as a second-order construct. A structural equation modeling procedure was employed to empirically test the model using data collected from two social media communication channels. Findings First, results suggest that engagement with eWOM can be conceptualized as a second-order construct based on user tendency to receive or share eWOM with other network members. Second, the path analysis model supports the employment of EVT and shows that two key attributes of eWOM channels, social capital and credibility, significantly affect consumer attitude toward eWOM via SNS. Attitude toward eWOM, in turn, affects eWOM engagement. Third, SNS channel type moderates the effect on attitude. Practical implications Marketing communication practitioners should note that the strength of social ties plays a key role in spreading eWOM on SNS effectively. This insight should be employed a part of social media marketing strategy. Originality/value This is first research that models the effect of social media attributes on eWOM engagement and demonstrates the moderating role of channel type. The model is highly valuable in light of the importance of the concept of engagement in internet research.

scholarly journals Designing for events – a new perspective on event design

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiara Orefice
Keyword(s):  
Social Systems ◽  
Service Design ◽  
Value Systems ◽  
Design Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Strategic Design ◽  
New Perspective ◽  
Meaningful Experiences

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the paradigm shift towards event design predominant research by presenting an analysis of how the concept of event design has developed in the events literature and by exploring a new perspective based on its contribution to value co-creation. Design/methodology/approach Theory from design management and service design is discussed to provide insights on the role of event design as contributing to the creation of value in social systems. Findings A new framework for categorising the role of event design is proposed, called the Event Design Ladder. Event design is no longer considered as a problem solving activity, but as a contributor to value creation and an ongoing pursuit carried out over time and space. Stakeholders become co-designers of value systems. Research limitations/implications Service design and design management literature offer interesting potential for event researchers to advance the conceptualisation of event design. Considering events as platforms for long-term stakeholder engagement implies that the concept of design becomes strategic. Design as strategy is identified as a new area of event research. Originality/value This paper proposes a new perspective on events considered as catalysts of value systems, where the role of design is not only to orchestrate meaningful experiences but to facilitate collaboration across projects, integrating resources and building on stakeholders’ skills and knowledge. Theories of practice are explored as a way to theorise and carry out research on how value is co-created by actors.

Absorptive capacity and disaster immunity: the mediating role of information quality and change management capability

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Kiarash Sadeghi ◽  
Elisabeth Struckell ◽  
Divesh Ojha ◽  
David Nowicki
Keyword(s):  
Change Management ◽  
Absorptive Capacity ◽  
Complex Adaptive Systems ◽  
Adaptive Systems ◽  
Information Quality ◽  
Second Order ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Management Capability

Purpose Service organization supply chains provide a context that amplifies the complexity of interorganizational interdependencies and the need to build unique capabilities and innovative solutions, especially when confronted with man-made or natural disasters. Using the lens of complex adaptive systems (CAS), this study aims to investigate the role of absorptive capacity (AC), change management capability and information quality in improving a firm’s ability to cope with disasters – disaster immunity (DI). The study uniquely parses absorptive capacity into a three-variable, second-order construct (absorptive human resource management, absorptive complementary knowledge and absorptive infrastructure). Design/methodology/approach Using data collected from 264 US service firms in a supply chain context, this paper evaluates the research model using the structural equation modeling approach. Findings The second-order, three-dimensional framework for AC has far superior psychometric properties as compared to the previous unidimensional conceptualizations. Results show that AC influences a firm’s DI through change management capability and information quality – two DI enhancing resources. Originality/value The paper builds on previous conceptual discussions of absorptive capacity as a multidimensional construct by operationalizing AC as a latent variable with three dimensions (above). Moreover, this paper shows that AC, change management capability, information quality and DI are interrelated parts of a CAS.

Resonanzfähigkeit: resonance capability in Luhmannian systems theory

Kybernetes ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (10) ◽  
pp. 2493-2507 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlton Clark
Keyword(s):  
Child Labor ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Modern Society ◽  
Niklas Luhmann ◽  
System Complexity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Moral Communication ◽  
Sociological Literature ◽  
Google Books

Purpose This paper aims to contribute to the sociological literature on moral communication and disciplinary apparatuses in a functionally differentiated society. It combines Luhmannian and Foucauldian theories to further the understanding of social system complexity. Design/methodology/approach The paper draws on the work of Niklas Luhmann, Michel Foucault and others to explore resonance capability, disciplinary apparatuses and the complexity–sustainability trade-off. The argument is illustrated with a discussion of the late-nineteenth- to early-twentieth-century anti-child labor movement. Findings The paper argues that organizations are better equipped than function systems to draw moral distinctions. Given the amorality of the function systems and the increasing secularization of modern society, a great deal of moral communication now occurs in non-religious organizations. These social systems increase their complexity in response to new problems, but the increased system complexity may become unsustainable. Research limitations/implications The paper contributes to the growing sociological literature that compares and sometimes attempts to synthesize the theories of Luhmann and Foucault. It also contributes to the literature on organizational theory. Originality/value The paper brings together the work of Luhmann, Foucault, Valentinov and others to advance the understanding of organizations and moral communication in a functionally differentiated society. It uses Google Books Ngrams, among other resources, to support the argument.

scholarly journals Strategies for inclusive place making

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tore Omholt
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Design Theory ◽  
Systems Approach ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Organization Design ◽  
Knowledge Bases ◽  
Strategy Development ◽  
Place Making ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Face To Face

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present a new approach for analyzing place making structure and processes and discuss strategies for inclusive place making in urban areas. Design/methodology/approach The theoretical approach is based on social systems theory and organization design theory, representing a constructionist and socio-structural approach to inclusive place making. The methodology is based on a comparative analysis of three cases of inclusive place making. Findings The main findings are that place making systems today lack the necessary complexity in their politics and planning to secure inclusive place making and fail to organize for face-to-face interactions in place making processes. Research limitations/implications In a social systems approach, the author observes how place stakeholders and systems observe place making realities and problems and constructs place images. This introduces some degree of uncertainty into the analyses but constitutes an effective basis for studying inclusive strategy development. Practical implications The findings indicate that observing how place stakeholders construct their opinions about the problems and possibilities for inclusive place making and face-to-face interactions probably constitutes the best basis for practical support for inclusive place making. Social implications The paper directs attention to the fact that current urban development strategies and policies toward inclusion of groups with limited resources today lack the necessary knowledge bases and means to deal effectively with the complexity related to current inclusion problems. Originality/value The paper demonstrates that an approach, which supplements the basic governance systems with face-to-face interactions, can deal effectively with today’s problems of inclusivity.

scholarly journals Public art and ritual transformation in Northern Ireland

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 187-203
Author(s):  
Hilary Downey ◽  
John F. Sherry
Keyword(s):  
Northern Ireland ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
Public Art ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Community Cohesion ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Grief Work ◽  
Sacrificial Ritual

PurposeThe actual uses to which public art is put have been virtually ignored, leaving multifarious dynamics related to its esthetic encounters unexplored. Both audience agency in placemaking and sensemaking and the agentic role of place as more than a mere platform or stage dressing for transformation are routinely neglected. Such transformative dynamics are analyzed and interpreted in this study of the Derry–Londonderry Temple, a transient mega-installation orchestrated by bricoleur artist David Best and co-created by sectarian communities in 2015.Design/methodology/approachA range of ethnographic methods and supplemental netnography were employed in the investigation.FindingsParticipants inscribed expressions of their lived experience of trauma on the Temple's infrastructure, on wood scrap remnants or on personal artifacts dedicated for interment. These inscriptions and artifacts became objects of contemplation for all participants to consider and appreciate during visitation, affording sectarian citizens opportunity for empathic response to the plight of opposite numbers. Thousands engaged with the installation over the course of a week, registering sorrow, humility and awe in their interactions, experiencing powerful catharsis and creating temporary cross-community comity. The installation and the grief work animating it were introjected by co-creators as a virtual legacy of the engagement.Originality/valueThe originality of the study lies in its theorizing of the successful delivery of social systems therapy in an esthetic modality to communities traditionally hostile to one another. This sustained encounter is defined as traumaturgy. The sacrificial ritual of participatory public art becomes the medium through which temporary cross-community cohesion is achieved.

Community-based research: enabling civil society’s self-organisation

Kybernetes ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 44 (6/7) ◽  
pp. 903-912 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zoraida Mendiwelso-bendek
Keyword(s):  
Social Transformation ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Deep Understanding ◽  
Community Empowerment ◽  
Active Citizenship ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Community Based Research ◽  
Self Organisation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss the contribution of community-based research to the self-organisation of Civil Society and in particular to community engagement, policy processes and social change. Design/methodology/approach – Starting from communities own issues and organisational structures, this paper presents a methodology to create spaces for social transformation. Its approach was designing engagement programmes of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) with communities’ partnerships, supported by constructed conversations, workshops and fieldwork, coproducing knowledge within community structures. Findings – The research offers evidence that supporting community empowerment and engagement with community-based research needs a deep understanding of participatory social processes. It makes visible that researchers should have more opportunities to focus their research on communities rather than on collecting data to respond to funders. Research limitations/implications – Though community self-organisation happens one way or the other effective self-organisation processes cannot be taken for granted and need further studies and elaboration. Despite current efforts it requires more studies to understand social systems and develop stronger links to active citizenship policies. Practical implications – This research contributes to communities’ engagement in policy processes and highlights the enabling role of HEIs. Originality/value – It rearticulates participatory approaches to active citizenship and learning in communities.

scholarly journals The SNAP Platform: social networking for academic purposes

2010 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 118-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keith Kirkwood
Keyword(s):  
Social Networking ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Systems Approach ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
Learning Support ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Learning Platforms

PurposeThis paper aims to introduce an enterprise‐wide Web 2.0 learning support platform – SNAP, developed at Victoria University in Melbourne, Australia.Design/methodology/approachPointing to the evolution of the social web, the paper discusses the potential for the development of e‐learning platforms that employ constructivist, connectivist, and participatory pedagogies and actively engage the student population. Social networking behaviours and peer‐learning strategies, along with knowledge management through guided folksonomies, provide the back‐bone of a social systems approach to learning support.FindingsThe development of a cloud‐based read‐write enterprise platform can extend the responsiveness of the learning institution to its students and to future e‐learning innovations.Originality/valueThe full potential of e‐learning platforms for the development of learning communities of practice can now be increasingly realised. The SNAP Platform is a step in this direction.

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