Systemic Paradigms Research Articles

Requirements of complexity for complex organizational conceptions

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to propose a way of asking about organizational conceptions. Some years ago, Edgar Morin proposed the paradigm of complexity as the one that opposes to and contains both the mechanicist and the systemic paradigms, which he calls simplifiers. Based on these paradigms, some of their principles, as well as their influence in organizational thinking are studied here, looking for the establishment of a set of considerations to be taken into account when treating an organizational conception as complex.Design/methodology/approachTen paradigmatic principles were compared from the mechanicism, systemic and complexity viewpoints, considering how they were used in the organizational discourse.FindingsAs a result, complex organizational conceptions consider the subject as active conscience in the world. In the same way, they establish dialogic relations among: the universal and the particular, temporal reversibility and irreversibility, the parts and the whole, linear and circular causality, order and disorder, organization and environment, observer and organization, and autonomy and dependence, through the use of the complex logic that allows adopting a meta‐point of view to articulate the contradictions and paying attention to the result of the dialogic processes pointed out.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper focuses especially on the dialogic principle, leaving the need to approach both the recursion and hologramatic principles, according to that proposed by Edgar Morin.Practical implicationsThe paper establishes some references which should contribute to the understanding of complex organizations, as human activity systems, beyond the objectivism of the so‐called “complex systems”.Originality/valueIn this paper, a way of asking about organizational conceptions is proposed, with the aim of knowing the degree of satisfaction of paradigmatic requirements of complexity; so that, it allows knowing if what is being called complex – the organizations – is being treated in a complex way in turn.

Human organisation socio-cognitive vulnerability: the TOGA meta-theory approach to the modelling methodology

The paper deals with the methodological approach to the identification of the sources of socio-cognitive vulnerability. The main attention is on large complex organisations whose mission is emergency/high-risk management. The paper gives a preliminary demonstration of how a systemic, unified computational methodological approach enables the redefinition and structuring of a complex problem involving ill-defined human, organisational and cultural factors into the form of computational models. The systemic socio-cognitive paradigms and the framework of the Top-down Object-based Goal-oriented Approach (TOGA) meta-theory have been presented and applied as a meta-ontological platform, basic formalisation and goal-oriented knowledge-ordering tool. In the case of human-caused threats and organisational crises, the methodology can be applied and used for the modelling of ill-defined vulnerabilities of human networks on individual, interorganisational and intraorganisational decision levels. Among others, it rigorously applies such key concepts as information, preferences, knowledge and their recursive Information, Preferences, Knowledge (IPK) architecture. Some top modelling results related to the recent, main natural and technological disasters illustrate the application of this approach.

Choosing the Best Practice: Evidence to Support Fluoroquinolone Drops for Acute Otitis Media Through Tympanostomy Tubes

To the Editor .— In his commentary, “Why Don't Those Ear Drops Work for My Patients?”1 Isaacson presented his argument against the use of ototopical fluoroquinolones alone or in combination with a steroid as the first line of defense for the treatment of acute tube otorrhea in infants. He made several points to discount the use of these agents in pediatric patients with acute otitis media with tympanostomy tubes. However, rooted in the first sentence of the commentary was the fact that seems to lie at the epicenter of his concerns: “‘Topical Ciprofloxacin/Dexamethasone Is Superior to Oral Amoxicillin/Clavulanic Acid in Acute Otitis Media With Otorrhea Through Tympanostomy Tubes,’ [is] the latest in a series of pharmaceutical industry–funded articles… .” Isaacson's first critique of this article2 pertains to the study population. He stated that “[i]f one were trying to design a study to demonstrate the superiority of ototopical drops over oral antibiotics, the ideal population would be older children.” This statement directly contradicted his other criticism that “more than half of their subjects were >22 months of age.” In fact, 58% of the subjects in the study were <23 months of age, and the remaining patients were 2 to 11 years of age. These age distributions reflect …

Dexmedetomidine Fails to Cause Hyperalgesia After Cessation of Chronic Administration

Hyperalgesia occurring after the cessation of chronic opioid administration occurs in humans and has been modeled in rodents with chronic systemic and intrathecal administration paradigms. It is, however, unclear if this type of postanalgesic hyperalgesia is unique to opioids. The α2-adrenergic receptor agonist, dexmedetomidine (Dex), is similar to opioids in that it is an analgesic that interacts with cell-surface receptors linked to the inhibition of adenylate cyclase and the modulation of ion channel activity. In these studies, we first constructed antinociceptive dose-response curves for Dex and morphine (MSO4). The 50% effective doses for Dex and MSO4 administered intraperitoneally to C57Bl/6 mice were 75 μg/kg and 5.2 mg/kg, respectively. Using equally effective doses, we treated separate groups of mice with twice-daily injections of Dex or MSO4 for 5 days. Tolerance to these drugs was documented after this period. In the 16–72 h after cessation of administration, MSO4-treated mice demonstrated both thermal hyperalgesia and mechanical allodynia. However, the Dex-treated mice showed no changes in their thermal or mechanical withdrawal thresholds. We conclude that using this experimental paradigm, opioids but not an α2-adrenergic agonist, cause hyperalgesia and allodynia after cessation of chronic administration.

Dexmedetomidine fails to cause hyperalgesia after cessation of chronic administration.

Hyperalgesia occurring after the cessation of chronic opioid administration occurs in humans and has been modeled in rodents with chronic systemic and intrathecal administration paradigms. It is, however, unclear if this type of postanalgesic hyperalgesia is unique to opioids. The alpha(2)-adrenergic receptor agonist, dexmedetomidine (Dex), is similar to opioids in that it is an analgesic that interacts with cell-surface receptors linked to the inhibition of adenylate cyclase and the modulation of ion channel activity. In these studies, we first constructed antinociceptive dose-response curves for Dex and morphine (MSO4). The 50% effective doses for Dex and MSO4 administered intraperitoneally to C57Bl/6 mice were 75 micro g/kg and 5.2 mg/kg, respectively. Using equally effective doses, we treated separate groups of mice with twice-daily injections of Dex or MSO4 for 5 days. Tolerance to these drugs was documented after this period. In the 16-72 h after cessation of administration, MSO4-treated mice demonstrated both thermal hyperalgesia and mechanical allodynia. However, the Dex-treated mice showed no changes in their thermal or mechanical withdrawal thresholds. We conclude that using this experimental paradigm, opioids but not an alpha(2)-adrenergic agonist, cause hyperalgesia and allodynia after cessation of chronic administration. The cessation of the administration of opioids is associated with hyperalgesia in both humans and other animals. However, antinociceptive dexmedetomidine does not seem to be associated with this type of hyperalgesia syndrome during periods of abstinence.

An in ovo chicken model to study the systemic and localized teratogenic effects of valproic acid.

The antiepileptic valproic acid (VPA) is a teratogen whose embryopathic mechanism(s) remain uncertain. Elucidating potential cellular and molecular effects of VPA is complicated by systemic application paradigms. We developed an in ovo model to reproduce the teratogenic effects of VPA and a localized VPA application procedure to determine whether VPA can selectively effect abnormal development in one region of the embryo. VPA was applied topically to chicken embryos in ovo at different embryonic stages. Embryos were later evaluated for gross and skeletal anomalies. Pax-2 and Pax-6 protein expression in the developing eye was also evaluated because VPA-induced eye anomalies are similar to those seen by the disruption of Pax-2 and Pax-6. For localized application, a thin sheet of the synthetic polymer Elvax was impregnated with VPA. A small piece of the VPA-impregnated polymer was applied directly to the presumptive wing bud region in Stage 10-17 embryos. Embryos were examined for gross and skeletal anomalies. Sham controls were employed for all experiments. Chicken embryos exposed to VPA in ovo demonstrated increased mortality, growth delay and anomalies similar to ones previously seen in humans: neural tube, cardiovascular, craniofacial, limb and skeletal. Pax-2 and Pax-6 protein expression was qualitatively diminished in the eye. Localized wing bud VPA exposure caused structural abnormalities in the developing wing in the absence of other anomalies in the embryos. These wing defects were similar to those observed after topical whole-embryo VPA application. These results indicate that at least one mechanism for the teratogenicity of VPA involves a direct effect on developing tissue. The nature of the abnormalities observed implies that this effect may be mediated by disruption of genes that regulate pattern formation.

Fighting Words and Challenging Stories in Couples Work: Using Constructionist Conflict Theory to Understand Marital Conflict

ABSTRACT Ideas about the nature of marital conflict and approaches to its treatment are conceived within existing clinical theories. As a result, marital conflict is defined in accord with the epistemological assumptions of the clinical framework rather than more far reaching assumptions about the nature of power and conflict. Without a formulation of marital conflict that is derived from a comprehensive theory of conflict, important aspects of marital conflict may be overlooked and vital linkages to other forms of conflict might be underestimated. Both the systemic and postmodern paradigms have been criticized for their inability to deal with essential aspects of conflict as it applies to marriage and the family. However, for a comprehensive theory of conflict to be useful in addressing such limitations, its assumptions must also be congruent with the clinical paradigm to which it is applied. A linguistic theory of conflict is proposed for postmodern practice and its treatment of marital conflict. Implications for practice are discussed.

Re-epithelialization of the rat cornea is accelerated by blockade of opioid receptors

A native opioid peptide, [Met 5]-enkephalin, termed opioid growth factor (OGF), serves as a constitutively expressed and autocrine produced inhibitory molecule related to developing, neoplastic, renewing, and healing tissues. The present study was designed to examine the effects of interfering with opioid–receptor interaction during re-epithelialization of the cornea in the rat using both systemic injections and topical applications of the potent opioid antagonist naltrexone (NTX). A 4 mm diameter epithelial defect was made in the center of the rat cornea. NTX injected twice daily or applied as eyedrops four times daily significantly accelerated re-epithelialization compared to controls. Beginning as early as 8 h after wounding, both the systemic and topical NTX treatment groups had defects that were approximately 10% to 67% smaller than control abrasions at the time points examined. Similarly, the rate of healing for the NTX groups was 4.7- and 2.8-fold greater than controls for systemic and topical paradigms, respectively. The incidence of complete re-epithelialization in animals given systemic administration of NTX was markedly accelerated in comparison to control rats; however, differences in incidence of repair between NTX and control groups receiving topical application were not observed. These results show that native opioid peptides function in wound healing, and exert a tonically inhibitory influence at the receptor level on repair of corneal epithelial injuries.

The inter‐subjective and the social systemic public relations paradigms

To get beneath the surface of the focal concepts of public relations practice today, the major sociological theories of Jürgen Habermas and Niklas Luhmann have been fruitful as frames of interpretation. Two paradigms for reflection on the public relations phenomenon have been developed on their theories: the inter‐subjective and the social systemic public relations paradigms. These paradigms indicate fundamentally different interpretations of the concepts of conflict and social responsibility, with crucial consequences for the role of public relations in today's social order. Each perspective has its blind spots but the switching of perspectives allows us to see more. Habermas's theories make it possible to disclose the ideal perception which seems to prevail in the self‐understanding of public relations practice while, at the same time, setting out normative ideals for the practice. The ideal in the inter‐subjective paradigm is to re‐establish the system's coupling to the lifeworld. The public relations practitioner must act as an individual through communicative action. Public relations is a matter of ethical issues in a normative perspective. We might also call this the ethical, communicative or normative paradigm of public relations. The keyword is legitimation in post‐conventional discourse society. Luhmann's theories make it possible to disclose the social systemic mechanisms that can be viewed as the framework for public relations practice, and to set out functional conditions for that practice. The functions of the social systemic paradigm are to assist in maintaining the boundaries of the organisation system through strategic reflection and to assist in ensuring that society's differentiated system logics can function autonomously because they also understand how to function together. The sphere of action of the public relations practitioner is defined by the social systems. Public relations is a matter of functional issues in a cognitive perspective. We might also call this the functional, reflective or cognitive paradigm of public relations. The keyword is public trust in the context‐regulated society. This paper is based on a thesis by the author entitled: ‘The Inter‐subjective and the Social Systemic Public Relations Paradigms’, University of Roskilde, April 1996, also to be published in English.

Psychodynamic and systemic paradigms: an attempted integration in the light of personal experience with groups.

Our purpose is not to confuse psychoanalysis with systems theory: Karen Horney defined herself as a psychoanalyst, while the theory of autopoietic systems remains a systems theory. With the exception of the basic matrices that determine the identity of each current of thought, it seems possible to point out interesting points of contact among different anthropological views. They appear to converge on some points that are not to be overlooked, though they may take off from premises that are very different from each other. These are recent working hypotheses, which I have presented as a theme of research that needs to be verified scientifically. If these hypotheses can be rigorously verified in such a way as to avoid superimpositions, the theories would be enriched reciprocally, opening up interesting prospectives of scientific research. This is our wish.

Re‐framing systemic paradigms for the art of learning

Thoughtful people are increasingly concerned that the current paradigms for social, corporate, and educational activities are in disgraceful disarray. The “problem‐solving” or analytical model, the competitive or game model, the commercial or consumer model, the bureaucratic or institutional model, and the disease or illness model which prevail in public discourse are proving to be especially unwholesome. We cannot, however, educate ourselves without paradigms. A credible educational paradigm must be generally accessible without being simplistic, informative without being monothematic, and accommodating as well as discriminating. Given our disquiet with the current cognitive situation, a renewing paradigm must be somehow novel; given the character of human nature, a sustaining paradigm must be somehow familiar. For a very long time now, professional Sciences have committed themselves to paradigms about “reality out there,” while professional Arts have devoted themselves to expressing “imagination from within here.” The more these two worldviews polarize in opposition to one another, the more room there is—and the more human heed there becomes—for mediation by an applied philosophy which accommodates the “real” as well as the “imaginary” in a complementary way. Such a philosophy would address not only “what do you know?” and “how do you do?” but also “how do you know?” and “why do you do?” In earlier times, people would have been considered neither educated nor wise unless they appreciated the Sciences and the Arts whole. In our time, we may not survive unless we can re‐integrate our fractured perceptions. How might we proceed to do so? There may be a systemological way.

Lie to Me No More: Believable Stories and Marital Affairs

This case study illustrates the dilemmas of systemic practice when the presenting problem is relational infidelity (marital affairs). After several months of treatment with a structural therapist, the couple and therapist were at an impasse because of arguments over the husband's alleged sexual encounter 3 years previously. The introduction of a consultant and a story-based therapy allowed the couple to reconcile their marital difficulties. The article ends with a discussion of the implications of systemic paradigms and personal morality.

DEFINING THE PSYCHOMEDICAL AND SYSTEMIC PARADIGMS IN MARITAL AND FAMILY THERAPY

A framework for defining paradigms within the field of marital and family therapy is presented. The term "paradigm" is critically analyzed as applied to mental health services. Paradigm crisis in marital and family therapy is described as resulting primarily from practical-theoretical, professional, andpolitical concerns rather than scientific anomaly. Subsequently, two paradigms are defined as related to marital and family therapy: the psychomedical and the social systems (systemic) paradigms. Both paradigms are defined according to basic propositions and methodological tenets. The need for, and the design of, critical paradigmatic experiments of the psychomedical paradigm against the systemic paradigm are addressed. Critical paradigmatic experiments are viewed as an offshoot of a postpositivistic empiricism in keeping with a contextual view of knowledge.

Increased axonal transport in the rat optic system after systemic exposure to methylmercury: differential effects in local vs systemic exposure conditions

Axonal transport was studied by several techniques in the optic system of adult female Long-Evans rats following systemic exposure to methylmercury in 5 mM Na 2CO 3. Control rats were treated with the buffer alone. Four mg Hg/kg body weight for 4–6 days, or for 12 days, induced significant changes in the rate of protein synthesis in the retinal cells and in the rate of propagation of protein-bound radioactivity along the ganglion cell axons. Axonal transport of particulate material in both groups treated with methylmercury increased to a rate of 147 mm/day compared to 93 mm/day in controls. Methylmercury was distributed evenly throughout the retinogeniculate system. No clinical neuropathy was evident in either mercury-treated group. It is proposed that the increased rates of transport may represent an adaptive compensatory response to distal axonopathy caused by methylmercury. To investigate why systemic dosing produced effects opposite to those observed with local application of MeHg, various doses of MeHg were tested in the local and systemic paradigms, including doses which yielded equal concentrations of Hg in the retina. The results indicate that the differential response between the two treatment conditions is not a function of local dose, per se. Local and systematic application produce different dose-effect curves, which do not coincide at any dose.