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Autogenesis: A Perspective on the Process of Organizing

Author

Listed:
  • Robert Drazin

    (School of Business Administration, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30322)

  • Lloyd Sandelands

    (Graduate School of Business, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109)

Abstract

This paper presents a perspective on organizational theory called ‘autogenesis’. This perspective has a long history in both the natural and social sciences, but is suggested particularly by recent developments in the field of self-organizing systems. According to this perspective, complex social organization can be explained in terms of the interplay of three distinct types of structure: (1) deep structure, which consists of a generative grammar (rules) for organizing; (2) elemental structure, which is the manifest form taken by individual social interactions; and (3) observed structure, which is the supra-individual group or organization as perceived by an observer of the system. The implications of this perspective for expanding the scope of theory and research on social organizations in general, and the process of organizing in particular, are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Robert Drazin & Lloyd Sandelands, 1992. "Autogenesis: A Perspective on the Process of Organizing," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 3(2), pages 230-249, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:ororsc:v:3:y:1992:i:2:p:230-249
    DOI: 10.1287/orsc.3.2.230
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    Cited by:

    1. Andrew King, 2000. "Organizational response to environmental regulation: punctuated change or autogenesis?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 9(4), pages 224-238, July.
    2. Lu, Jinfeng & Dimov, Dimo, 2023. "A system dynamics modelling of entrepreneurship and growth within firms," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 38(3).
    3. Philip Anderson, 1999. "Perspective: Complexity Theory and Organization Science," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 10(3), pages 216-232, June.
    4. Deborah Dougherty & Danielle D. Dunne, 2011. "Organizing Ecologies of Complex Innovation," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 22(5), pages 1214-1223, October.
    5. Lichtenstein, Benyamin B. & Dooley, Kevin J. & Lumpkin, G.T., 2006. "Measuring emergence in the dynamics of new venture creation," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 21(2), pages 153-175, March.
    6. Crawford, G. Christopher & Aguinis, Herman & Lichtenstein, Benyamin & Davidsson, Per & McKelvey, Bill, 2015. "Power law distributions in entrepreneurship: Implications for theory and research," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 30(5), pages 696-713.
    7. Accard, Philippe, 2015. "Complex hierarchy: The strategic advantages of a trade-off between hierarchical supervision and self-organizing," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 33(2), pages 89-103.
    8. Packard, Mark D., 2017. "Where did interpretivism go in the theory of entrepreneurship?," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 32(5), pages 536-549.
    9. Bill McKelvey & Benyamin B. Lichtenstein & Pierpaolo Andriani, 2012. "When organisations and ecosystems interact: toward a law of requisite fractality in firms," International Journal of Complexity in Leadership and Management, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 2(1/2), pages 104-136.
    10. Georges, A. & Romme, L., 1995. "Self-organizing processes in top management teams: A boolean comparative approach," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 34(1), pages 11-34, September.
    11. repec:dau:papers:123456789/13444 is not listed on IDEAS
    12. Todd H. Chiles & Alan D. Meyer & Thomas J. Hench, 2004. "Organizational Emergence: The Origin and Transformation of Branson, Missouri's Musical Theaters," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 15(5), pages 499-519, October.
    13. MacLean, Donald & MacIntosh, Robert, 2015. "Planning reconsidered: Paradox, poetry and people at the edge of strategy," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 33(2), pages 72-78.
    14. Jain, Sanjay, 2012. "Pragmatic agency in technology standards setting: The case of Ethernet," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(9), pages 1643-1654.
    15. Raymond-Alain Thietart, 2016. "Strategy dynamics: Agency, path dependency, and self-organized emergence," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(4), pages 774-792, April.
    16. Jonathan Levie & Benyamin B. Lichtenstein, 2010. "A Terminal Assessment of Stages Theory: Introducing a Dynamic States Approach to Entrepreneurship," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 34(2), pages 317-350, March.
    17. Tamara Galkina & Irina Atkova, 2020. "Effectual Networks as Complex Adaptive Systems: Exploring Dynamic and Structural Factors of Emergence," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 44(5), pages 964-995, September.
    18. Hongryol Cha & Masaaki Kotabe & Jie Wu, 2023. "Reshaping Internationalization Strategy and Control for Global E-Commerce and Digital Transactions: A Hayekian Perspective," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 63(1), pages 161-192, February.
    19. Cha, Hongryol, 2020. "A paradigm shift in the global strategy of MNEs towards business ecosystems: A research agenda for new theory development," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 26(3).
    20. Robert J. Blomme, 2012. "How Managers Can Conduct Planned Change in Self-organising Systems: Actor Network Theory as a Perspective to Manager¡¯s Actions," International Journal of Business Administration, International Journal of Business Administration, Sciedu Press, vol. 3(5), pages 9-22, September.
    21. Trenholm, Susan & Ferlie, Ewan, 2013. "Using complexity theory to analyse the organisational response to resurgent tuberculosis across London," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 229-237.
    22. Wolfgang H. Güttel & Stefan Konlechner & Barbara Müller, 2012. "Entscheidungsmuster und Veränderungsarchitekturen in Wandelprozessen: Eine Dynamic Capabilities-Perspektive," Schmalenbach Journal of Business Research, Springer, vol. 64(6), pages 630-654, September.

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    Keywords

    process; organizing; simulation;
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