Self-Organization and Management of Social Systems

I Principles of Self-Organization in Physical, Biological, and Social Systems.- Principles of Self-Organization -- In a Socio-Managerial Context.- Two Principles for Self-Organization.- Can Synergetics Be of Use to Management Theory?.- Self-Organisation: Some Theoretical Cross-Connections.- Towards a Theory of Social Systems: Self-Organization and Self-Maintenance, Self-Reference and Syn-Reference.- II Self-Organization and Management.- Management -- A Misunderstood Societal Function.- Systems Thinking in Management: The Development of Soft Systems Methodology and Its Implications for Social Science.- Evolutionary Management.- Systems Approach to Management: Hopes, Promises, Doubts -- A Lot of Questions and Some Afterthoughts.- Cybernetic Principles for the Design, Control, and Development of Social Systems and Some Afterthoughts.- Some Explanatory Boundaries of Organismic Analogies for the Understanding of Social Systems.- Insights, Promises, Doubts, and Questions Emerging from a Colloquium -- A Summary.- Index of Contributors.