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Purpose: The 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/approach: The 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. Findings: The 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/implications: In 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/value: The 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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of the paper is to discuss particular features of the public debate around the COVID-19 pandemic and its mitigation strategies in Croatian media from the beginning of 2020 to mid-September of the same year. Design/methodology/approach: The discussion is theoretically grounded on Luhmann's concept of moral communication combined with the key assumption of critical discourse analysis that language reflects a position of power of social actors. Based on these premises, the analysis of a sample of articles in a chosen online media was conducted to uncover the moral codes in the public debate concerning the corona outbreak and connect them with specific moral discourses of particular social actors. Findings: The findings clearly indicate that the communication about the pandemic is considerably imbued with moralization and that moral coding is profoundly used to generate preferred types of behaviour of citizens and their compliance with the imposed epidemiologic measures. In conclusion, Luhmann's claim of moralization as a contentious form of communication is confirmed as the examined public discussion fosters confrontations and generates disruptions rather than contributing to a productive dialogue among diverse social actors. Originality/value: The novelty of the approach lies in the combination of Luhman's conceiving of moral communication with critical discourse analysis that, taken together, entails a pertinent research tool for analysing relevant attributes of the ongoing vibrant debate on the coronavirus outbreak. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to review Luhmann's theory of moral communication while focusing on symmetry conditions, in light of Armin Nassehi's criticism, to clarify issues regarding this concept. Then, Luhmann's symmetry condition is reconstructed as a concept containing double meaning via a case study in Japan. Correspondingly, interesting situations and characteristics of moral communication, such as "inflation," the "polemogene" and ubiquity of moral communication, are interpreted more consistently. Design/methodology/approach: In today's society, moral communication may spiral out of control and even be fatal. By examining Niklas Luhmann's theory, in this paper, the author elaborates on why and how this mechanism occurs. Findings: The author emphasizes that the suspicion pertaining to the asymmetry of communication is stressed in the case of anonymity. When an individual communicates using a moral code, it is impossible to discern whether the implications of self-bindingness are undermined or not through observations or consequences of communication and can only be questioned or confirmed through communication. However, criticizing the outburst of the masses and exchanging blame by isolating only one aspect of such a phenomenon will only be superficial. Originality/value: This study reveals that the very condition that makes moral communication possible enables people to communicate respectfully or contemptuously with others without any special qualification. Such an analysis can serve as a theoretical underpinning for the analysis of today's phenomena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explain the US society's insignificant mitigation of climate change using Niklas Luhmann's (1989) autopoietic social systems theory in ecological communication. Specifically, the author's analysis falls within the context of Luhmann re-moralized while focusing on particular function systems' binary codes and their repellence of substantive US climate change mitigation policy across systems. Design/methodology/approach: The author achieves this purpose by resituating Luhmann's conception of evolution to forgo systems teleology and better contextualize the spatial-temporal scale of climate change; reinforcing complexity reduction and differentiation by integrating communication and media scholar John D. Peters's (1999) "communication chasm" concept as one mechanism through which codes sustain over time; and applying these integrated concepts to prominent the US climate change mitigation attempts. Findings: The author concludes that climate change mitigation efforts are the amalgamation of the systems' moral communications. Mitigation efforts have relegated themselves to subsystems of the ten major systems given the polarizing nature of their predominant care/harm moral binary. Communication chasms persist because these moral communications cannot both adhere to the systems' binary codes and communicate the climate crisis's urgency. The more time that passes, the more codes force mitigation organizations, activist efforts and their moral communications to adapt and sacrifice their actions to align with the encircling systems' code. Social implications: In addition to the conceptual contribution, the social implication is that by identifying how and why climate change mitigation efforts are subsumed by the larger systems and their codes, climate change activists and practitioners can better tool their tactics to change the codes at the heart of the systems if serious and substantive climate change mitigation is to prevail. Originality/value: To the author's knowledge, there has not been an integration of a historical communication concept into, and sociological application of, ecological communication in the context of climate change mitigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The paper combines the systems theoretical perspective on the evolution of societal differentiation and the emergence of codes in communication. By combining the approach by Niklas Luhmann with a historical theology on the development of Christian morality split between God and Devil, it recreates a sociological point of observation on contemporary moral forms by a temporary occupation of the retired Christian Devil. Design/methodology/approach: The article combines a Luhmannian systems theoretical perspective on the evolution of societal differentiation with a concept of emerging codes in communication. The latter is based on on the development of a Christian view of morality being split between God and Devil. It establishes a sociological point of observation on contemporary moral forms through the temporary invocation of the retired figure of the Christian Devil. Findings: The proposed perspective develops a healthy perspective on the exuberant distribution of a health(y) morality across the globe during the pandemic crisis of 2020–21. The temporary invocation of the retired Christian Devil as point of departure in this sociological analysis allows for a disturbing view on the unlimited growth of the morality of health and its inherent dangers of dedifferentiating the highly specialised forms of societal differentiation and organisation. Originality/value: By applying the diabolical perspective, the analytical framework creates a unique opportunity to observe the moral encodings of semantic forms in detail, while keeping the freedom of scientific enquiry to choose amongst available distinctions in the creation of sound empirical knowledge. This article adopts a neutral stance, for the good of sociological analysis. The applications of the term "evil" to observations of communication are indifferent to anything but itself and its qualities as scientific enquiry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to build around an abductive argument: the epistemological value of the Arts-derived knowledge is equivalent and may be supplementary to that of science, contributing to the literature on the epistemological mistrust between both systems of knowledge. Design/methodology/approach: This essay proposes a conceptual model – a tool, in Kuhn's terms – grounded on the sociology of knowledge (Berger and Luckmann, 1967; Schütz, 1951), to frame the apprehension of reality from a social perspective, and the philosophical pragmatism (Peirce, 2012), considering the fixation of beliefs as the seminal concept that leads to the legitimation of knowledge in society. The proposed conceptual model guides analysis on the epistemological value of the knowledge derived from the Arts and supports reflection on the commonalities between both finite provinces of meaning. Findings: Reproducibility, doxastic grounding, community/membership, intersubjectivity and evidence are criteria identified as commonalities between the Arts and Science. Acceptance and legitimation across finite provinces of meaning emerge to produce minimally acceptable objectivity, made possible by the mutual validation of impressions. Research limitations/implications: The discussion on greater levels of aesthetic appreciation has been eclipsed by the authors' intention to find specific epistemological properties of knowledge derived from the Arts. Practical implications: As practitioners in applied social science, management researchers are supposed to have mastery over how to apply what they know. So, the findings suggest participation (becoming accepted, first of all) in communities of practice, learning from and contributing to distinct finite provinces of meaning. The role of organizations in the understanding of knowledge derived from the Arts and its application might be that of a protagonist, promoting creativity and innovation through openness to new perspectives on knowledge. Originality/value: This essay rescues knowledge as not a justified true belief, but the result of fixed beliefs continuously and socially legitimated. This rescue escapes previous attempts that appeal to Gettier-type counterexamples. A conceptual model was proposed to frame knowledge from a philosophical and sociological perspective and represent a methodological contribution of this essay. The proposition of third-order interdisciplinarity, also represents a contribution, of conceptual nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the unintended consequences of actions as one of the central and constituent elements of sociological theory and long debated in the history of sociology. This question has been treated under varying sociological terminologies, including, providence, social forces, social paradoxes, heterogeneity of ends, immanent causality and the principle of emergency.Design/methodology/approach This paper is concerned with "adverse effects". The thematic contexts of "unintended consequences of social action" the authors wish to focus attention on are specific types of consequences which may merit the adjective "adverse".Findings The analysis of the intentions of our actions and their unwanted or foreseen consequences allows us to understand how societies work. Many historical facts are probably "unintentional." But, most continuous or changing life forms must be interpreted as a mixture of intentional (social reproduction) and unintentional consequences (social change).Originality/value This paper focuses on four points of view: the object of sociology, the problems of order and social change, the methodological status of the discipline and the nature of social explanation, and mathematical theory. Four classifications of unintended consequences are formulated from the works of Boudon, Baert and Ramos, as well as the authors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Cross tables are omnipresent in management, academia and popular culture. The Matrix has us, despite all criticism, opposition and desire for a way out. This paper draws on the works of three agents of the matrix. The paper shows that Niklas Luhmann criticised Talcott Parsons’ traditional matrix model of society and proceeded to update systems theory, the latest version of which is coded in the formal language of George Spencer Brown. As Luhmann failed to install his updates to all components of his theory platform, however, regular reoccurrences of Parsonian crosstabs are observed, particularly in the Luhmannian differentiation theory, which results in compatibility issues and produces error messages requesting updates. This paper aims to code the missing update translating the basic matrix structure from Parsonian into Spencer Brownian formal language.Design/methodology/approach This paper draws on work by Boris Hennig and Louis Kauffman and a yet unpublished manuscript by George Spencer Brown, to demonstrate that the latter introduced his cross as a mark to indicate NOR gates in circuit diagrams. The paper also shows that this NOR gate marker has been taken out of and may be observed to contain the tetralemma, an ancient matrix structure already present in traditional Indian logic. It then proceeds to translate the basic structure of traditional contingency tables into a Spencer Brownian NOR equation and to demonstrate the difference this translation makes in the modelling of social systems.Findings The translation of cross tables from Parsonian into Spencer Brownian formal language results in the design of a both matrix-shaped and compatible test routine that works as a virtual window for the observation of the actually unobservable medium in which a form is drawn, and can be used for consistency checks of expressions coded in Spencer Brownian formal language.Originality/value This paper quotes from and discusses a so far unpublished manuscript finalised by Spencer Brown in April 1961. The basic matrix structure is translated from Parsonian into Spencer Brownian formal language. A Spencer Brownian NOR matrix is coded that may be used to detect errors in expressions coded in Spencer Brownian formal language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The paper aims to relate the four modes of coexistence of goal-orientated systems – conflict, hierarchy, the niche and cooperation – to static behavioral descriptions of social systems.Design/methodology/approach Analyzing the options for interactions of goal-orientated systems leads the four modes of coexistence. These show certain behavioral characteristics. Searching for these characteristics in selected behavioral descriptions in organizational theory, sociology, political science and system science allows relating them to certain modes.Findings In organizations, the four modes of coexistence show in general (Cameron and Quinn) and dyadic interaction patterns (Argyris). In sociology, they show in educational schemes preparing for specific modes (Bernstein) and in different exchange patterns (Polanyi). In political theory, the four modes of coexistence show in preferred policies of parties, in institutional development, in oligarch power politics (Winters) and in external policy. In system science, they show in problem solving strategies (Jackson) and “mindscapes” (Murayama).Research limitations/implications The analysis is restricted to static patterns leaving out dynamic developments, for example, in networks.Practical implications Together with previous investigations, the paper shows how behavioral descriptions ranging from psychology to politics correspond to the four modes of coexistence, and it suggests interrelations and alignments of the modes via various levels of societal organization.Originality/value The four modes of coexistence provide an unequivocal theoretical framework that allows finding parallels in behavioral descriptions ranging from psychology via sociology to politics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose a holistic structural framework for a sustainable renewal that embraces all relevant contexts – individual, organizational, local-regional and worldwide. This should help humanity achieve a future in which society, economy and ecology are united in an evolutionary process based on multiple symbiosis. Design/methodology/approach – An integrative concept for sustainable renewal is presented, based on Beer’s Viable System Model (VSM). The core of that concept is a recursive structure, which organizes the tasks necessary for such renewal. The approach is both analytical and synthetic, proposing a design for the levels of recursion, making up a coherent whole. Findings – A structure is developed that enables agents at all recursive strata to generate variety in balance with the complexities they face. The organizational architecture based on the VSM, applied to each one of those levels, ensures the necessary and sufficient structural preconditions for the sustainability of the system under study. Practical implications – The concept proposed here is ready to be used as a blueprint for organizing the efforts for sustainability. It can help decision makers understand that the quest for sustainable renewal is a recursive issue involving all planes, from individual to global. Originality/value – The quest for the ecological sustainability of planet earth at this stage is not at all successful. The cybernetic model used here organizes the efforts for sustainability in a more effective way than conventional approaches. It also delivers powerful clues for sustainable renewal that are new, in particular a key to the sufficient structural preconditions for sustainability. This paper is an extended version of the Ross Ashby Memorial Lecture delivered by the author at the European Meeting of Cybernetics and Systems Research, Vienna, 24 April 2014, under the title “Organizing for Sustainability”. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to construct diverse granules and coverings derived from a semi-equivalence class and then to reveal the relationships between granules and coverings and even relations, and to help one to study pansystems relations in a trans-cross view. Design/methodology/approach - Forms regarding semi-equivalence classes as primitives, blocks or granules such as tolerance class, join class, meet class, optimist/pessimist selected compatible class, and tolerantly kernel class in an incomplete information system are defined and compared. Different approximations are also introduced. Furthermore, diverse coverings are also suggested. Findings - A tolerance class of an object is proved to be the join of semi-equivalence classes containing it, i.e. a result of acting union operation on some primitive classes. A compatibly kernel class of an object is a meet of semi-equivalence classes including it, i.e. a result of acting intersection operation on some primitive classes. Related coverings can also be regarded as coverings derived from the covering consisting of primitive granules. Several necessary and/or sufficient conditions for a general covering to become a semi-equivalence or complete covering are obtained. Meaningful property and relationship results are also exploited. Practical implications - Constructing diverse granules naturally from an incomplete information system to form a different knowledge expression system looks promising for data mining in the information society. It widens the approach and schema. Originality/value - The paper shows that the formation process of granules is natural, newly defined, and not similar and theoretic to those existing in a neighborhood system. The relationship between diverse granules and coverings is described by mathematical theorems in sufficient or necessary condition form. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - This paper seeks to argue that sociology is in need of reconstruction on a theoretical and conceptual foundation of cybernetics, specifically, managerial cybernetics and to show how this hitherto unsuccessful task might be brought about. Design/methodology/approach - The approach is one of a rigorous and deep querying of the reasons for the lack of successful fit heretofore between sociology and cybernetics. By taking a critical, historical and philosophical approach to the development of sciences it opens possibilities for the reconstruction of sociology as a "new science" based on the foundation of cybernetics, specifically the managerial cybernetics of Stafford Beer. Findings - The work argues that the appropriate conceptual foundation for the social sciences is the realm of communication and control, ideas that were given a rigorous formulation in cybernetics, information theory and systems thinking since the 1940s. Many people have seen the prima facie appropriateness of these ideas for the study of human society and numerous attempts have been made to apply them. Almost, all of these efforts have been failures, at least from a sociological point of view. The paper suggests that the problem with all such previous attempts is that they consisted of too direct an application of cybernetics to sociology, entailing a metaphoric reduction that threatened the intellectual integrity of the discipline. Work in the history of sciences suggests that, whereas deep theoretical, foundational work may well be achieved for a realm in the abstract, so to speak, it is when attempts are made to apply these results to more phenomenal domains, to which in principle they are deemed appropriate and relevant, that problems of an apparent "lack of fit" arise. It has been found that a group of intermediating concepts is necessary to draw the two domains together in a workable fit. This process has been called "finalization of science". Practical implications - Of immediate value is the reconstruction of sociology as a cybernetically informed science of society that actually delivers theoretical, analytical, research and practical results. Originality/value - The paper represents a highly original synthesis drawn from the history and philosophy of science development to yield immediate and useful results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The aim is to analyse changes of mass distributed value hierarchies in the course of social transformations in Russia during the last 25 years. Design/methodology/approach - The article's approach is development of the model of value hierarchies within the framework of Batesonian thinking and analysis of secondary sociological and economic data on Russia. Findings - The value hierarchy model, built within the Batesonian approach, provides a framework for analysis of the behavioural alternative choice by social individuals. Crisis events in Russia in the 1990s were related to the demolition of behavioural contexts and mass scale learning-III of the adult population. New value hierarchy structures were subsequently formed in the early 2000s. Attention of social planners to the structure of mass-distributed value hierarchies and the need to learn in changing contexts could improve the efficiency of social transformation. Research limitations/implications - Research findings are limited by the use of secondary data. However, even in this case, the model of value hierarchies has been found a useful tool of sociological data interpretation. Practical implications - Need for changes in epistemological grounds that underlie the design of massive socioeconomic reforms. Originality/value - The value hierarchy model was developed as a contribution to the Batesonian tradition of epistemology. Insights were provided into value hierarchy changes as the key driver of chronic crises in Russia in the 1990s. Social scientists and social planners within the system thinking approach could benefit from this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - To assess the recent influence of Gregory Bateson on publication within the field of psychotherapy. Design/methodology/approach - Literature survey of all accessible literature from 1996 to 2006, utilizing citation search engines for identification purposes followed by reading and evaluating the most relevant publications. Findings - Research that investigates Bateson's ideas is promising but scarce, and theoretical development that builds on his constructs is rare. Apart from frequency in citation, his contributions seem to be more durable than generative. Research limitations/implications - Owing to the volume of data, a complete survey of literature was impossible, focusing our work on psychotherapy for this paper. Other projects surveying fields such as management and sociology should be undertaken to assess Bateson's influence. Practical implications - Practice should be tied to theory-building and ongoing research rather than nostalgia, myopic commitment to ideals, or myth. Purposeful commitment to cybernetic theory and practice development is needed. Originality/value - Few literature reviews have attempted to conduct a survey this broad. It is believed this has been successful in addressing actual publication practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]