BACKGROUND AND THEORY
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WHERE DOES POWER COME FROM? William E. Smith Ph.D October 2004
This
paper, the most fundamental on AIC to date, searches for the roots of the
the purpose, power field relationships at the heart of the AIC philosophy,
model and process. . It takes us on a journey through Science and Religion to
finally discover the roots in ourselves, our own brain and nervous system.
Prepared for the 3rd International Conference on Systems Thinking in Management (ICSTM '04): (May 19-21, 2004, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia PA), this paper presents an organizing process that is based on a synthesis of sociology, systems, power and field theories.
The paper provides:
- A new basis on which to build organization theory – the assertion that "Purpose is the source of Power"
- A redefinition of actor/environment relationships as power relationships.
- A new model then enables us to better understand the process by which purpose is generated and translated into effective action.
- An understanding that enables us to design improved organizational processes that uses more of the potential power available to them than do more traditional models.
- A description of practice that enables organizations to achieve higher levels of purpose, at relatively less cost, in relatively shorter periods of time with much less emphasis on using expensive control mechanisms.
WHOLENESS:
The Development of a
New Philosophy and Model and Process of Organization
William E. Smith, Ph.D. 2001
(A draft based on a book in progress
Modified Aug 1 2001)
This article tells the story of the practical and intellectual development of AIC
. It introduces the idea of Purpose as the Source of Power and describes the
nature of the three components of every power field - appreciation, influence
and control.
THE DEVELOPMENT OF POWER CONCEPTS
The Academic Roots of the AIC Approach
William E. Smith 1983
This article is extracted from "Organizing As A Power Process: The Creation And Testing Of A Conceptual Framework And Its
Application To The Design Of Development Projects. It traces the
intellectual roots of the power concepts that underlie the AIC approach.
William E. Smith (Consultant)
Francis J. Lethem (Projects Advisory Staff)
Ben A. Thoolen (Agriculture and Rural Development Department)
This is the article that first introduced the AIC concept. Sponsored by the
World Bank it sold more copies than any other paper in the series to that
date.
EVOLUTION
OF CONTROL AND COORDINATION IN MNCs
(Crises in Development)
W. E.
Smith and Remy Charmoz 1978
W. E. Smith identified three power relationships which characterize the growth pattern of Multinational Corporations. The study, "Evolution of Control and Coordination in' MNCs" was based on his experience of re-organizations while working in the Pharmaceutical Industry. It was published in book by J. Galbraith and D. Nathanson "Strategy Implementation the Role of Structure and Process" 1978.
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