Kybernetes

Alex M. Andrew

2011 Kybernetes

doi: 10.1108/03684921111169350

Purpose – The author reminisces about an experience in the 1950s that revealed a much earlier plan to set up a research centre with aims close to what later came to be called cybernetics. That plan was thwarted by economic considerations but the general approach found expression in the later work of Warren McCulloch and of a group around him, the latter first in Chicago and then in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. This paper aims to discuss the attempt to set up this research centre. Design/methodology/approach – The emphasis is on study of the brain and its modelling in mechanistic terms, and the limitations of various experimental techniques are discussed. Findings – Despite much very good work and technical developments, the detailed working of the brain is still mysterious, and quite fundamental aspects are still debatable. The suggestion that the 1990s would be the “Decade of the brain” was premature. Practical implications – Technical developments including scanning techniques, especially NMR, have aided the analysis of brain functioning and no doubt other developments will emerge. Modelling by methods of artificial intelligence is likely to be helpful, but must be seen as producing bold, and therefore tentative, hypotheses that workers should be ready to modify or abandon. Originality/value – The trip to Orange, New Jersey has been described and discussed previously but not in such detail.

Bernard Scott

2011 Kybernetes

doi: 10.1108/03684921111169369

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to review the relationship between cybernetics and psychology. Design/methodology/approach – The paradigms of cybernetics are reviewed and then applied to psychology. Findings – Applying the paradigms of cybernetics to psychology provides a conceptually coherent account of what is a psychological individual. Originality/value – It is of value to bring conceptual coherence to the discipline of psychology, which, thus far in its history, has lacked it.

Zdenka Zenko; Matjaz Mulej

2011 Kybernetes

doi: 10.1108/03684921111169378

Purpose – Development or existence of human society depends on innovations and the end of one‐sidedness of behavior. The complexity of innovative processes has been widely studied, yet the success rate is still low. The purpose of this paper is to identify by the dialectical systems approach how some concepts, important for development of inventions into innovations can better support requisitely holistic innovative behavior. Design/methodology/approach – System theory, theory of innovations and social responsibility are used to understand diffusion of innovations as part of the innovative processes. Findings – Many established theories, methods, procedures and standards support innovation management, but its economic success remains poor. Invention‐innovation‐diffusion processes (IIDP) remain poorly managed, especially the non‐technological. The usual approach is too one‐sided. Invention and innovation phases received more attention than the requisitely holistic consideration of the diffusion phase. Social responsibility can help. Research limitations/implications – The paper adds to requisite holism of IIDP management. It focuses on diffusion and its link with social responsibility. Practical implications – The new approach to IIDP is widely applicable for requisitely holistic rather than one‐sided political or strategic decisions and actions. ISO 26000 can increase success of IIDP. Originality/value – The concepts presented here are not detected in literature and offer great value for further research and understanding, designing and managing of IIDP. The selected dialectical system of viewpoints is original.

Raul Espejo

2011 Kybernetes

doi: 10.1108/03684921111169387

Purpose – This paper aims to contribute to the understanding of the knowledge that Beer's viable system model helps when applied to the study of change processes in organisations. Design/methodology/approach – This paper develops a case study constructed on interviews and shared reflections by the author and a key player in the company. Aspects of the case study are then seen with an epistemological lens. Findings – While it is apparent that ideas, purposes, values or policies depend on resources to happen, this paper argues that it is necessary their embodying in effective relations to succeed creating and producing desirable meanings. Research limitations/implications – Some forms of embodiment are more effective than others. The viable system model offers embodiment criteria to increase the chances of a successful production of ideas, purposes, values and policies, and the case study shows that for this purpose a limitation is transforming long‐established relationships. Originality/value – This paper uses a particular and unique situation to illustrate through the viable system model some of the general difficulties that organisations face in achieving desirable transformations.

Alex M. Andrew

2011 Kybernetes

doi: 10.1108/03684921111169396

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss the Daisyworld “parable” advanced by James Lovelock to account for the origin of global homeostasis, and to relate it to another type of model advanced in a physiological context. Design/methodology/approach – The relevance of the Daisyworld model is examined in more detail than in an earlier discussion, and the relationship to physiological rein control is considered. Findings – Both types of model exhibit effective and robust control and there is good reason to believe they usefully model forms of biological regulation. Practical implications – There are implications for theories of global homeostasis and for physiology. A computer program modelling Daisyworld is made available. Originality/value – The Javascript program that can be accessed online is new, though based on the earlier work of Lovelock and Watson. Much of the treatment depends on the work of Saunders et al.

Abdul‐Majid Wazwaz; Randolph Rach

2011 Kybernetes

doi: 10.1108/03684921111169404

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a comparison of the Adomian decomposition method (ADM) with the variational iteration method (VIM) for solving the Lane‐Emden equations of the first and second kinds. Design/methodology/approach – The paper examines the theoretical framework of the Adomian decomposition method and compares it with the variational iteration method. The paper seeks to determine the relative merits and computational benefits of both the Adomian decomposition method and the variational iteration method in the context of the important physical models of the Lane‐Emden equations of the first and second kinds. Findings – The Adomian decomposition method is shown to readily solve the Lane‐Emden equations of both the first and second kinds for all positive real values of the system coefficient α and for all positive real values of the nonlinear exponent m . The decomposition series solution of these nonlinear differential equations requires the calculation of the Adomian polynomials appropriate to the particular system nonlinearity. The paper shows that the variational iteration method works effectively to solve the Lane‐Emden equation of the first kind for system coefficient values α =1, 2, 3, 4 but only for positive integer values of the nonlinear exponent m . The successive approximations of the solution of these nonlinear differential equations require the determination of the appropriate Lagrange multipliers, which are established in this paper. These two methodologies overcome the singular behavior at the origin x =0. The paper shows that the variational iteration method is impractical for solving either the Lane‐Emden equation of the first kind for non‐integer values of the system exponent m or the Lane‐Emden equations of the second kind. Indeed the Adomian decomposition method is shown to solve even the generalized Lane‐Emden equation for any analytic nonlinearity and all positive values of the system coefficient α in a practical and straightforward manner. The conclusions are supported by several numerical examples. Originality/value – This paper presents an accurate comparison of the Adomian decomposition method with the variational iteration method for solving the Lane‐Emden equations of the first and second kinds. The paper presents a new solution algorithm for the generalized Lane‐Emden equation for any analytic system nonlinearity and for any model geometry as characterized by all possible positive real values of the system coefficient α .

Grahame Blackwell

2011 Kybernetes

doi: 10.1108/03684921111169413

Purpose – This paper seeks to present a novel perspective on the interplay of forces that govern the dynamics of the massively complex multi‐body system that is our physical universe. It offers a consistent, coherent and complete rationale for the phenomenon referred to as “gravitation”. This includes notably, for the first time, an explanation for the mechanism by which “matter tells space how to curve and curved space tells matter how to move”, and also possible causal explanations for the various outcomes of Einstein's equivalence principle. Design/methodology/approach – Starting from the well‐supported premise that elementary particles are formed from closed‐loop electromagnetic energy flows, the likely impact of such constructs on the behaviour of large‐scale dynamic systems is analysed from first principles. Findings – Gravitation is shown to be a natural consequence of such a construct. The warping of space in the presence of gravitating mass, consistent with the view presented by general relativity, is shown to relate to a clearly comprehensible physical structure with a well‐defined causation. Possible explanations are offered for: gravitational time dilation; gravitational red shift; gravitational potential energy; and slowing and bending of light in a gravitational field. Research limitations/implications – This novel perspective opens a wide range of potential avenues of innovative research, both pure and applied. Practical implications – A variety of new technologies may prove to be open to development, notably in the aerospace field. Antigravity technologies, whilst amenable to investigation and possible development, may prove highly energy‐intensive. Originality/value – This paper is totally original and of very significant potential value in various respects.

Gabriel Burstein; Constantin Virgil Negoita

2011 Kybernetes

doi: 10.1108/03684921111169422

Purpose – This paper seeks to lay the computational and mathematical foundations for a “postmodern cybernetics” based on ancient Kabbalah. This new Kabbalistic cybernetics is introduced to act as an unifying science addressing simultaneously, in a common language and framework the triple nature of human, psychological, social, economic, financial, political, cultural systems and their present multi‐faceted crises and conflicts: cognitive objective level of attaining knowledge; subjective emotional level and physical action and behavioral level. Design/methodology/approach – Feedback, hierarchical control and other system and control theoretic features in the Tree of Life (TL) of Kabbalah were identified. These were used to develop a general system theoretic framework of a new type to address human and societal system dynamics, evolution, interaction and feedback control by simultaneously taking into account their triple nature. Findings – The postmodern cybernetics of the TL introduced here as a general system framework, exhibits feedback control with internal model principle, hierarchical control, system multi‐valued logic, category theory pullback and pushout mechanisms, advanced knowledge engineering to aggregate, learn, evolve and solve problems and crises in an integrated way. Practical implications – “Kabbalistic postmodern cybernetics” proposed here for human and societal systems is the unified scientific framework to solve problems that led to or are just related to economic, financial, political, cultural, societal and human crises and conflicts by addressing their triple intertwined human nature. Originality/value – Computational foundations for a postmodern cybernetics based on Kabbalah are introduced, where the cognitive, emotional and behavioral and physical action facets of human systems are dealt with in a unified integrated framework to address global problems and crises.

Yi Lin; Sifeng Liu

2011 Kybernetes

doi: 10.1108/03684921111169431

Purpose – This paper seeks to investigate the roles of small and large projects in the development and evolution of a commercial company and why companies with a history of taking on large projects tend to eventually fail with large projects. Design/methodology/approach – In terms of small and large projects, analytic models are established to: describe investors' behaviors; depict the dynamics between CEOs and their boards of directors; and reveal how profit ceilings exist for large projects. Findings – After making the concepts of small and large projects precise, the paper establishes several analytic models for the investigation of the behaviors of various market participants. Then, it develops an explanation for why some decision makers like to take on large projects and why most new startups fail because of a lack of funds. A theory is given to show how investors value small projects more than large projects and why the current trend of moving manufacturing operations from industrialized nations to third world countries does not seem reversible in the foreseeable future, as long as international transportation costs stay low and the global economic system stays open and competitive. Among other results, it is also shown that: the higher the level the CEO's initial ability is, the more likely he would initiate and manage small projects, and the more labor effort he will devote to these projects; the CEO's additional effort spent on the small projects helps him gain non‐pecuniary benefits, which he can use to gain additional bargaining power over the board; to realistically maximize his private utility, the CEO would spend more of his time and effort on small projects; each large project has a glass ceiling for its maximum level of profits; companies taking on large projects cannot afford to devote much of their scarce resources to expand their market share and appearance; and to increase their profit potential, these companies have to control their spending so that their profit can be maximized by lowering their unit selling price p s ; for small projects, the profit potential for the company is unlimited. Originality/value – This work is the first to employ models of human behaviors to research the interactions and dynamics between projects of different scales. It provides a theoretically reliable distinction between small and large projects.

Andrew Adamatzky; Pedro P.B. de Oliveira

2011 Kybernetes

doi: 10.1108/03684921111169440

Purpose – This paper seeks to develop experimental laboratory biological techniques for approximation of existing road networks, optimizing transport links, and designing alternative optimal solutions to current transport problems. It studies how slime mould of Physarum polycephalum approximate highway networks of Brazil. Design/methodology/approach – The 21 most populous urban areas in Brazil are considered and represented with source of nutrients placed in the positions of slime mould growing substrate corresponding to the areas. At the beginning of each experiment slime mould is inoculated in São Paulo area. Slime mould exhibits foraging behavior and spans sources of nutrients (which represent urban areas) with a network of protoplasmic tubes (which approximate vehicular transport networks). The structure of transport networks developed by slime mould are analyzed and compared with families of known proximity graphs. The paper also imitates slime‐mould response to simulated disaster. Findings – It was found that the plasmodium of P. polycephalum develops a minimal approximation of a transport network spanning urban areas. Physarum ‐developed network matches man‐made highway network very well. The high degree of similarity is preserved even when high‐demand constraints are placed on repeatability of links in the experiments. Physarum approximates almost all major transport links. In response to a sudden disaster, gradually spreading from its epicenter, the Physarum transport networks react by abandoning transport links affected by disaster zone, enhancement of those unaffected directly by the disaster, massive sprouting from the epicenter, and increase of scouting activity in the regions distant to the epicenter of the disaster. Originality/value – Experimental methods and computer analysis techniques presented in the paper lay a foundation of novel biological laboratory approaches to imitation and prognostication of socio‐economical developments.