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Glossary of Cybernetics Terms Coming Concepts: The Cybernetic Glossary for new management Allenna Leonard ©Allenna Leonard 1990/revised 2004 The design of this workbook represents a collaborative effort. Stafford Beer provided guidance. and criticism on specific sections in addition to his own materials. His influence is felt not only on the materials themselves: but on the thinking and professional development of all of us who have been fortunate to work with him. This work began with a project done with Barry Clemson which was sponsored by Paul Rubinyi, then with Ernst & Whinney in Montreal to develop a pamphlet for managers on the concepts used in management cybernetics. A version of this also appeared as Technical Notes in Barryʹs book Cybernetics: a New Management Tool (Tunbridge Wells: Abacas Press, 1984) I am indebted for suggestions for the structure and to Javiar Livas and especially for the idea of including counter examples and probable errors to Irene Livas. The discipline of management cybernetics itself has drawn upon the findings of many scientists in addition to those formally cited. Some of them, in truth, had no idea that their discoveries in physics, chemistry, mathematics, medicine and the social sciences would prove to have general application in areas far removed from the disciplines in which they originated. Others have worked with full knowledge of the transferability of their work and have advised and collaborated with researchers in cybernetics and general systems theory. To all of these, my profound thanks. Table of Contents ADAPTATION .............................................................................................................................................................1 ALGEDONIC SIGNAL ................................................................................................................................................2 AMPLIFICATION ........................................................................................................................................................3 ATTENUATION...........................................................................................................................................................4 AUTOPOIESIS .............................................................................................................................................................5 BLACK BOX ................................................................................................................................................................7 BOUNDARY ................................................................................................................................................................8 CHANNEL CAPACITY)..............................................................................................................................................9 CATASTROPHE THEORY .......................................................................................................................................10 COENETIC VARIABLE ............................................................................................................................................11 COMMUNICATION ..................................................................................................................................................12 COMPLEMENTARITY .............................................................................................................................................13 CYBERNETICS..........................................................................................................................................................14 DIRECTIVE CORRELATION...................................................................................................................................16 DISSIPATIVE STRUCTURES...................................................................................................................................18 DISTINCTION............................................................................................................................................................19 ENTROPY...................................................................................................................................................................21 ENVIRONMENT........................................................................................................................................................23 EQUIFINALITY .........................................................................................................................................................24 FEEDBACK................................................................................................................................................................25 FILTER .......................................................................................................................................................................26 GAME THEORY ........................................................................................................................................................28 HIERARCHY..............................................................................................................................................................30 HOMEOSTASIS .........................................................................................................................................................32 IDENTITY ..................................................................................................................................................................33 INFORMATION .........................................................................................................................................................35 INVARIANCE ............................................................................................................................................................36 LAW OF REQUISITE VARIETY, OR ASHBY'S LAW ...........................................................................................37 LE CHATELIER'S PRINCIPLE .................................................................................................................................38 METALANGUAGE....................................................................................................................................................39 METASYSTEM ..........................................................................................................................................................41 MODEL.......................................................................................................................................................................42 NOISE .........................................................................................................................................................................43 OBSERVER ................................................................................................................................................................44 OPENNESS IN SYSTEMS.........................................................................................................................................46 RECURSION ..............................................................................................................................................................47 REDUNDANCY .........................................................................................................................................................48 RELAXATION TIME.................................................................................................................................................50 SELF-ORGANIZATION ............................................................................................................................................51 SELF-REGULATION.................................................................................................................................................52 STABILITY ................................................................................................................................................................53 SYNERGY ..................................................................................................................................................................54 SYSTEM .....................................................................................................................................................................55 TRANSDUCER ..........................................................................................................................................................56 ULTRASTABILITY ...................................................................................................................................................57 UNCERTAINTY.........................................................................................................................................................58 VARIETY....................................................................................................................................................................60 ADAPTATION Sommerhoff, G. (1950). Analytical Biology. London: Oxford University Press. Adaptation is a process of change directed DuBos, R. (1965). Man Adapting. New Haven: toward improving the ʹfitʹ between a system Yale
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