Don't waste a good disaster: A systems approach to an ethics of international institutional failures

Larry Stapleton, Peter Kopacek, Anita Kealy, Edmond Hajrizi

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

4 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This keynote paper provides a control systems perspective of failed internationalised institutional arrangements. In the past years we have experienced dramatic international systems failure across important institutions. Banks, religious institutions and governmental systems have all experienced catastrophic crises which have proven difficult to assess and address. This paper examines these failures as complex systems failures and highlights the role of socio-cultural systems in their failure. Firstly, the institutional arrangements are formally defined as complex systems. Secondly, the paper proposes the systemic failure as a failure of institutional culture which can be accounted for by certain systemic aspects of the cultural systems which underpin institutional life. The paper utilises a three layer model of culture to demonstrate systems effects in the institutional arrangements. The paper then presents empirical findings from a study of a large scale medical system implementation to demonstrate the role of cultural symbolic factors in the system implementation.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publication19th IFAC World Congress IFAC 2014, Proceedings
EditorsEdward Boje, Xiaohua Xia
PublisherIFAC Secretariat
Pages11419-11424
Number of pages6
ISBN (Electronic)9783902823625
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2014
Event19th IFAC World Congress on International Federation of Automatic Control, IFAC 2014 - Cape Town, South Africa
Duration: 24 Aug 201429 Aug 2014

Publication series

NameIFAC Proceedings Volumes (IFAC-PapersOnline)
Volume19
ISSN (Print)1474-6670

Conference

Conference19th IFAC World Congress on International Federation of Automatic Control, IFAC 2014
Country/TerritorySouth Africa
CityCape Town
Period24/08/201429/08/2014

Keywords

  • Complex systems
  • Culture
  • Developing countries
  • Ethics
  • International stability

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