Publications

Organizational Diagnosis As Phase Space: Attractor Classes, Observer Bias, And Intervention Logic In Autopoietic Systems

Language: English  |  Authors: Albin Kühn & Arne Theissen

Abstract

This paper develops a formal model for systemic organisational diagnosis using phase space theory. Organisations are understood as autopoietic systems operating in characteristic attractor states — between stagnation, instability and load-bearing structure. A central theme is observer bias: how the diagnostic gaze itself transforms what it seeks to capture.

The model forms the theoretical foundation of my diagnostic practice — in particular the question of which intervention logic is effective in which system states. The formalisation dD/dt = F(D, I, E_k) + ε(t) treats organisational change as a context-dependent process shaped by current state, invitation and environmental conditions.

Key Arguments

• —Organisational diagnosis is not a neutral act — it modifies the system it observes
• —Attractor states determine which interventions can be effective within a given system
• —The equation dD/dt = F(D, I, E_k) + ε(t) formalises organisational dynamics as a context-dependent process
• —Three attractor classes are proposed: stable-functional, metastable-tense, and chaotic-blocked