COMPLEXITY AND NONOQUILIBRIUM STUDY OF ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE:THEORY DECUCTION ON ORGANIZATIONAL THERMODYNAMICS AND CASE STUDY

• Main Authors: LEE, WHO-WOON, 李福文
• Other Authors: Huang, Yin-Shan
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2005
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/93043407481215673015

博士 === 國立臺北大學 === 企業管理學系 === 93 === Purpose of this research are to explore and develop a generic theory of organizational change to answer those “why”, “what” and “when” questions adhered with subjects of organization change and evolution and to overcome those diversed arguments on subject research in past twenty or more years and the confused meaning in analogue use of thermodynamic terminologies. Through literature reviews on Thermodynamics, Fluid Dynamics, Organization Behavior and Development, some commonalities of change and evolutionary mechanism have been identified. Along with the route of theory development on grand thermodynamics derived since 1850’s, and starting from the universal law of conservation with concepts implanted with organizational forces and flows, a partial differential equation based on organizational assets and capitals has been constructed and deductive to herein defined Organizational Thermodynamic Theory which has exact same theory structure as Prigogine’s Dissipative Structure Theory. By use of this newly developed theory some key variables and indicators driving organization change like “free energy”, “total entropy” change, “entropy flow”, “entropy production” and organization “temperature” have been specifically and operatably defined. In practice, this theory can be applied by business organizations as a diagnostic and analysis tool for judging its direction on adaptive change and time span tolerance for change. In scholar or academic research, this theory can provide a new route for plural and gestalt research on organization change and a new method to detect organizational health and performance evolution. Based on the framework of this deductive theory, a typical case with long historical operation has been selected for this theoretical analysis to interpret the applicatability and accountability of this innovational theory which would provide a new paradigm for future research on organizational change.