Creating ‘Rhizomatic Systems’ for Understanding Complexity in Organizations

Abstract

The article describes and demonstrates the use of a new research proposal for understanding the complexity in organizations in terms of a Deleuzian sense of an event. It creates the rhizome metaphor that allows the emergence of different ways of systems thinking, a legitimate challenge to the Modernist's orthodoxy. For Deleuze and Guattari, micropolitics are the essence of what we call 'rhizomatic systems.' It is this concept of the organization, as a rhizome or rhizomatic systems that we want to focus from 'problem solving' in a real-world situation to the process of problematization, that is, the making or appreciating a series of events in the problematizing fields. The paper draws on the research experience in which participatory action research was carried out in a Korean distribution company. The participatory learning process happened to create a series of events in which 'time-related research' was conducted in order to facilitate the process of problematization within the organization.Keywords Deleuzian sense of an event . The rhizome metaphor . Micropolitics . Problematization . Participatory action research

Rhizomatic Self-Study

“…Rhizomic growth highlights the dynamic, chaotic, and open nature of the meshwork of connections which cannot be predicted in advance. A rhizomatic system is characterized by connectivity that is in constant flow, far from stability, always transforming and regenerating (Larsson and Dahlin 2012;Semetsky 2008;Yu 2006). These systems are free of rigid boundaries and dichotomies and can create simultaneous connections and interactions along different dimensions (Deleuze and Guattari 1987;Gale 2007).…”

Proposing a Process-Oriented Systems Research for Systems Thinking Development

“…Creative holism evolves as critical systems thinking and its metamethodology called 'critical systems practice' develops. In a similar vein, some writers argue that 'time-related' inquiring systems are needed to understand the processes of 'problematization' that has developed from the 'problem-solving' activities in practices from poststructural philosophical thoughts [3,4]. Recently, 'time-related' social appreciative process is suggested in order to explore the relationship between science or systems thinking and its values in social practice [5].…”