infonet-economy

Purpose
- The purpose of this paper is to introduce and conceptualize the topic of Model?based management (MBM) in organizations.

Design/methodology/approach
- The relevance of different types of models for management is elaborated, and a research agenda for this new topic is proposed.

Findings
- An analysis of the concept, role and function of models in the context of management and organization, as well as an outline for a new understanding of both the concept and role of models for management, grounded in system science is found.

Practical implications
- Ultimately, MBM can enhance the intelligence, adaptiveness and viability of organizations of any kind: private, public, non?profit, large or small.

Originality/value
- Taking models as the pivot of a research project on general management is unconventional. The gain promised by such an innovative scope derives from its high potential: both theory and practice can benefit from the envisaged research. Theoretically speaking, advances in management and organization science can be achieved, while on the practical side, the insights gained will caution managers and leaders against succumbing to the traps of complexity, while radically improving their managerial effectiveness.

Coping with complexity is at the heart of the systems approach. Several methodologies can be discerned which have proved to possess extraordinary power in dealing with complex issues. System dynamics is a general-purpose methodology for modelling and simulation employed in order to deal with dynamic complexity. Cybernetics has brought forth structural models to enable organizations to deal with the complexity of their environments. The main proposition of this paper is that these two methodological strands show potential synergies. A proposal for leveraging the complementarities of system dynamics and organizational cybernetics is made. The paper also argues that it is necessary to conflate qualitative and quantitative modelling and design approaches, as well as to improve the quality of models and strategies by strengthening the processes of validation. At a higher level of abstraction, the author postulates that, for the sake of relevance, this methodological synthesis is to build upon both the positivist and interpretivist traditions. On this basis, a framework called integrative systems methodology is proposed to help actors at different levels to achieve the requisite variety.

Coping with complexity is at the heart of management and leadership in the turbulent environments faced by the organizations and societies of our day. The systems approach provides transdisciplinary theories and tools for dealing with this challenge more effectively than efforts merely based on disciplinary insights or pragmatic recipes. In this paper, a concept of "intelligent organizations" is introduced. A framework for the design of intelligent organizations is proposed that links three organizational cybernetic models: the Model for Systemic Control, the Viable System Model, and the Team Syntegrity model.2 The proposition is that a combined use of these models, guided by the integrative conceptual framework, enables a more effective response to complex situations than merely pragmatic approaches to "integrative management." Provisional empirical evidence gathered from applied research indicates that the proposed framework is capable of enhancing such superior potential for effective response. As such, it promises to meet the specific needs of the new types of organizations that have already begun to emerge in the knowledge societies.

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the potential of making the systems approach fertile for the future of our world(s).
Design/methodology/approach - Underpinned by a significant case study, the idea of the paper is to show how a systems study changed the basis for deciding on an incisive interference planned for a lovely alpine valley. The study builds on a qualitative conceptual model and reverts to a quantitative, system-dynamics simulation model, as well as standard economic evaluation methods. The decision process is explained with its outcomes and implications.
Findings - The study found, among others, the following concrete result: The optimal variant (Case B) required an additional investment for its realization. According to the calculations that were carried out, the period needed for the amortization of the pertinent amount was found to be no more than 0.9 to 1.6 years. It became clear that the most expensive variant was indeed a very good business proposition for the Austrian Republic.
Practical implications - The results of the study were integrated into the General Traffic Plan of the Austrian Ministry of Transportation, Innovation and Technology, i.e. the study's conclusions obtained legal status. This meant a shift toward a long-term orientation. In addition, new insights for the realization of similar studies and interventions were gained.
Originality/value - The study described in the paper shows both rigor and relevance. It illuminates a methodology that combines the qualitative and the quantitative, as well as careful analysis and powerful synthesis. Beyond the methods and procedures used in the inquiry, its outcomes and impact on the concrete system under study are demonstrated.

Managers and organizations are learning that dealing with ecological issues seriously is part of their responsibility. In this article, the inherent rationality of an ecologically oriented approach to management is highlighted. For this purpose, a conceptual framework for a comprehensive fitness of organizations is presented. Based on this framework and on case studies in small businesses a simulation model has been developed. The structure of this model is outlined. Then, on the basis of simulation experiments, several aspects of ecological management are discussed. The focus is on the role of pre-control, which substantiates the primacy of the long-term perspective. In this context, the trade-offs between short- and longer-term decisions, as well as the vulnerability of one-sided strategies are discussed.

Würdigung von Leben und Werk von Prof. Dr. Hans Ulrich, Gründer des Instituts für Betriebswirtschaft an der Universität St. Gallen.

Hans Ulrich hat mit seinem Werk die Entwicklung der Managementlehre massgeblich geprägt. Er begründete die "systemorientierte Managementlehre". Mit seinem Denken war er der Zeit weit voraus. Schon früh plädierte er für eine interdisziplinäre, systemische Ausrichtung und für die Berücksichtigung neuer Dimensionen wie Ethik und Ökologie in der Managementlehre. Seine mehrdimensionalen, integrativen Modell, welche Unternehmung, Umwelt und Unternehmungsführung umfassen, bilden die Grundlage für das St. Galler Management-Modell.