Knowledge Evolution and Societal Transformations

Action Theory to Solve Adaptive Problems

By (author) Jerald Hage Foreword by Michael Quinn Patton

Publication date:

30 April 2020

Publisher

Anthem Press

Dimensions:

229x153mm
6x9"

ISBN-13: 9781785273759

Knowledge evolution punctuates the previous equilibrium of society and requires us to develop adaptive solutions. One new rule is that as the discovery of new knowledge grows more difficult, more complex organizational and institutional arrangements have to be adopted.

Knowledge growth is accelerating because not only are there more creative individuals and organizations developing radical innovations, but also innovative regions are facilitating both of these trends. The discussion of four social regions and the kinds of selves produced help explain partisan divides and integrate the social psychological literature.

The growth in knowledge produces two kinds of social changes: In the nature of the social structure and the kinds of institutional problems that have to be solved. The discussion of changes in the stratification system, in the choice of organizational form, and in the spread of inter-organizational networks with tight connections (heterogeneous social capital) allows us to update Marx, Weber, and Durkheim.

The new adaptive problems include growing inefficiencies in labor, product, and public markets and the failure of many existing programs. The proposed solutions are the creation of coordinated systemic networks in each of these areas, which integrates the comparative institutional literature, neoclassical economics, and political science.

List of Illustrations; Foreword: A Magnum Opus for Our Times and the Future by Michael Quinn Patton; Odyssey: Social Capital Acknowledgements in the Intellectual Journey through the Micro, Macro and Meso Worlds of Reality; Chapter One Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Knowledge: Punctuated Equilibrium Theory, Knowledge Creators, Structural Change, Adaptive Problems, and Institutional Solutions; Part One Knowledge Creators or Problem Solvers: Creative Minds, Radical Organizational Innovations, and Regional Environments That Encourage Higher Radical Innovation Rates; Chapter Two Knowledge Creators: Individual Creativity; Chapter Three Knowledge Creators: Radical Organizational Innovation; Chapter Four Knowledge Creators: Institutional Environments That Encourage Radical Innovation; Part Two Structural Change: Structural Diff erentiation and Dediff erentiation in Occupations and Their Classes, Organizations and Their Contexts, Networks and Their Cohesions; Chapter Five Structural Changes in the Stratifi cation System: New Occupations and Kinds of Social Classes; Chapter Six Structural Change in the Organization– Context Nexus: New Organizational Forms and Collaborative Competition; Chapter Seven Structural Change in Network Cohesion Links: New Coordinated Network Systems and Collaborative Social Cohesion; Part Three Adaptive Problems and Institutional Transformations Required to Create Meaningful Work, Employment, and Social Integration; Chapter Eight Knowledge Evolution and Adaptive Problems of the Skill Formation/ Research Capability System: Institutional Transformations That Produce New Skills and Reduce Alienation; Chapter Nine Knowledge Evolution and Adaptive Problems of the Economic System: Institutional Transformations to Create Decision- Making Jobs and Reduce Powerlessness; Chapter Ten Knowledge Evolution and Adaptive Problems of the Political System: Institutional Transformations to Create Safety Nets for the Socially Isolated/Mentally Ill and Constructing a New Democracy; Chapter Eleven Everything We Must Do to Further Social Evolution and Institutional Transformations: Solutions, Strategies, and the Stickiness of Path Dependencies; A Future Voyage: The Fourth Stage of Knowledge Creation; References; Index.

“New knowledge can create but it also disrupts, argues Hage in this captivating deep-dive into the complexities of knowledge, human development and social evolution. Drawing on his massive experience, masterful knowledge of the literature and extensive conceptual acumen, Hage charts how we can address contemporary dilemmas of knowledge and reflects on strategies for integrating knowledge into models of individual, organizational, societal and economic development.” —Philip Shapira, Professor of Innovation Management and Policy, University of Manchester, UK, and Director, Georgia Tech Program in Science, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA