A common charge leveled against the autopoietic perspective is that it does not explain change or, consequently, knowledge creation. This book demonstrates that knowledge creation is not always an ongoing process, as is claimed in many process philosophy and autopoietic research works. The author introduces the idea of recursivity, which represents the explanatory potential for uninterrupted knowledge creation and paves the way for interaction between process (e.g. production) and stability (e.g. structure). The book describes the nature and role of recursivity in detail, especially in terms of how a system’s structure and production become media for one another. The book also acknowledges the value of the systems perspective on organizations in management studies, but suggests a different approach to defining systems, one that includes autopoietic elements.

 

Late Prof. ​Kaj U. Koskinen was an Adjunct Professor in the department of Industrial Management and Engineering at Tampere University (Finland). Dr Koskinen’s research interests were focused on knowledge and project management and he published several articles and books on autopoietic knowledge systems in project-based environments.