The search for answers to many of the unresolved information and governance issues still under discussion makes it imperative to examine Norbert Wiener's creative legacy more closely. The founder of cybernetics has a number of works dealing with the questions of philosophy and methodology of science, the role of scientific knowledge in society, the problem of the universe, the analysis of the possible consequences of the scientific and technological revolution, and the ethics of the scientist.
Wiener's interest in philosophical questions is no coincidence: it is well known that he first wanted to devote himself to philosophy, studied at Harvard University under the direction of J. Royce and J. Santayana, received his doctorate at the age of 18, and only then, under the influence of Russell, further improved his education in Europe, giving preference to mathematics. Nevertheless, Wiener has repeatedly dealt with philosophical topics in his scientific work, both in the period of "pre-cybernetics" and in the development of the project of a new science "on management and communication in animals and machines".
Cybernetics is the science of general management laws in nature, society, living organisms and machines or the science of management, communication and information processing. The subject of the study are dynamic systems. The subject is information processes related to their management.
The originality of this science lies in the fact that it does not examine the real composition of systems and their structure, but the result of the work of this class of systems. In cybernetics, the concept of the "black box" was first formulated as a device that performs a particular operation on the current and past input potential, but for which we do not necessarily have information about the structure that ensures the performance of that operation.
In cybernetics, systems are studied by their reactions to external influences, i.e. by the functions they perform. In addition to the material and structural approach, cybernetics has introduced the functional approach into scientific use as a further variant of the system approach in the broadest sense of the word.
Cybernetics is a study of a system based on cybernetic principles, in particular by identifying forward and backward connections and viewing the elements of the system as a few "black boxes".
The purpose of the Cyber Approach is to apply principles, methods and techniques to achieve the most effective results in optimizing management in one way or another. The core concepts of cybernetics are: System, Feedback, Information.
Let us remember the basic principles of the system approach:
A system is a whole that is not a simple sum of its parts. The behaviour of the system is not determined by the characteristics of the individual elements, but by the way they interact and the way they relate. As a result, it is impossible to study and understand the system by decomposing and analyzing its components.
If we separate some of its parts from the organization, e.g. accounting, procurement or sales, none of them will be able to deliver the product that produces the system as a whole and that is the result of their interaction. The same is true for knowledge - although held by individuals, knowledge about the enterprise as a system is not just a mere sum of the competencies of its employees, but also a systemic property that at this level acquires new qualities and is subject to other laws.
The organization creates complex interrelations and interactions both in itself and with the external environment, forms intellectual (thought) models on the basis of which algorithms of actions in different situations are developed. In order to determine the reason why the existing state of the system differs from the desired one, it is pointless to analyze a separate structure, it is necessary to examine the underlying processes and intellectual models.
Systems can be simple and complex. The complexity of systems can be twofold: composite and dynamic.
Composite complexity is determined by the number of elements, while dynamic complexity is determined by the nature of its relationships. Companies have not only a composite complexity, but also a dynamic complexity, because even with a small number of elements (e.g. a small number of employees) the number of variants of relationships and interactions between them can be enormous.
Each employee of the organization contacts a number of employees of other departments to establish the corporate communication. In addition, some colleagues can build friendly or amicable relationships with each other and it is known how much the whole team of relatives or romantic relationships in the workplace can be affected.
By influencing the system, it is impossible to get a local result, changing one part leads to changes in many other related areas, which inevitably results in side effects.
3. by influencing the system it is impossible to get a local result, changing one part leads to changes in many other related areas, which inevitably manifests itself in side effects.
There are many examples of side effects in personnel development. Here is one of the most unpleasant. Imagine a company that doesn't make money to train its employees. The professionalism of the specialists grows to the delight of the management, but also increases their value on the labour market and their attractiveness to other employers, as well as their self-esteem and job requirements.
It is clear that if the increased need for highly qualified employees cannot be met in the same place, competitors will not sleep. The system strives to maintain its integrity and resists change. It is precisely because of the system's resistance to change that it is so difficult to implement reforms, including the introduction of new knowledge, technologies and working methods.