Distinction-Based Consulting and Decisions – Social Systems Theory and Second-Order Cybernetics as Premise for Powerful Decisions

Abstract

If you travel or interact with larger companies, you probably have noticed some novel practices: The next step in automation for travelers has arrived: Recently, air passengers have been able to check in not only themselves but also their luggage. The banking sector is in transition. The number of branches and employees is declining; business is increasingly taking place on the internet and smartphones."Robot lawyers" that support or automate legal processes are the new trend in legal technology. They are expected to offer efficient alternatives to legal services. The above-mentioned examples illustrate a trend that seems to be unstoppable: Automated processes and even artificial intelligence are taking over the services sector. This is the economic sector, where the human workforce was once an indispensable source of added value. Such developments may lead to further questions about our future. From a social system-theoretical point of view, for instance, organizations are built through the communication of decisions. However, many of the current trends in business are based on creating machines or procedures that make decisions for people. If machines decide instead of humans, how can we validate humans as decision makers? In this paper, we want to focus on the above question using premises of social system theory and ideas of second-order cybernetics as guides for (a) a better understanding of the dynamics; (b) self-reflection; and (c) adapted perspectives for upcoming challenges.

Keywords

• systemic consultancy
• decisions
• solution-focused work
• social systems theory
• second-order management
• artificial intelligence