Application of Autopoietic Theory in Management

Abstract

Autopoietic theory was first used in the science of biology in order to define life and characteristics of a living existent while it encounters the environment. Principles used by a living existent in encountering environmental complexity and changes can also be used in management for the sake of developing functions of “organizations”. Besides, it can help introduce new methodologies, new theories and unveil the flaws and the missing parts of the previous studies. The present essay deals with introducing this theory and its applications in management and attempts to present some directions to be used for future researches through investigating experimental and conceptual researches done in this realm. For this purpose, 74 related articles were selected from reliable scientific databases and their main theme was extracted and analyzed afterwards. In addition, these articles were classified based on their empirical and conceptual nature. The results showed that Autopoietic theory has not been used much, neither scientifically or applicably, in the literature in the realm of management. However, due to the capabilities of such theory, it is recommended to use for management purposes as well.

Keywords

• Autopoiesis
• Determinism-structure
• Life
• Management
• Structural Coupling