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The Euro Mediterranean Management Approach 2.
Euro-Mediterranean values within a historic and
cultural perspective Holism, constructivism and
scientific practice
Walter Baets, PhD, HDR Associate Dean for
Research MBA Director Professor Complexity ,
Knowledge and Innovation Euromed Marseille
Ecole de Management
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Euromeds Management Approachour specificity
Individual

• Personal development
• Emotional development
• Leadership
• Making a difference
• Self motivation
• Joy
• Involvement
• Responsibility
• Respect

• Quantitative approaches
• Control/performance
• Management by
• objectives
• Models
• Financial orientation
• Short term efficiency
• Production management

Mechanistic management approach
Personal Development (Learner centered)
Interior
Exterior

• Dynamic system behavior
• Management in complexity
• Management in diversity
• Knowledge management
• Community of practices
• Ecological management
• Ethics in management
• Social corporate responsibility
• Sustainable development
• The networked economy
• Emergence, innovation

Holistic management approach
Euro- Mediterranean beliefs, values
culture (identity)

• Historic legitimacy
• Diversity
• Sociology
• Humanism
• Relativism
• Complexity
• Social responsibility
• Euro-Mediterranean
• (long term perspective)
• Sustainable development

Collective/Networked
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Identifying a  space  (of meaning) espace de
sens as any space capable of Identifying
common solutions Identifying collective
preferences Connect these preferences and
deliberations into political performance The
Euro-Mediterranean is an essentially contested
and loosely undefined concept
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Acceptance of plurality (Collective preferences)

• The decentralization of modernity, which is no
  longer European or
• Euro-American
• The dissemination of authority, for today  it
  is difficult to think
• about any political, social or cultural
  phenomenon from the point
• of view of one single player, or one single
  power
• (the State, the Church, etc.)
• The growth of relativism, in the first place as
  a consequence of
• previous dynamics
• A philosophical questioning of universality
• We observe a growing complexity in the world,
  that, no generalist view
• can restore or reconstruct
• A value based refusal to reject the local or the
  particular
• The decrease of the honour of nations, partly
  linked to the end of a
• worldview based on opposed blocks of
  countries
• Allowing the pre-eminence of trade and culture
• (to the detriment of ideology).

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The physical dimension (1) (The  space )

• For its geographical dimension, it consists of
  the nations
• around the Mediterranean
• Spain France Italy Greece (Greek
  islands)
• Balkan (Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and
  Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro,
• Albania)
• Turkey
• Syria Lebanon Israel Gaza (Palestine
  Jordan) (Mashrek)
• Egypt Libya Tunisia Algeria Morocco
  (Maghreb)
• Malta Cyprus (Corsica, Sardinia, Sicilia,
  Baleares)
• 550 million inhabitants
• For historical reasons it refers to the
  philosophical,
• scientific and political bases of the Western
• civilisation, and pre-eminence of
• economic flows until 1870 (Braudel, 1985)

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Examples of  recent  conflicts
Spain civil war Franco period (40s to
60s) Greece the colonels regime (70s) Second
World War Spain, Italy (40s) Balkan war
(90s) Middle East Civil War in Lebanon (Syria)
Israeli-Arab state of war and
conflicts Israel-Egypt (Sinai
war Suez crisis earlier)
Palestine problem Position of Lybia (80s to
90s) Algeria crisis (50s) Divide of Cyprus
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The physical dimension (2)
For its economic dimension Permanent
juxtaposition of the different levels of wealth
and growth The European dynamic of growth
since the industrial revolution does rely on the
capacity for inclusions of peripheral economies
of the wealthiest countries. (Italy, Austria,
Portugal, Spain, Greece, etc.) Extension of
growth while respecting national socio-economic
characteristics (welcomed by the former Eastern
block countries and, of course, by the Maghreb
countries and Africa) Integration of diversity
very few countries or groups of countries have
succeeded in building a long-lasting economic
space which does not renounce diversity. (The
Euro is an almost-perfect example.)
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The physical dimension (3)
For interest in sustainable development
anticipating a common future comparable to the
past Europe of the current 25 countries
constitutes one of the biggest reserves in the
world for fresh water. While blue gold is
becoming one of the major stakes of the
geo-strategy, a Euro-Mediterranean view is
required Less than one hours flight separates
the European Union (highest GDP/population) and
Africa the Mediterranean can no longer
represent a separation between the rich and
the others.
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Euro-Mediterranean markers (1) (Common solutions)
European particularities, as compared to American
particularities economic conflict, the
political rivalry and the incompatibility of
social models (Hermet, 1998) Approaches having
a tendency towards a sort of praise for
heterogeneity Tendency to attempt to
orchestrate the diversity of human belonging, in
pluralistic societies The goal is to assure the
accomplishment of each individual. No one is
forced to give up their links with, or deny their
attachment to their respective past and/or
culture Rather to define themselves by these
links (Hermet, 1998)
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Euro-Mediterranean markers (2)
Being able to bring about differences at the
heart of the European Union Including about what
appears to be the Truth (multiple
truths) Interesting in this respect is what
happens to the concept of a single market For
the English as open as possible to the outside
world For the Mediterranean countries a single
market marks its identity vis-à-vis that
outside, notably by the mechanisms of control
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Euro-Mediterranean markers (3)
Chantal Delsol A Euro-Mediterranean espace du
sens would be equivalent to proposing a
political humanism resting on three
foundations An ontological equality in dignity,
equality of rights and conditions, the right
conferred on each person to participate in the
definition of a collective destiny, just as if
they were deciding their individual destiny (the
role and/or rejection of the State of
law) Freedom, made concrete in individual
conscience and independent thinking, in the
distance kept in relation to communities of
belonging, in the separation of the temporal and
the spiritual, private and public Knowledge
that signifies the dissociation of knowledge and
secret, of knowledge and powerthe divulgence
of knowledge to everyone permission to doubt,
to question the constant possibility of
transforming the worldat the risk of making
mistakes..
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• Mediteranian Thinking by Cassano (1998, 2001)
• A well tempered relativism that drives us to
  accept a coherent pluralism
• of the diverse (management) schools of
  thought
• A reassessment of the Mediterranean context that
  leads us
• without ethnocentrism to identify relevant
  local management
• research and practice
• A sense of moderation that allows us to design a
  moderate
• management approach which avoids the
  disproportion of
• numerous unbounded managerial proposals.

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A framework for Euro Mediterranean thinking

• It does not set up an opposition (a dualism) but
  rather a dialectic
• progression between the North and the South
• It offers ideas on how to get closer one to
  another and to mutually enrich,
• not to antagonise
• Those markers do not link to the old dichotomy
  North-modernity-industry
• and South-tradition-land
• They can only enrich our political vision of
  democracy and our market
• economical approach
• They provide a framework that helps to defuse
  the trap of a so called
• romantic view of  Mediterranean values  that
  are often
• over-simplifications

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Some economic derivatives (political/economical
performance)

• Relativism with regards to universality
• Different approaches to rationality and
  complexity
• A polychronic vision as compared to a
  monochronic vision
• A longer term vision as compared to a short term
  view
•  Experimentation and spoken contract  in
  comparison with
•  modeling and the written contract 
• Treatment of diversity as a mosaic and not as
  the search
• for an average position.

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All the elements
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The Euro Mediterranean Management Approach 2.
Euro-Mediterranean values within a historic and
cultural perspective Holism, constructivism and
scientific practice
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Definitions
Philosophy 1. Pursuit of wisdom 2. Search for
general understanding of values and reality by
chiefly speculative rather than observational
means 3. The study of knowledge Epistemology Vie
ws about the nature, the sources and the limits
of knowledge (what makes true beliefs into
knowledge)
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Definitions (2)
Ontology Philosophical investigation of existence
or being 1. What means being 2. What
exists An ontology is what philosophers take to
exist The ontology of a theory is the things that
have to exist for a theory to be true Is
philosophy a scientific discipline in its own
right, or rather an umbrella for every action or
decision ?
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The role of the scientist / philosopher of science
Picture science within its contemporary framework
(not in the absolute) Provide a framework
that allows judgement about the
epistemological relevance of a theory (or
application) Philosophy of science is often
embedded in sociology and history (other
than philosophy that often develops its own
logic)
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My taxonomy of philosophy of science
Historical embedding Origin
Philosophical theories
Design consequences
Logical positivism (Wiener Kreis) Critical
rationalism (Popper) Kuhns paradigm
theory Lakatos theory Symbolic interactionism Crit
ical theories
Philosophy
Deduction Induction Empiricism Hypotheses
testing Qualitative research
Architecture Arts Usefulness as a criteria
Feyerabends chaostheory Postmodern
theories (Derida, Apostel, Foucault, Deleuze)
Design paradigm (van Aken) Social construction
of reality Design norms
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My taxonomy of philosophy of science/2
Historical embedding Origin
Philosophical theories
Design consequences
Neurobiology
Radical constructivism (Maturana,
Mingers) Autopoiesis (Varela) Self-reference
(Gödel)
Dynamic re-creation The emergence of object and
subject Local (contextual) validity
Cognitive Artificial Intelligence
Paradigm of mind (Franklin, Kim)
Adaptive systems Implicit learning
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The pre-history of philosophy of science
Pre-Cartesian/Pre-Galilean period (before 17th
century) Church is the seat of science Science
exists to confirm religion Science is the common
sense In fact it is holistic 17th to the 19th
century I think,therefor I am Experimentation The
role of the researcher as involved subject was
not (yet) questioned Absolute Newtonian
framework (absolute time and space
concept) Measurability The end of holistic
thinking in science
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The 20th century
Breakthrough of relativity theory (Einstein)
(objective measurement can no longer be claimed)
and quantum mechanics (it is all
interpretation) Comparing the validity of
theories (e.g. Lorentz versus Einstein)
needs different methods 1931 Gödels theorem
(general validity of symbolic reasoning can
no longer be claimed)
Box of Pandora
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Logical empiricism Logical positivism (Wiener
Kreis)
Around 1920-1930 Based on physics, natural
sciences, mathematics Bacon (1516-1626) and Hume
(1711-1776) empiricism Descartes (1596-1651)
rationalism Members Carnap, Neurath, Schlick,
Reichenbach (Berlin), Gödel philosophers
Nagel, Hempel, Ayer Clarity and consistency is
the credo (against endless metaphysical
controversies) Verification criterium is
central what cannot be verified is not true
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How to verify statements (that are not
immediately verifiable) Built them on a
rockbottom of science (what is
empirical) Construct it with logic (axiomatic
systems) Context of discovery is what a
scientist does Context of justification
philosophers work Nazism forced a lot of them
to move to the US, where they created
analytical philosophy
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Critical rationalism
Popper 1902 - 1994 Principle of
falsification Knowledge needs continuously
improved (characteristic) Induction is not
always valid from all observed A are B to all
A are B Only knowledge as a product is
important an epistemology without a knowing
subject No context of discovery
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Causality is a consequence of the methodology,
not a concept in itself (in line with logical
empiricism) Scientific discovery leads from the
known to the unknown Unity of method in all
empirical sciences, including social
sciences The idea that the development of a
society can be forecasted (and hence is fixed)
is for Popper a serious threat for freedom and
democracy (political or scientific viewpoint
?) Subject of social sciences is rational
choice decisions
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Kuhns paradigm theory (1922 - 1996)
Confronted prevailing philosophies with the
history of science History of science did not
follow its own rules Particularly influential in
the social sciences Science always fits within a
context, a time-period Science is also a
potential act who fits best the political
situation
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Not the method makes the difference, but the
social acceptance (peer evaluation) Context of
discovery and context of justification cannot be
subdivided Methodological rules for theories are
never mandatory, it are choices Periods of
normal sciences peer evaluation
scientific revolution
choices (cf Lakatos)
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Symbolic interactionism
Developed within the social sciences Opposes
logical positivism Opposes the object/subject
viewpoint of critical rationalism Cause-effect
relationships (Popper) are replaced by
reason- behavior It attempts to understand,
(predict) and influence George Herbert Mead
(1863-1932) based on pragmatism of John Dewey
(1859-1952)
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Pragmatism truth is based on usability (see
design paradigm) based only on what can be
observed (against metaphysics) No value free
science A lot of behavior is rule-based, social
context decides the rules Social context is
expressed in symbols (signs) Interactionism
refers to the dynamics of the process Does this
theory re-introduces a holistic view ?
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Feyerabends Chaos Theory (1924-1994)
Scientific practice in contrast with scientific
method. Observation non-experts identified new
developments against prevailing assumptions in
the scientific community. Science is essentially
anarchic enterprise theoretical anarchism is
more humanitarian and more likely to encourage
progress than its law-and-order alternatives. The
only principle that does not inhibit progress
is anything goes. We may advance science by
proceeding counterinductively In fact a
postmodern view on science
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Design paradigm for management applications
Business research between academia and
professionals Scholarly quality and managerial
relevance Types of science Formal sciences
philosophy, mathematics Explanatory sciences
natural sciences, social sciences Design
sciences engineering, medical,
psychotherapy, management Mission develop
knowledge to be used in design and realization
of artefacts construction problems improveme
nt problems
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Problem of the professional translate general
knowledge to a unique case. Design repertoire
contains object knowledge realization
knowledge process knowledge a design
language generic models prescriptions. Design
sciences are not primarily interested in what is,
but in what can be.
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Tested and grounded technological rules is a
typical research product of design
science Typical research design is clinical
research research on the effect of
interventions Typical research cycle will be
multiple cases (solved) with a reflective cycle
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Self-producing systems, autopoiesis radical
constructivism, self-reference
Maturana, Varela, Gödel, Mingers Biological
principle of self-producing systems
Autopoeisis Has been interpreted a lot by
different fields, differently In opposition to
the focus on species and genes, Maturana
and Varela pick out the single, biological
individual (e.g. an amoebae) as the central
example of a living system Individual autonomy,
self-defined entities within an organism
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Living systems operate in an essentially
mechanistic way. The overall behavior of the
whole is generated purely by the components and
its interactions Observers are external to the
system. Observers perceive both an entity and
its environment. Components within an entity
act purely in response to other components Any
explanation of living systems should be
nonteleological, having no recourse to idea of
purpose, goal, ends and functions Living
systems are autopoietic (self-producing) circular
, self-referring organization
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Implications of autopoiesis
Plus ça change, plus cest la même
chose Organizational closure (immune system,
nervous system, social system) Structural
determinism Dynamic systems interact with the
environment through their structure Inputs
(perturbations) and outputs (compensations) Struct
ural coupling adaptation where the environment
does not specify the adaptive changes that will
occur Self-production was not only specified for
biological systems (computer generated models
human organizations, law)
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Philosophical implications of autopoiesis
Epistemological and ontological
presuppositions It constitutes a theory about
the observer It implies there is no claim to
objectivity Beliefs and theories are purely
human constructs which constitute rather than
reflect reality constructivism Biology of
cognition (1970) observer is the system in
which description takes place
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Ontology of autopoiesis
Perceptions and experiences occur through and are
mediated by our bodies and nervous
systems Therefor it is impossible for us to
generate a description that is a pure
description of reality, independent of
ourselves Experience always reflects the
observer There is no object of our knowledge, it
is distinguished by the observer
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Epistemology of autopoiesis
Validation of knowledge is the maintenance of
successful autopoiesis. Proper scientific
methodology includes specifying the
observer. Scientific statements are validated
by scientific method, which is used to produce
them, not by correspondence to an external
world. Logic itself is common to all
domains. Methodology is important.
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Some further remarks
Humans are linguistic animals playing the praxis
of living The experience of the observer is
crucial, rather than events in the world The
role of discourse and language Constructivism
finds it difficult to explain scientific
change and, a fortiori, scientific progress
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Design consequences of radical constructivism
Dynamic re-creation The merger and emergence of
object and subject (goes against
objectivism) Concept of local (conceptual)
validity Connectionist research
approaches Language plays an important
role Self-reference as the principle for
academic validity Self-reference as a quality
of autopoietic systems (balance)