Information Systems Research, 1999, Volume 10,
Issue 1, Page 38-69.
Colonial systems are presented as an alternative to the mechanistic and organic systems paradigms. They are based upon the inclusion of an evolutionary social history (Ernst Mayr), species-level evolution (Eldredge and Gould), and local context (Martin Heidegger) as central premises in the definition of human systems. The colonial viewpoint of systems is differentiated from the mechanistic and organic models by ten different axioms that define how systems operate during both homeostasis (stability) and radical change. From the axiomatic descriptions of colonial systems, the method of punctuated prototyping is derived to clarify how local colonies survive and prosper by creating and adopting isolated prototypes. This change mechanism (1) requires the self-awareness to recognize the necessity for change, and (2) describes the empowerment necessary for the colonists to build and adopt successful prototypes. The colonial systems model can be applied to explanations about how information systems, organizations, and social institutions change. Further, colonies can be used as a metaphor to design new human systems that capture a greater degree of humanness than do the models of machines and organisms.
Keywords: Change; Change Management; Colonial Systems; Design; Humanness; Information System Change; Information System Theory; Organizational Change; Prototyping; Punctuated Equilibrium; Punctuated Prototyping; Social Change; Social Systems; Species Level Evolution