Systems theory is an interdisciplinary theory about the nature of complex systems in nature, society, and science. It is a framework by which one can use to study, investigate and describe any group of objects that work in collaboration towards a common purpose/goal. Systems theory can be applied to both organic as well as inorganic (informational artifact for example) organizations. The science of systems began with Ludvig von Bertalanffy’s 1968 General System Theory (GST).
Published in Chapter:
Culture From a Value Systems Perspective: A Study of CATCH, an Interdisciplinary Research Project in Fisheries and Aquaculture in Norway
Cheryl Marie Cordeiro (Norwegian Institute of Food, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Research (Nofima), Norway) and Geir Sogn-Grundvåg (Norwegian Institute of Food, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Research (Nofima), Norway)
Copyright: © 2020
|Pages: 30
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-0214-3.ch009
Abstract
International interdisciplinary projects (IDR) are a microcosm of multicultural landscapes. Through a culture theories perspective, in particular, viewing culture as a system of explicitly and implicitly coded values, this chapter conveys the processes and results of a study that investigates and uncovers the management strategies of an IDR project, CATCH. The study of culture from a value systems approach enables a more subtle and nuanced approach to the analysis and framing of cultural heterogeneity in the context of an IDR project, beyond the often dichotomous, cultural dimensions construct. Due to the multiple actors in an IDR project, the example of CATCH illustrates a more nuanced view of cultural filters that arise from each academic discipline. Using the culture as value systems perspective, this chapter shows how multicultural landscapes and different resulting knowledges can be leveraged towards an integrated worldview when solving challenges in a globalized world with limited resources.