Are organizations autopoietic? A call for new debate

Abstract

Abstract Discussion and debate over the application of autopoiesis to social systems has been enthusiastic since Maturana and Varela's ( 1980 ) theory was translated from Spanish into English in the early 1980s. In this paper I will examine the debate so far, in order to propose a new ‘frame’ for discussion based upon the establishment of a working ontology for organizations. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.