40 years of Luhmann's legacy in the Anglophone academic community: a quantitative content analysis of Luhmannian research

Sohn, Youngju

doi:10.1080/03906701.2020.1853005

Cited by 2 publications

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“…Indeed, Luhmann's theory has offered epistemologically solid perspectives of seeing the world, while practically guiding research for describing and theorizing society. According to a recent quantitative content analysis of Luhmannian research published in English-language academic journals, 62.3 % of the articles printed in the 2010s adopted Luhmann's theory as guiding frameworks, thus demonstrating the instrumental potential for the theory that can lead to fruitful research streams (Sohn, 2020). However, his theoretical approaches have been adopted by researchers under the umbrella term of systems theory without proper labeling or discernment, mainly due to the lack of literature that systematically classifies the full gamut of Luhmann's theoretical-methodological constructs.…”

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Four pillars of Luhmann’s analytical apparatus: Applications for communication research

Sohn

2021

SComS

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By extending Andersen’s (2003) propositions, the current paper formalizes Luhmann’s four fundamental analytical frameworks and proposes a model that delineates the relations among them. That is, with the form analysis as the base framework, observation analysis is considered the social extension of form analysis as it involves the distinction observer / observed or ego / alter. Differentiation analysis is described as the factual extension of form as it distinguishes a system (this) and everything else (in its environment). Finally, semantic analysis is considered the temporal extension of form analysis as it focuses on the condensation of meaning over time. In addition, to overcome the abstractness of descriptions in the existing literature, this paper suggests the workable definitions that operationalize the analytical frames. Rich research examples are also presented to demonstrate the broad applicability of the four frameworks in communication research and their analytical gains. These theory-driven analytical frameworks are expected to provide meaningful connections between empirical data and theories, thereby enriching the field of communication research. In turn, more empirical applications will contribute to Luhmann’s systems theory by bringing in productive insights.

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confidence: 99%

Four pillars of Luhmann’s analytical apparatus: Applications for communication research

Sohn

2021

SComS

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Strategy is Structure. A Systems Theory-Based Definition of Strategy

Kühl

2023

Journal of Organizational Sociology

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Hardly any other management concept sounds as hackneyed as strategy, and at the same time hardly any other concept in organizational science is as vaguely defined. As a means of escaping the conceptual tangle, this article suggests a systems theory-based definition which allows us to sort out the various threads of the strategy discussion. Strategy, according to this interpretation, entails programs that search for the means to achieve previously defined goals. This makes it possible to systematically link classical notions of strategy to discussions concerning organizational theory. Casting the concept of strategy in terms of systems theory enables us to resolve the artificial contradiction between strategy and structure, clarify the relationship between end and means, determine the relationship between a plan and its practical implementation, relativize the importance of strategies, and explain the surprising limitation of the strategy discussion to businesses.

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40 years of Luhmann's legacy in the Anglophone academic community: a quantitative content analysis of Luhmannian research

Cited by 2 publications

References 50 publications

Four pillars of Luhmann’s analytical apparatus: Applications for communication research

Four pillars of Luhmann’s analytical apparatus: Applications for communication research

Strategy is Structure. A Systems Theory-Based Definition of Strategy

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