The Development of Intellectual Capability: A Discussion of Stratified Systems Theory

Abstract

This article addresses the cognitive processes requiredfor individuals to plan and carry out goal-directed activities. The author postulates that different states of cognitivefunctioning exist and that individuals change to different states as they reach different points of cognitive power-measured in time horizons-rather than particular ages. Work is measured in terms of time spans for its completion, and from this the author develops a stratified hierarchy of organization. A "quintave" theory of cognitive development based on four cognitive states-shaping, reflective articulation, extrapolation, and transformation of systemsis presented, with the four states appearing repeatedly in increasingly complex settings in higher organizational strata. The author discusses the maturation of individuals' cognitive power, hypothesizing that everyone does not mature along the same track of cognitive development, with some maturing further along the track than others, and proposing instead a multiple track theory. The author concludes that cognitive development differs from intelligence quotient (IQ), and that it occurs regardless of social and economic opportunities for exercising cognitive power.

Toward a theory of business

“…After all, future thinking is baked into our everyday conceptions of management. Jacques (1986), for example, noted that a firm's senior leaders typically look twenty to fifty years into the future when they make their decisions. More recently, Elkington (1998, p. 55) famously defined sustainability as ''meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs''.…”

Leadership theory and practice: Fostering an effective symbiosis

“…The central problem, then, rests on how to select and/or develop leaders as they ascend through the organizational hierarchy (Jaques, 1986(Jaques, , 1989Jacobs & Jaques, 1987.…”

“…Indeed, Zaccaro (1996) reported from an annotated bibliography of Army executive leadership research from 1985-1995, that 26 studies were explicitly or indirectly linked to SST. Other studies investigating SST were conducted in different organizational settings and their results compared to those from the Army (Jaques, 1986(Jaques, , 1990.…”

“…For example, Stamp (1988) developed a measure of cognitive power, called the Career Path Appreciation technique that uses an interview methodology, combining three separate assessment tasks, to identify an individual's current level of conceptual capacity. Then, based on this score, the assessee's age, and maturation curves developed by Jaques (1986), a prediction is made of an individual's maximum attainable level of capacity and work level. Thus, the CPA produces an index of both current and potential cognitive work capacity.…”

Big Data – Big Deal for Organization Design?

“…and, second, can organizations continue to create the integrating mechanisms needed to handle more complex interdependence?" the largest "super-organizations" of the world are at str-VIII complexity, while str-IX is concerned with the shaping of societies (Jaques, 1986). few sources in the work levels literature even refer to strata beyond str-VII.…”