Joy in Academia: The Systemic Role of Academia in Society

In: International journal of systems and society: IJSS ; an official publication of the Information Resources Management Association ; an official publication of the United Kingdom Systems Society (UKSS), Band 5, Heft 1, S. 1-12

Abstract

What is the role of academia in society as a whole? Is the sole role of schools and universities to provide training for the jobs marketplace, or should academia help in the work of society's ongoing adaptation and self-recognition? This article uses Stafford Beer's Viable System Model to argue that academia's role goes beyond servicing the economy, and that it must be organized in such a way that it can actually perform the roles of adaptation and re-thinking of identity of society. In order to perform these goals well, certain evaluative and organizational conditions must be met. The role of academia in society is construed as analogous to the role of positive emotions in human beings: they both serve to enhance the repertoire of possible actions of a system, and to integrate these possibilities in a coherent whole. Just as positive emotions need conditions of contextual safety, so does academia: therefore, it is necessary to revise certain evaluative practices that hinder academia's creative roles.