An Exploratory Case Study of Complex System Governance Diagnostics

The purpose of this study was to conduct an initial diagnosis of the state of Complex System Governance (CSG) using a case study research design. The field of Complex System Governance (CSG), rooted in systems theory and management cybernetics, is the “design, execution, and evolution of the metasystem functions necessary to provide control, communication, coordination, and integration of a complex system.” This research explored literature in the fields of CSG, Organizational Diagnostics, and Performance Measurement as contributing literature streams for CSG Diagnostics and identified a gaps in the literature. This research addresses those gaps by exploring what results from applying CSG Diagnostics in an operational setting. Data was collected using email, virtual face-to-face conversations, and a survey that was developed based on the Metasystem Pathologies as described in Katina (2016). Case narratives developed for each case were then to conduct a cross-case analysis between executive leadership and personnel who execute day-to-day operations within an organization to examine attitudes about the state of CSG for the organization. Findings from the research include demonstrating the utility of CSG diagnostics and identifying insights from the application in operational settings, recognizing that receptiveness of CSG by an organization appears to be a key ingredient for conducting CSG diagnostics, and that CSG could be applied for organizational diagnostics. The research study identified implications for future research: 1) further examination of the theoretical and conceptual basis for organizational diagnostics for CSG to contribute to the development of a Theory of CSG Diagnostics, 2) additional depth of validation for findings concerning the nature of organizational diagnostics for CSG from a systems theoretic basis to examine further contributions of Systems Theory and Management Cybernetics to CSG Diagnostics, 3) examination of organizational diagnostic models to develop a theoretical bases for organizational diagnostics, 4) explore the use of modern technologies to conduct organizational diagnostics, 5) further explore the contribution of CSG to organizational diagnostics, 6) promote the measurement of performance as being judgment-free with the purpose of identifying the initial state for development, and 7) adaptation of the survey for other diagnostic efforts in support of performance measurement.