How do termites direct or control their daily activities? Who coordinates their work? How do they repair parts of mounds that are destroyed? One theory from the study of termite behavior is that termite mounds reflect a self-organizing process where order emerges "out of chaos" (Morgan, 1993). For this Discussion, you will compare the termite behavior to the self-organizing properties of organizations. In addition, you will have an opportunity to provide meaning to what different types of "mounds" mean to different organizations.
Post a comparison of termite behavior to the self-organizing properties of humans in organizations. Then, explain how the different types of "mounds" might relate to different propensities of organizations, such as autopoeisis, chaos and complexity, cybernetic system thinking, or dialectics.
Note: Provide two additional (apart from the resources highlighted below) academic resources in APA style and citation format to support your topic.
For this Discussion, review this week's resources.
1. Walley, E. E., & Stubbs, M. (2000, Spring). Termites and champions: Case comparisons by metaphor.Greener Management International, (29), 41-54.
2. Morgan, G. (2006). Images of organization. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Chapter 8, "Unfolding Logics of Change: Organization as Flux and Transformation" (pp. 241-290)
3. Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. E. (2013). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership (5th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Chapter 4, "Structure and Restructuring" (pp. 69-93)
Chapter 18, "Reframing Change in Organizations" (pp. 371-392)