Identity Management in an Institution of Higher Education: A Case Study Using Structural Coupling and Fractal Enterprise Model

There are several ways of defining organizational identity and identity management. This article considers a less exploited one, namely, defining identity as a set of structural couplings that the organization has, and identity management as an activity aimed at maintaining these couplings. The conc...

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Main Authors: Ilia Bider, Erik Perjons
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Riga Technical University Press 2021-07-01
Series:Complex Systems Informatics and Modeling Quarterly
Subjects:
Online Access:https://csimq-journals.rtu.lv/article/view/4876
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author Ilia Bider
Erik Perjons
author_facet Ilia Bider
Erik Perjons
author_sort Ilia Bider
collection DOAJ
description There are several ways of defining organizational identity and identity management. This article considers a less exploited one, namely, defining identity as a set of structural couplings that the organization has, and identity management as an activity aimed at maintaining these couplings. The concept of structural coupling comes from biological cybernetics, and it means that a system during its evolution becomes entangled with few other systems. The system at hand evolves together with these systems, adapts to them and causes them to adapt to it. The concept of structural coupling is applied in a study of an institution of higher education. To identify structural couplings, the authors use a so-called Fractal Enterprise Model that presents both internal structure of an organization and its business environment. The article analyzes to which elements of the environment an institution of higher education is structurally coupled and how the identity maintenance is arranged. The article provides examples of how well maintaining identity works in practice based on reflections on the authors' experience of working in the department. The article concludes with suggesting a generic procedure for identifying structural couplings and defining a strategy of maintaining these couplings.
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series Complex Systems Informatics and Modeling Quarterly
spelling doaj-art-afbc060d150345c7b8b484d2fba922502025-08-20T02:19:07ZengRiga Technical University PressComplex Systems Informatics and Modeling Quarterly2255-99222021-07-01027608610.7250/csimq.2021-27.032544Identity Management in an Institution of Higher Education: A Case Study Using Structural Coupling and Fractal Enterprise ModelIlia Bider0Erik Perjons1DSV – Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden; ICS – University of Tartu, Tartu. EstoniaDSV – Stockholm University, StockholmThere are several ways of defining organizational identity and identity management. This article considers a less exploited one, namely, defining identity as a set of structural couplings that the organization has, and identity management as an activity aimed at maintaining these couplings. The concept of structural coupling comes from biological cybernetics, and it means that a system during its evolution becomes entangled with few other systems. The system at hand evolves together with these systems, adapts to them and causes them to adapt to it. The concept of structural coupling is applied in a study of an institution of higher education. To identify structural couplings, the authors use a so-called Fractal Enterprise Model that presents both internal structure of an organization and its business environment. The article analyzes to which elements of the environment an institution of higher education is structurally coupled and how the identity maintenance is arranged. The article provides examples of how well maintaining identity works in practice based on reflections on the authors' experience of working in the department. The article concludes with suggesting a generic procedure for identifying structural couplings and defining a strategy of maintaining these couplings.https://csimq-journals.rtu.lv/article/view/4876organizational identityfractal enterprise modelfemviable system modelvsmstructural coupling
spellingShingle Ilia Bider
Erik Perjons
Identity Management in an Institution of Higher Education: A Case Study Using Structural Coupling and Fractal Enterprise Model
Complex Systems Informatics and Modeling Quarterly
organizational identity
fractal enterprise model
fem
viable system model
vsm
structural coupling
title Identity Management in an Institution of Higher Education: A Case Study Using Structural Coupling and Fractal Enterprise Model
title_full Identity Management in an Institution of Higher Education: A Case Study Using Structural Coupling and Fractal Enterprise Model
title_fullStr Identity Management in an Institution of Higher Education: A Case Study Using Structural Coupling and Fractal Enterprise Model
title_full_unstemmed Identity Management in an Institution of Higher Education: A Case Study Using Structural Coupling and Fractal Enterprise Model
title_short Identity Management in an Institution of Higher Education: A Case Study Using Structural Coupling and Fractal Enterprise Model
title_sort identity management in an institution of higher education a case study using structural coupling and fractal enterprise model
topic organizational identity
fractal enterprise model
fem
viable system model
vsm
structural coupling
url https://csimq-journals.rtu.lv/article/view/4876
work_keys_str_mv AT iliabider identitymanagementinaninstitutionofhighereducationacasestudyusingstructuralcouplingandfractalenterprisemodel
AT erikperjons identitymanagementinaninstitutionofhighereducationacasestudyusingstructuralcouplingandfractalenterprisemodel