ABSTRACT
The systems view of organization is perhaps best exemplified by the depiction of organizations as open systems. In such treatments, an organization is understood as a dynamic interplay of constellations of functions. The constellations of functions, given their relative coherence, are described as subsystems. The metaphorical character of systems theory as an intellectual scheme allows for its ever looser imposition upon ever larger social contexts. Kets de Vries and Miller offered a psychoanalytic perspective on organizational behavior, one that displays great imaginativeness. It creatively overlays schema of individual, group, and dyadic interaction to reconstruct the depth processes influencing outward patterns of organizational performance. A prominent feature of the exploitive pattern established in the small-group laboratory work on Machiavellianism is the apparent need for situational ambiguity. Substantive coordination with the core production system is poor despite elaborate channels being developed. Internal monitoring is excessive and although feedback may be monitored, even excessively, it is homeostatic self-monitoring that is focused on.
