Why the adaptation-selection debate is misconstrued: a Darwinian view of organizational change

Jan-Willem Stoelhorst University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Ard Huizing University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Abstract
This paper is motivated by the belief that the notion of ‘generalized Darwinism’ offers a meta-theory that provides a logical foundation for the integration of the different theoretical perspectives in the extensive literature on the selection and adaptation of organizations. We clarify the notion of generalized Darwinism, and argue that its recursive causal logic provides the only possible explanation for the way in which organizations achieve adaptive fit. The crucial insights that can be derived from a generalization of Darwinism are twofold. First, contrary to a widely held belief, there is no logical contradiction between Darwinian and Lamarckian evolution. Second, environmental selection processes and intentional adaptation are part of one and the same process. We conclude that the explanatory logic of generalized Darwinism demonstrates that the adaptation-selection debate is misconstrued. Adaptation and selection are simply different aspects of the same evolutionary process and complement each other in a Darwinian explanation of how organizational change can lead to environmental fit.

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Reference:	Stoelhorst, J.W., Huizing, A. (2006). "Why the adaptation-selection debate is misconstrued: a Darwinian view of organizational change," University of Amsterdam, Netherlands . Sprouts: Working Papers on Information Systems, 6(16). http://sprouts.aisnet.org/6-16
Keywords:	organizational knowledge, organizational change, Darwin
Item Type:	Article - Volume 6 Article 16 (2006)
Language:	English
Email:	Jan-Willem Stoelhorst (j.w.stoelhorst@uva.nl) Ard Huizing (a.huizing@uva.nl)
Related Link(s):	http://primavera.feb.uva.nl/scripts/abstract.php?id=221

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