Social System Theory in Communication

Communication as an academic and professional field can be subjected to biological anatomy that seeks to explain how it can oil and liven up meaning-making processes in any given organization set up as it was propounded by the first German English speaking researcher in the twentieth century. One of the most innovative German sociologists Niklas Luhmann developed a distinctive and complex theory about the social, which stimulate research in various academic fields since the twentieth century. Luhmann's “social system theory” thrives on the concept of “outopoiesis” that translates to (self-production) which is rooted in the work of two Chilean Cognitive Biologists (Maturana and Verela 1980). Luhmann discovered that different elements of the system interact in such a manner to produce and reproduce the elements of the system. Just like the biological process through which cell reproduces its own elements like proteins, lipids, which are imported from outside to inside (Seidl and Schoeneborn 2010). This is in contrast to “allopoietic” systems, which is influenced by the external forces, “autopoietic systems” are operatively closed and no external forces enter in. This system of communication in the context of “autopoietic” is self-regulating and sustaining and this is equal to natural communication that is free from the pressures from outside. To Luhamann (1992) every communication selects WHAT is communicated for everything that could have been communicated. Luhamann (1992) defines “utterance” as the selection of a particular form and reason from all possible forms and reasons. With “Utterance” one needs to understand the reason for communication in the context of HOW and WHY something is being said. While on the other hand there is a need to understand “information” in any communication scenario as “selection of from a repertoire of possibility”. Therefore, effective communication needs to understand and distinguish between “UTTERANCE and INFORMATION”. Organizations as an “autopoietic system” should consider three issues that are society, face to face interaction and organization as these three mentioned factors reproduce themselves on the basis of communications. The concept of Corporate Social Responsibility and sustainability in the context of communication by an organization should consider the three factors as biochemical elements of thoughts. Society is the system that encompasses all communications that are produced and enable an environment to interact with an organization in a biological set up. However, Luhmann's theory of the social system is accused of its tendency to immunize against criticism. The epistemological value of social system theory as a whole in communication becomes a matter of viability, not correspondence with social reality. Secondly, Luhmann's approach is not empirically falsifiable whether it can inspire empirical studies at all. Vogal (2005) suggests that there is a need to combine social System Theory with reconstructive methodology in order to uncover the latency of the social system. It is of interest to read further and assess the validity of the social system theory and how it can benefit effective communication by organisations as they interact with society as well as other organisation.