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Systems
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Cognitive and Practical Perspectives on Resilience, Organization and Entangled Systems
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Cognitive and Practical Perspectives on Resilience, Organization and Entangled Systems

A special issue of Systems (ISSN 2079-8954). This special issue belongs to the section "Systems Practice in Social Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2026 | Viewed by 5499

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Rasmus Gahrn-Andersen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Research Group for Computational & Organizational Cognition, Department of Culture and Language, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense, Denmark
Interests: phenomenology; cognitive science; process philosophy; distributed cognition; theories about social organizing

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Human cognition fundamentally involves the world, while classical cognitivist theories explore cognition as the brain’s internal processes, proponents of non-cognitivist approaches (e.g., enactive, embodied, extended, and ecological perspectives) emphasize the interrelation between agents and their socio-material environments.

This Special Issue aims to provide a platform for advancing non-cognitivist approaches to cognition by exploring topics specifically related to the human socio-practical realm. This includes phenomena such as practices, technologies (including AI and robotics), infrastructures, organizations, institutions, and more. We welcome both theoretical and empirical contributions, inviting disciplinary and interdisciplinary submissions from scholars in Cognitive Science, Science and Technology Studies, Sociology, Anthropology, Organizational Theory, Linguistics, Systems Theory, and related fields.

The Special Issue has a threefold focus on the following themes: Resilience, Organization, and Entangled Systems.

  • Resilience: This theme concerns how flexibly adaptive systems manage to either withstand external pressures or return to a normal or improved state following a perturbation or threat. In the context of human practices, resilience involves how systems of different kinds (e.g., social, cognitive, technical) are either designed or evolve to be robust, contributing to the development of human cultural ecosystems.
  • Organization: This theme addresses how cognition is organized, both in the sense of how social normativity relates to cognitive processes (e.g., memory, perception, decision-making, intentionality) and practical activities, and in how cognition interrelates with socio-practical organizations such as practices, organizations, groups, relationships, and languages.
  • Entangled Systems: This theme relates to the fact that cognition unfolds through the interactions of various systems (e.g., social, biological, technical, linguistic), inviting interdisciplinary exploration of human cognition in its practical aspects.

Prospective contributors are encouraged to submit an abstract to the Guest Editor (rga@sdu.dk) before submitting the full manuscript.

Dr. Rasmus Gahrn-Andersen
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Systems is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • cognition
  • practices
  • ecosystems
  • normativity
  • sociality

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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22 pages, 1159 KB  
Article
A Category Theory Model for Human Communication and Experience
by Cătălin Zaharia, Omar Carlo Gioacchino Gelo, Günter Schiepek and Giulio de Felice
Systems 2026, 14(3), 279; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems14030279 - 4 Mar 2026
Viewed by 368
Abstract
This work explores the application of a Category Theory model, advocating a paradigm for comprehending human experience and the communication process of a complex system from the perspective of a living Anticipatory System. Following the principles created by Robert Rosen for the anticipatory [...] Read more.
This work explores the application of a Category Theory model, advocating a paradigm for comprehending human experience and the communication process of a complex system from the perspective of a living Anticipatory System. Following the principles created by Robert Rosen for the anticipatory system and associated models—models that respect the principles of impredicativity, anticipation, and closure to efficient cause (CLEF)—we propose the Performance–Resilience–Sustainability (PRS) model. This new model introduces a new way to explain how anticipatory systems can elucidate the portions of variability observed in practice and research. Anticipatory system theory suggests that models such as PRS have significant potential to complement and explain dynamic phenomena observed in communication and experience development research, as well as in practical applications, underscoring the transformative potential for both fields. This class of models for complex systems may introduce a new dimension of emergent causality and its impact on current behavior, which was not previously considered. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cognitive and Practical Perspectives on Resilience, Organization and Entangled Systems)
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23 pages, 1428 KB  
Article
Digital Organizational Resilience in Latin American MSMEs: Entangled Socio-Technical Systems of People, Practices, and Data
by Alexander Sánchez-Rodríguez, Reyner Pérez-Campdesuñer, Gelmar García-Vidal, Yandi Fernández-Ochoa, Rodobaldo Martínez-Vivar and Freddy Ignacio Alvarez-Subía
Systems 2025, 13(10), 889; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems13100889 - 10 Oct 2025
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1113
Abstract
This study develops a systemic framework to conceptualize digital organizational resilience in micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) as an emergent property of entangled socio-technical systems. Building on theories of distributed cognition, sociomateriality, and resilience engineering, this paper argues that resilience does not [...] Read more.
This study develops a systemic framework to conceptualize digital organizational resilience in micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) as an emergent property of entangled socio-technical systems. Building on theories of distributed cognition, sociomateriality, and resilience engineering, this paper argues that resilience does not reside in isolated elements—such as leadership, technologies, or procedures—but in their dynamic interplay. Four interdependent dimensions—human, technological, organizational, and institutional—are identified as constitutive of resilience capacities. The research design is conceptual and exploratory in nature. Two theory-driven conceptual statements are formulated: first, that natural language mediation in human–machine interaction enhances coordination and adaptability; and second, that distributed cognition and prototyping practices strengthen collective problem-solving and adaptive capacity. These conceptual statements are not statistically tested but serve as conceptual anchors for the model and as guiding directions for future empirical studies. Empirical illustrations from Ecuadorian MSMEs ground the framework in practice. The evidence highlights three insights: (1) structural fragility, as micro and small firms dominate the economy but face high mortality and financial vulnerability; (2) uneven digitalization, with limited adoption of BPM, ERP, and AI due to skill and resource constraints; and (3) disproportionate gains from modest interventions, such as optimization models or collaborative prototyping. This study contributes to organizational theory by positioning MSMEs as socio-technical ecosystems, providing a conceptual foundation for future empirical validation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cognitive and Practical Perspectives on Resilience, Organization and Entangled Systems)
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11 pages, 235 KB  
Communication
Talking Resilience: Embedded Natural Language Cyber-Organizations by Design
by Andrea Tomassi, Andrea Falegnami and Elpidio Romano
Systems 2025, 13(4), 247; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems13040247 - 2 Apr 2025
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 1258
Abstract
This communication examines the interplay between linguistic mediation and knowledge conversion in cyber-sociotechnical systems (CSTSs) via the WAx framework, which outlines various work representations and eight key conversion activities. Grounded in enactivist principles, we argue that language is a dynamic mechanism that shapes, [...] Read more.
This communication examines the interplay between linguistic mediation and knowledge conversion in cyber-sociotechnical systems (CSTSs) via the WAx framework, which outlines various work representations and eight key conversion activities. Grounded in enactivist principles, we argue that language is a dynamic mechanism that shapes, and is shaped by, human–machine interactions, enhancing system resilience and adaptability. By integrating the concepts of simplexity, complixity, and complexity compression, we illustrate how complex cognitive and operational processes can be selectively condensed into efficient outcomes. A case study of a chatbot-based customer support system demonstrates how the phases of socialization, introspection, externalization, combination, internalization, conceptualization, reification, and influence collaboratively drive the evolution of resilient CSTS designs. Our findings indicate that natural language serves as a bridging tool for effective sense-making, adaptive coordination, and continuous learning, offering novel insights into designing technologically advanced, socially grounded, and evolving sociotechnical systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cognitive and Practical Perspectives on Resilience, Organization and Entangled Systems)

Other

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13 pages, 283 KB  
Essay
Systemic Creative Problem-Solving: On the Poverty of Ideas and the Generative Power of Prototyping
by Frédéric Vallée-Tourangeau
Systems 2025, 13(3), 150; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems13030150 - 22 Feb 2025
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1692
Abstract
In this paper, I argue against the prevailing cognitivist view of creativity, proposing instead a systemic approach, and illustrate how from such a systemic perspective, creative problem-solving can be investigated under laboratory conditions. A cognitivist approach explains creativity from an ideation ground zero [...] Read more.
In this paper, I argue against the prevailing cognitivist view of creativity, proposing instead a systemic approach, and illustrate how from such a systemic perspective, creative problem-solving can be investigated under laboratory conditions. A cognitivist approach explains creativity from an ideation ground zero and assumes a diffusion model of ideas. In such a model, the explanandum is an initial idea, formed at a given moment in time, a position that implicitly promotes creative exceptionalism (to explain so-called Big-C creativity compared to little-c creativity) and the concomitant quest to discover the equally exceptional neural substate that ‘explains’ it. Borrowing from science and technology studies, I propose instead a translation model of ideas that proceeds on the basis of interactivity and prototyping. In this model, the explanandum is the resulting dialogue between people and prototypes (treated symmetrically as actants in a system of creation). I outline a methodology that emphasises the co-determination of ideation and the material enactment of ideas in generating creative solutions, illustrated by a study of insight problem-solving. This approach shifts the focus from exceptional cognitive abilities to the material and interactive processes that underpin creative problem-solving. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cognitive and Practical Perspectives on Resilience, Organization and Entangled Systems)
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