Beyond Disorder & Maintenance: A Triadic Model of Cultural Entropy, Negentropy, & Syntropy.
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Organizational culture is often depicted as a system vulnerable to entropy—a gradual drift toward disorder andincoherence. While existing models emphasize negentropic interventions to restore order, they often overlook the forcethat drives systems toward higher-order harmony and aspirational growth. This theoretical paper advances the conversationon organizational culture by introducing syntropy as a distinct and measurable force, providing a more complete andoptimistic model than the traditional entropy-negentropy dyad. This paper positions this model within the organizationaldevelopment debate of emergent versus managed change, arguing that effective cultural stewardship requires both. Thisanalysis defines syntropy as a measurable construct representing a culture’s capacity for purposeful self-organization andcoherent growth, consequently distinguishing it from negentropy’s focus on structural repair. Through a proposed mixed-methods research design, including a qualitative case vignette and plans for quantitative scale validation, these constructsare prepared to be operationalized. The paper’s primary contribution is twofold: 1) it offers a novel theoretical lens thatclarifies syntropy’s role in fostering innovation and cultural coherence, and 2) it provides a practical framework, includinga diagnostic “Syntropy Audit” and an intervention roadmap, for leaders and their organizations to move beyond merecultural maintenance toward intentional, transformative design.
Author: Jason Story
Institution: Northwood University
Language: English
Subfield: Strategy and Management
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W6912086402
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