Abstract
In response to various pressures for change arising from the present situation, the university will have to adopt a new purpose which may be recognized as a means of increasing the capability of society for continuous self-renewal. With this new purpose in mind, the structure of the university will be determined by the concept of an integral education/innovation system for which four principal levels are considered: empirical, pragmatic, normative and purposive levels. From multi-, pluri-, and crossdisciplinary approaches, all pertaining to one systems level only, the university is expected to develop increasingly interdisciplinary approaches, linking two systems levels and coordinating the activities at the lower level from the higher level through common axiomatics. Ultimately, the entire education/innovation system may become coordinated as a multilevel multigoal hierarchical system through a transdisciplinary approach, implying generalized axiomatics and mutual enhancement of disciplinary epistemology. Current university approaches to develop interdisciplinary links between the pragmatic and normative systems levels are discussed. Finally, a transdisciplinary structure for the university is briefly outlined; its main elements are three types of organizational units-systems design laboratories, function-oriented departments, and discipline-oriented departments-which focus on the interdisciplinary coordination between the three pairs of levels in the education/innovation system, i.e., on method and organization rather than on accumulated knowledge. An important role for policy sciences is seen in the linkage between the top pair of systems levels.
Résumé
Pour répondre aux sollicitations de son environnement actuel, l'Université devra se donner de nouveaux objectifs en partant du principe qu'il lui faut procurer à la société les moyens d'un renouvellement continu. On peut déduire la structure de l'Université, qui est ainsi exigée, de l'idée d'une liaison intime entre éducation et innovation: aux quatre niveaux à considérer, niveau empirique, niveau pragmatique, niveau des normes et niveau des stratégies. On attend de l'Université que, dépassant les activités multi- ou pluridisciplinaires qui ne se situent qu'à un niveau du système, elle réussisse à élaborer une méthodologie interdisciplinaire lui permettant de relier les différents niveaux et de coordonner d'un bout à l'autre du système les activités conformément à une logique unifiée. En somme, le système d'éducation et d'innovation considéré dans son ensemble pourrait tendre vers le modèle d'un système intégrant hiérarchiquement des niveaux et des objectifs multiples, grâce à une méthodologie transdisciplinaire impliquant le développement d'une logique généralisée et des échanges réciproques entre l'épistémologie des différentes disciplines. L'article soumet à la discussion les méthodes dont usent aujourd'hui les universités pour établir des liens d'interdisciplinarité entre le niveau pragmatique et le niveau des normes. En conclusion, est présentée une brève esquisse de ce que pourrait être la structure transdisciplinaire de l'Université: trois types d'unités s'y trouvent distingués dans l'organisation, les laboratoires d'élaboration des projets, les départements tournés vers la satisfaction d'une fonction et les départements tournés vers le travail dans une discipline; l'accent y est mis sur la coordination interdisciplinaire dans les trois mises en relation unissant deux à deux chacun des quatre niveaux du système d'éducation et d'innovation, autrement dit, sur la méthode et l'organisation, plus que sur l'accumulation de la connaissance. On fait voir le rôle important qui est réservé aux sciences de la décision dans la mise en relation des deux niveaux supérieurs du système.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Artsimovich, L. (1969). In a lecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (March). Bennis, W. G., Benne, K. D., and Chin, R., eds. (1969).The Planning of Change, 2nd ed. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
Berger, P. and Luckmann, T. (1969).Die gesellschaftliche Konstruktion der Wirklichkeit: Eine Theorie der Wissenssoziologie Frankfurt: Fischer.
Brooks, H. (1968). “Can Science Be Planned?” inProblems of Science Policy. Paris: OECD.
Carey, W. D. (1969). “Toward the Proper Study of Man”,Technol. Rev. M.I.T. (March).
Churchman, C. W. (1968).Challenge to Reason. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Drèze, J. and Debelle, J. (1968).Conceptions de l'Université. Paris: Editions Universitaires.
Dror, Y. (1970). “Prolegomena to Policy Sciences”,Policy Sci. 1 (Spring).
Dubos R. (1968).So Human an Animal. New York: Scribner.
Ferkiss, V. C. (1969).Technological Man: The Myth and the Reality. New York: Braziller. London: Heinemann.
Gardner, J. W. (1965).Self-Renewal: The Individual and the Innovative Society. New York: Harper & Row. Godwin lectures, Harvard University (March, 1969).
Jantsch, E. (1967). “Technological Forecasting for Planning and Institutional Implications”, inProceedings of the Symposium on National R & D for the 70's. Washington, D.C: National Security Industrial Association.
Jantsch, E. (1968). “Integrating Forecasting and Planning through a Function-Oriented Approach”, in Bright, J., ed.,Technological Forecasting for Industry and Government. Englewood Cliffs, N. J.: Prentice-Hall.
Jantsch, E. (1969a). “Integrative Planning of Technology”, in Jantsch, E., ed.,Perspectives of Planning. Paris: OECD.
Jantsch, E. (1969b).Integrative Planning for the “Joint Systems” of Society and Technology-the Emerging Role of the University. Cambridge: Alfred P. Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Substantial extracts have been published under the same title inEkistics 28 (November).
Jantsch, E. (1969c). “New Organizational Forms for Forecasting”,Technol. Forecasting I (Fall).
Jantsch, E. (1970). “From Forecasting and Planning to Policy Sciences”Policy Sci. 1 (Spring).
Jones, J. C. (1970). “Professions as Inhibitors of Socio-Technical Evolution”,Futures 2 (March).
Kerr, C. (1967). “Toward the More Perfect University”, inThe University in America. Santa Barbara, Calif.: Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions.
Kusch, P. (1969). In an interview published inThe New Yorker (March 29).
Linstone, H. A. (1970). “A University for the Postindustrial Society”,Technol. Forecasting I (March).
Mesarovic, M. D. (1969).Systems Concepts. Paper prepared for the UNESCO Project “Scientific Thought”, 30 November; revised version, 29 December.
Mesarovic, M. D. and Macko, D. (1969). “Foundations for a Scientific Theory of Hierarchical Systems”, in Whyte, L. et al., eds.,Hierarchical Structure. New York: American Elsevier.
Mesarovic, M. D., Macko, D. and Takahara, Y. (1970).Theory of Hierarchical Multi-Level Systems. New York: Academic Press.
Ozbekhan, H. (1969) “Toward a General Theory of Planning”, in Jantsch, E. ed.,Perspectives of Planning. Paris: OECD.
Ozbekhan, H. (1970a). “The Future of Education”, paper presented to a meeting of the Frensham Group (March).
Ozbekhan, H. (1970b). “On Some of the Fundamental Problems in Planning”,Technol. Forecasting 1 (March).
Peccei, A. (1969).The Chasm Ahead. New York: Macmillan.
Perkins, J. A. (1968). In the TV debate on The Future of the University, recorded in December.
Piaget, J. (1964). “Logique et Connaissance Scientifique”,Encyclopédie de la Pléiade. Paris.
Stever, H. G. (1967). “Trends of Research in Universities” inProceedings of the Symposium on National R & D for the 1970's. Washington, D.C.: National Security Industrial Association.
Tu, P.N.V. (1969). “The Classical Economists and Education”,Kyklos. XXII: Fasen. 4.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
While developing some of the concepts reported in this paper, Dr. Jantsch held a visiting appointment as Research Associate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. This article is reprinted fromPolicy Sciences (American Elsevier Publishing Company, Inc.) 1 (1970) 403–428.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Jantsch, E. Inter- and transdisciplinary university: A systems approach to education and innovation. High Educ 1, 7–37 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01956879
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01956879