Using GST To Analyze the Collapse of AOL

In 1972 Fremont E. Kast and James E. Rosenzweig published “General Systems Theory: Applications for Organization and Management “ in the Academy of Management Journal. Over the more than thirty years since publication this article has become a classic. The writing is quite theoretical and abstract. This paper will take the highly conceptual, often abstruse, terminology used in the article and take the current status of AOL (America Online) to illustrate the mechanics articulated and thereby illustrate the applicability and relevance of the article today.