Environmental Coupling

I wanna know what you're thinking
There are some things you can't hide
I wanna know what you're feeling
Tell me what's on your mind
--Information Society

Environmental coupling reflects the extent which a living entity is linked and responds to stimuli in its external environment. Tight coupling reflects high degrees of linkage and response. Loose coupling reflects low degrees of linkage and response.

It has been posited that tight coupling is maladaptive (e.g., Glassman 1973, Weick 1979). Tight coupling creates instability. An entity that is tightly coupled to its environment responds to every little stimuli--even those that do not demand response. Stated differently, tightly coupled entities are prone to overreact to their environments, which weakens their position to thrive and prosper. In the language of Orton & Weick (1990), tightly coupled systems are responsive but not distinctive.

Loose coupling is thought to be a more stable configuration because fewer connections makes living entities more productive. Although they might miss signals occasionally, loosely coupled entities are less susceptible to environmental noise that does not demand response. From an information processing theory perspective, loosely coupled entities tend to process information with a higher signal-to-noise ratio, thereby allowing them to more effectively cope with uncertainties in their environments.

Loosely coupled systems are both responsive and distinctive (Orton & Weick 1990).

References

Glassman, R.B. 1973. Persistence and loose coupling in living systems. Behavioral Science, 18: 83-98.

Orton, J.D. & Weick, K. 1990. Loosely coupled systems: A reconceptualization. Academy of Management Review, 15: 203-223.

Weick, K.E. 1979. The social psychology of organizing (2nd ed). Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.