International Society for the Systems Sciences: Journals ISSS
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Measuring the Level of Political System Literacy Through the Election Pledges of South Korean Electoral Candidates
No full textI analyze unfamiliar aspects of the political system in the South Korean local elections held on June 13, 2018. In particular, an analysis of the election promises made by the mayoral candidates of Gwangju Metropolitan City and superintendent candidates of the Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education suggest that they lack political system literacy, a concept that is defined in general and as a means of cultivating democracy in South Korea. The election promises presented to voters are analyzed in terms of political system literacy in relation to current issues in city governance and to problems in public education. One conclusion from this analysis is that better efforts must be made to educate the future leaders of the South Korean political system from an early age to improve their political system literacy
Toward a transdisciplinary framework of the Field of Study of Communication based on the Cybersystemic approach
No full textAt the beginning of the twenty-first century, the academic field of study of communication has been related with “the expansion of understanding and observation of the processes of communication, cognition and information, not only with the synthesis or integration. The focus is to observe the differences and similarities between information, cognition, meaning, intelligence, mind and communication and proposing an integral synthesis for the communication phenomenon. The aim of this paper was to build a unified framework for understanding the concept of communication in the physical, biological and human domains, through their systemic interrelations. The Cybersystemic approach helps to elucidate differences and similarities in the systems of knowledge that involve the communication phenomena. Systemic design research integrates and organizes existing knowledge through Systems Sciences principles.From an exploration review, this paper presents a systemic framework for the study of the communication phenomena under the outline of its holodynamic evolutionary process toward a higher level of complexity of an integrated communication phenomenon. Research provides a starting point toward a unified understanding of the communication phenomena, under a conceptual approach that describes and explains a broader definition.As a result, the cybersystemic framework allows an open dialogue through a multidisciplinary language of Systems Science and toward a better understanding the concept of communication[1].[1] Some of these ideas are presented in the ISSS, 2016 Meeting as a research paper titled: A Communication System for Socio-Ecological Processes
FACILITATING ORGANIZATION AND CONTROL OF MULTI-MEDIA PRESENTATIONS BY GENERALIZING A NEW DIGITAL MEDIUM (EDDSWEMM)
No full textABSTRACTThis paper shows how a new, green, paperless, digital medium, EDDSWEEM (Electronic Digital Display With Embedded Multi-Media), may be generalized to facilitate organization and control of multimedia and avoid difficulties observed in a human speaker and multi-media presentation recently. At an Easter program this year, multi-media were used in a presentation of oral, musical, lighting and large screen digital displays where there were problems getting a video to work. A presenter used a remote clicker and read from a digital screen when progressing through his talk with some periods of difficulty because of the distractions of using those means of control. EDDSWEEM was recently described at a presentation at the 2018 annual conference of the International Society for the Systems Sciences in Corvallis, Oregon, as applied to literature and the theatre.The new medium uses the Microsoft Windows operating system and Microsoft Office Word--standard on many PC based computers--as a display medium. As pointed out in 2018, many media may be embedded in Word document and controlled and displayed by continuous of the. Using the new medium, Word documents are controlled and displayed by continuous scrolling of the Word file without page boundaries and with appropriate clicking of icons or links. Such media may include other MS Office APPs. Testing of such "scripts" before a presentation/performance ensures freedom from the difficulties noted above; this principle may be applied more generally--limited only by imagination of the script author. The action of using the new medium and the varied content provides increased stimulation of the audience central nervous system (cool-ness). With it there are also productivity gains, and increased information communicated in the same amount of time by paralleling oral presentation with the digital display. Obviously this format is deaf inclusive.This paper includes a cursory review of past media and asserts that, generally, they are subsumed by a new medium--at least over time--a new addition to media theory. As shown in the 2018 paper, a new medium requires a new format, and the new format spurs creation of new content. As applied to augmentation of contemporary theatre and a new, stand alone literary genre, this new content may move away from storytelling only, and move more toward delivery of information about ideas. As an example (but in no way example-limited), the idea of an emotional situation may be dramatized in theatre or displayed for a single "reader" on a computer monitor. This idea orientation is generalized in a simple idea oriented play production model augmented by EDDSWEMM--an addition to theatre theory. That model is then generalized for any live speaking presentation augmented by multi-media. This subject affords opportunities for new research in the fields of Information Science, Media Studies, Communication, English, Cultural Change, Deaf Education, Drama and presentations
From hierarchies to networks: changes in organisation of public service delivery
No full textGovernment services slowly enter new and promising era. The traditional way of organising public sector service delivery in western democracies is hierarchical. Hierarchical organisation means functional specialisation. Top layers of the hierarchy specify and specialise different parts of the hierarchy in the bottom to provide rather specific functions – services. Service provision is then fragmented. Citizen in need of long-term help often ends up using many services with low cooperation between them. These conditions lead to high costs and low quality. We currently can identify in Europe promising cases of institutions which are organised as network organisations and sometimes even changed their structures from hierarchal type with great success. In this paper, we discuss what drives hierarchical organisation ineffectiveness when supporting people suffering with complex problems and what are some of the crucial conditions to organise successful network based integrated services. There are four principles discussed that are common to successful network organisations which are very different from the principles of hierarchically organised institutions – holistic service provision, flat organisation structure, high trust and capability measurement. These principles are shown on three cases - Jeugdbescherming Regio Amsterdam (child protection, Netherlands), Karolinska University Hospital (Sweden) and Buurtzorg (health and social services, Netherlands).
Proposal of a Capability Maturity Model for Health and Productivity Management
No full textCurrently, as society progresses, it faces a challenge of increased social security expenses. It is important for companies to promote health, in order to suppress the growth of social security expenses. Considering this, Number of the companies that start Health and Productivity Management (HPM) is increasing. To help individuals who are responsible for HPM, we propose the following two items. The first is a capability maturity model for health and productivity management (CMM-HPM) and the second is a guideline to utilize the CMM-HPM in accordance3 with the objectives. The validity of the CMM-HPM and the guidelines were evaluated for 41 companies. The 41 companies are selected from companies listed in “Health and Productivity Management (HPM) Stock Selection” examples of efficiently conducting HPM in previous research, and the “Corporate case study on HPM activities” by Japan Economic Organization Federation. The results confirm the validity of the CMM-HPM and the guideline
MOVING BEYOND VALUE CONFLICTS: SYSTEMIC PROBLEM STRUCTURING IN ACTION
No full textValue conflicts can become entrenched in a destructive pattern of mutual stigmatization, which inhibits the emergence of new understandings of the situation and actions for improvement. In extreme cases, such patterns can even lead to violence. This paper offers a new systems theory of value conflict, which suggests the possibility of three different strategies for intervention using problem structuring methods: supporting people in transcending overly narrow value judgements about what is important to them; seeking to widen people’s boundaries of the issues that they consider relevant; and attempting to challenge stereotyping and stigmatization by building better mutual understanding. Each of these three strategies is illustrated with practical examples from operational research projects on natural resource management in New Zealand
A successful use of systems approaches in cross-disciplinary healthcare improvement
No full textUK Healthcare is facing many different trends: a changing demographic of an ageing and ‘frail’ population; increasing numbers of the population living with at least two long term conditions; improvements in medical care and interventions which can treat a larger number of conditions; continued budget pressures and raising expectations. Healthcare is a complex socio-technical system, and to identify and devise interventions with clear net benefits is a challenge: we see a classic ‘wicked problem’. The outcome from three INCOSE-facilitated multi-disciplinary workshops was a coherent prioritised work programme, with buy-in from all stakeholders, and traceable back to original issues and opportunities. This presentation will explain the context, the engagement from INCOSE, the nature of the workshops and techniques applied, and the outcomes. The developed programme supports the Shropshire and Telford NHS Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP). Arguably the biggest ongoing challenge remains handling complexity and coherence across multiple stakeholder perspectives
Project Governance: A Systems Approach Towards Simpler, Better and Faster
No full textThis paper describes an empirical study that analysed and improved project governance, in terms of health monitoring and reporting, and ultimately decision making capabilities relating to large capital (mega) projects. The researcher applied boundary critique to analyse monitoring, reporting and decision making mechanisms embedded in the governance process and system—she applied Werner Ulrich’s critical systems heuristics to confirm that the process/system is flawed, and identify shortcomings. These were improved upon, and the process as well as associated system were improved upon and streamlined
ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURING: A Systems Approach
No full textHow to structure organizations is an issue that has always been relevant. In today’s complex world, new ways of refining organizations are required so that they can respond quickly to the demands of the environment. The system approach allows one to visualize an organization from a holistic perspective under different scenarios.There are certain terms and distinctions that must be taken into account in the following discourse on systemic context: structure, methodologies, approach, paradigm, metaphor, model, and vision. In order to improve an organization, it is necessary to identify systems methodologies that can structure each type of organization. It is also important to provide organizational skills that allows one to structure organizations appropriately. To determine the effectiveness of structuring, one must know how to measure the impact of organizational structuring.The operation of an organization requires the participation of all organizational actors: observer, facilitator, and participants. The methodologies explored in this paper have not only been tested in Colombian organizations, consultancies, seminars, and courses, but they have also been applied to various sectors of the economy. These applications have made it possible to observe the benefits of Interactive structuring process (ISP).The use of isolated methodologies is insufficient for achieving organizational structuring. Holistic structuring brings coherence and clarity with regards to strategy, processes, actors, and information. The complementarity of methodologies is an interactive process that allows one to achieve the best organization. By coordinating important factors such as strategies, objectives, processes, values, and organizational information, it is possible to build a more interactive structure.The first order of business will entail the defining of key terms associated with structuring methodology. Secondly, we will examine what types of views and perspectives are being adopted by organizations. Thirdly, we will turn our attention to the systemic approach and the importance of evaluating methodology. Fourthly, we will determine the best model to be used in each approach to a given situation. Lastly, we will observe the chosen methodology in action.Organizational learning is defined as the process by which knowledge emerges from the interaction between the organization, methodologies, and its users in a research-action relationship, with respect to the environment. The design, diagnosis, and organizational redesign arises from a process that is repeated and improved upon through comparisons. It is through this process by which Meta methodologies are generated and aligned
Using Interactive Management to Explore the Factors Causing Delay of Modification Project in a South African Power Station
No full textProject delays are common problems in construction industry. The modification and shutdown (outage) projects in South African power stations are faced with project delays as well. The project delays have detrimental effects to the supply of electricity and impacts the advancement of South African economy. This paper explores the major determinants that influence untimely delivery of modification projects in a South African power station. Through the use of Interactive Management (IM) methodology, 21 principal project delay factors were identified and used for structuring a delay model. The model generated through the IM session is a digraph, showing the ‘aggravate’ relationship between the identified delay factors. The digraph reveals that the main determinant of modification project delays in this South African power station is the ’proficiency of a project manager’. Proficiency of a project manager relates to the ability of a project manager to accomplish the required project tasks based on his or her skills, competency, and experience within the project management field. The model developed through the IM session demonstrates that proficiency of a project manager in that South African power station is the driver of other project delay factors, such as the factors in a large circular loop lying in the second stage of the model, including ‘poor leadership’, ’poor communication’, ‘poor planning’, ’insufficient risk management’, ‘scope creep’ and so forth. The model serves as a starting point to revisit the power station’s strategy in dealing with its project delays