International Society for the Systems Sciences: Journals ISSS
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A SYSTEMS ANALYSIS OF COMMUNICATION: DEFINING THE NATURE OF AND PRINCIPLES FOR COMMUNICATION WITHIN HUMAN ACTIVITY SYSTEMS
No full textCommunication within Human Activity Systems plays a critical role in organizational change. However, research on communication typically expresses communication as a tool to evaluate the current state of an organizational system, or as a vehicle to change the current state of the system to a more desired future state. It is rarely considered from a holistic viewpoint, being a complex system with an integrated effect on the organization as a whole. The holistic understanding of communication as an emergent system from the interaction of elements and activities within Human Activity Systems is required to better manage factors impacting effective communication. Presented in this article is an ontological framework characterizing the behavior of communication in Human Activity Systems as well as its role in organizational change, encompassing the nature of communication and its impact on Human Activity Systems. Furthermore, principles for communication, within the bounds of Human Activity Systems, are derived to provide researchers and practitioners a methodology for assessing the interaction of these two systems. These principles are expected to provide a change in perspectives of communication in Human Activity Systems and allow for a more optimal design of both systems and their interactions.
Creating Enduring Social Impact: A Model for Multi-Sector Transformational Change
No full textThe nonprofit and public sectors are in the midst of a paradigm shift from addressing community concerns individually and competing with each other for existing funding to working collaboratively and thinking collectively across sectors to solve some of society’s most intractable social problems. This transition requires new approaches that challenge assumptions and generate new knowledge. Existing models for change, while theoretically sound, are difficult to adapt to multi-sector transformational change because they are mostly targeted mostly toward single organizations in the corporate world. Undertaking multi-sector transformational change, change efforts that cross the nonprofit, public, and/or for-profit sectors, is substantially different than the vast majority of change efforts that take place within a single organization, differing in scope, complexity, and leadership.This paper describes a new model, the Emerging Systems Transformational Change Model (ESTCM), specifically designed to address the unique needs of multi-sector change efforts. It is built on the theoretical framework of complexity science and complex adaptive systems, organization development, transformative and organizational learning, and multi-sector transformational change. ESTCM consists of five phases: (a) discovery and dialogue; (b) deepening, refining, and assessing; (c) infrastructure, communication, and coordination; (d) ongoing implementation and progress reporting; and (e) learning, celebration, and sustainability. These five phases represent a cycle that is designed to be iterative, building on new knowledge gained from the previous cycle. Aside from providing a new approach to multi-sector transformational change, the significance of ESTCM is its adaptability and flexibility
A Framework for Understanding and Achieving Sustainability of Complex Systems
No full textThis paper takes a systems approach to outlining a framework for the sustainability of complex systems. Complex systems have one or more functions that strongly interact with their environments, or the supra-system in which they are embedded. The success of the system in interacting with its environment over an extended time frame depends on that system’s ability to regulate its activities, both internal and external so as to remain ‘fit’. The concept of fitness derives directly from the evolutionary theory of phenotypic traits and capabilities (behaviours) being selected for or against by the environment of the system. But it is generalized beyond the standard neo-Darwinian biological process. The roles of adaptivity and evolvability and the mechanisms of a hierarchical cybernetic governance subsystem in maintaining these are advanced as necessary conditions for achieving sustainability in all types of complex systems. An operational definition of sustainability is advanced along with a set of necessary conditions that must obtain in order for complex systems to achieve it. Several systemic dysfunctional conditions are explored to show how complex systems fail to achieve sustainability by failure of the hierarchical cybernetic governance subsystem. Examples from several natural and human-built systems are used to demonstrate these conditions.Clarification of the meaning of complexity across a spectrum of system types is given. A definition of complexity based on hierarchical levels of organization is given to ground the discussion of the hierarchical cybernetic governance subsystem and justify its necessity to achieve and maintain stable dynamics in unstable environments. The purposes and uses of this framework are discussed and examples provided. A brief description of the use of systems analysis to explore and discover functional and dysfunctional subsystems within the hierarchical cybernetic governance subsystem and how this might provide insights for the design of better performing subsystems is also provided. The paper concludes with a projection of the benefits of applying this methodology to the governance of the human social system (HSS)
CLARIFYING AND SUPPORTING ROOT CAUSES IN ORGANIZATION BEHAVIOUR: TOWARD A SCIENCE OF SOCIAL SYSTEMS
No full textThe aim of this paper is to identify root causes in human social system behaviour then discuss implications of these causes for understanding, designing, and managing large organizations. The need for clarifying root causes is clear. Science offers useful laws for how things behave, or the hard sciences, such as chemistry, physics, math and engineering. In contrast, science offers few and conflicting models for how people behave. Thus, there are the soft sciences, such as psychology, management, education, sociology, and economics. And there are the soft social systems such as schools and workplaces. Our current knowledge of soft social systems lies in many disciplines, and the knowledge within each discipline resides in silos, resulting in Tower-of-Babel communication across disciplines. Unintended, undesired, even harmful outcomes are frequent, especially in large organizations. The approach used in this investigation is narrative path analysis. Beginning with large social system outcomes as the unit of focus and dependent variable, a systems science explanatory lens is developed, and the path lands at the individual human system member as root cause, unit of focus and independent variable. The narrative path then proceeds back up to the large social system, with implications at multiple levels/sizes of system-- the pair, the room, small building, and then the multisite organization. The investigation gathers details via key concepts, literature, and evidence from relevant disciplines, including management, control systems engineering, psychology, adult learning theory, plus examples from large urban schools and workplaces. Metaphors and images are included to clarify the narrative with the goal of making sense to a wide diverse audience—including leaders, learners, workers, theorists, researchers, engineers, and policy-makers. Updated theory is that cause/agency of organization behaviour is not solely in the leader, nor the worker, but in both. Each system member, from janitor to CEO, from student to superintendent, learns and performs according to his/her own willingness and ability, resulting in almost infinite variability. A new provide-pickup relationship emerges. That is: The leader’s role is to provide input, resources and tasks; the learner/worker role is pickup of input, each at his/her own rate. In spite of infinite variability, there is predictability. We can predict, with certainty, that each system member will pick up, learn and complete tasks, as he/she is willing and able. The nature of pickup described, a new issue emerges, span of pickup, at the level of the large social system-- adding an important new dimension to the concept of span of control. Namely, in large social systems, important input is beyond the pickup span of individuals. For example, it is easier for CEOs to care more about their children’s college tuition than their employees’ salaries. And, it is easier for front-line employees to care more about their weekly paycheck than the big picture goals of the organization, or for a cattle herder to care about the profit gained by adding a new animal to his herd than the big picture of overgrazing. Ideal-based user-designed automated social control systems (IBUDASCS) are proposed to allow organizations and system members to flourish. The cumulative meaning of IBUDASCS is constructed using the following examples: Control Systems-- When the temperature turns 65, the heater turns on; plus Social—When an employee is late, he/she makes up the time (Honor system, or superviser controlled); plus Automated – When an employee is late, the information automatically goes to the time clock and payroll; plus User-designed-- People at each system level decide together their automated consequences (in alignment with suprasystem policy); plus Ideal-based-- The consequence is automated not to berate or punish, but to free up everyone’s time for more important matters.
Toward a Diagnosis of Viability of Small Manufacturing Enterprises. Case: Metal Mechanic Industry
No full textThe purpose of this research is to determine, from the point of view of Systems Science, the weak organizational viability of Small Manufacturing Enterprises (SMEs) in order to advice how to raise its organizational and functional structure to face market complexity , for example attenuating the factors which affect the operation to early close enterprise . To achieve this end it were identified and ranked the most frequent factors that cause early closure of SMEs, these data were analyzed conceptually based on the Model of Viable Systems, defining a total of 30 (thirty) elements that, empirically, provide the benchmarks for diagnosing and redesigning the organizational and functional operation of an SME in order to viable organization, that is, not only to maintain its existence but to transcend the variety of market
The General Theory of Metadynamics Systemicity: Part 6: Neighbourhood and the 4D Neighbouring of things
No full textThe theory of Systemicity emerged from applying the principles of "The Bioethism Transdisciplinary Paradigm" to "Universal systems" and "Living systems" during their temporal survival", which the author J.-J. Blanc has developed since 1996. "Systemicity" surge from interrelations, intrication[1] ... and a permanent interdependency of synergetic things. The systemicity of atomic and molecular cycles has made and goes on sustaining both cosmic systems and Life on planet Earth. In order to exist, cosmic objects and living creatures cope with environmental changing events, replicate and evolve within global, glocal and local areas, while permanently confronted with changes both at endogenous and external environmental ecosystems' milieus. As a reminder, the author's past proceedings developed, part after part since 2004, are meant to show the structure and chapters of a "General Theory of X-dynamics Systemicity." One will observe that the building-blocks of the theory are being centred on the Universe dynamics diversity, such as peta[2], teradynamics, gigadynamics', metadynamics', dynamics' and microdynamics' inducing results to a systemic feedback symbiosis named "Systemicity". The publication of the Systemicity theory is meant to support the acquisition of a wide transdisciplinary understanding of the x-dynamics' which systemicity sustains the whole evolution of the Universe ecosystem's components as well as those of the livings. While systems natural structure and behaviors are adapting with their milieu by "neighboring" within "neighborhoods" (ecosystems), they specifically cope with endogenous and exogenous events that induce the temporal retroactivity to result as structuring things.The Universe dynamics and Cosmo-planetary Metadynamics's systemicity have participated in the Sun and its planets to form, and particularly Earth orbiting around it on a right "habitable green zone." The General Theory shows the close links between cosmo-planetary and terrestrial x-dynamic systemicity, its strength, fluxes and moves cycles that made Life to have happened and thriven. Life emerged from the apparition of proto-organisms which, evolving, drove humans to develop, as forged with their individuality, social traits and behavioral statuses that have accounted for the species biodiversity developing, evolving or getting extinct over billions of years.For example, when the Earth became a "snowball" from a nearly total glaciation (-600 Mo/y), the survival of some bacteria and micro-organisms escaping the drastic extinction of most species, conversely boosted up an extraordinary explosion of marine species bearing quite new functions (- 545 Mo/y), that after volcanism reheated the planet from the systemicity of interrelated terrestrial and cosmic metadynamics.These giga and metadynamics are the main physicochemical drivers of the universal X-dynamics sets that are atomic, cosmic, galactic, stellar, planetary and terrestrial which as feedback processes, participate in forming matter and cosmic objects (nebulae, baby stars, stars and planets), within a molecular world originated from after the "Big Bang".The neighboring of sub-atoms, atoms, matters and gas, within a set of synergetic retroactivity results, promote dynamics (forces and fluxes) which systemicity permanently goes to specific directions in the 4D environment of the Universe. Life is a whole set of "neighboring" ecosystems, which components are confronted with gravitation, electromagnetism, chemical and physical phenomena ..., particularly with temperature, water and the "thermodynamics of entropy lethal effect". They are all being forces and fluxes which are driving the structure and behavior diversity of objects, species and things up within their systemic neighborhood and their intricate concomitance, in other words, integrating facts existing or occurring with or by something else. Furthermore, ecosystemic neighborhoods (ecosystems) are confronted with the terrestrial x-dynamics cycles of water, minerals, and climates statuses which currents and physical effects permanently drive up their metabolism. Among drivers are the coalescence, conjunction, co-evolution, convergence, symbiosis, percolation, phase transition and threshold outputs that together comply with adaptations to neighborhood components varieties and temporal sustainability. At each step, perception means (chemical, biological, physiological, social...) are transducing a sense given from a variety of signals both endogenous and exogenous. To convert energy from one form into another will infer from the level of survival need components. Then feedback driving the universal atomic, molecular and physicochemical worlds is permanently provoking a change and an evolution among the several x-dynamics systemicity cycles.The specific bonds and traits in the structures and behaviors of "living creatures" as well as in their evolution trends reveal the survival quality of their neighboring knowledge towards actions-reactions (drivers) events. The treatment of ago-antagonistic signals and stimuli emerging from their ecosystemic and socio-systemic metabolism and environmental conditions is of a major priority surviving. The confrontation between bodies and entities, their milieu components and the natural environment necessitates treating signals and information which perception is adequately setting with the fundamentals of "survival dynamics" and "drivers" like "symbiosis" and "feedback" according to the sense given over to sustaining. Processing stimuli and signals is an adaptation of trends participating with the metabolic dynamic balance pertaining with both internal and external changing conditions as to cope with survival needs.Part 5 of this theory only describes some drivers: symbiosis, coalescence, convergence and synergy, percolation, phase transitions, threshold output, feedback ... that permanently influence the systemicity of cosmic and terrestrial matter, objects and things interacting among the universal networks of the 4D worlds. Feedback driving the survival metadynamics systemicity sustains "the atomic and molecular cycles from cradle to grave."Part 6 of this theory is describing some of the effects of neighboring between individuals and ecosystems which, among living species, characterize their apparition, their adaptation and evolution as well as the causes of their extinction. Both are a matter of balance.[1] - Intrication: Quantum entanglement is a physical phenomenon that occurs when pairs or groups of particles are generated or interact in ways such that the quantum state of each particle cannot be described independently-instead, a quantum state may be given for the system as a whole. Measurements of physical properties such as position, momentum, spin, polarization, etc. performed on entangled particles are found to be appropriately correlated, a neighboring end with a variable status. [2] - Petadynamics: in physics, multipliers are defined in powers of 10 from 10-24 to 1024, proceeding in increments of three orders of magnitude (103 or 1,000)
A Categorization of Socio-Technical Systems Approaches based on Context and Purpose
No full textTo come
What Does Constructor Theory Construct?: Knowledge As a Physical Property
No full text“Constructor theory of eigenbehavior” is the most appropriate short way to describe what this paper is about. To those who have encountered the idea of eigenbehavior for the first time through this text, let’s say that it is related to recursions within and emergence of consciousness and information in general. In a back and forth manner between constructor theory of possible tasks and eigenbehavior as a viable (since it passes the test of existence) phenomenon, we shall try to tell something about the fabric of reality. This author uses in an already published paper the metaphor of systems as footprints and wonders what kind of “animal” (constructor) might leave them behind. This text goes further in combining and criticizing constructor theory with the concept of eigenbehavior. Interpretations of quantum mechanics and physical principles are also elaborated
CASCADING RISKS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON WATER SECURITY AND THE POTENTIAL FOR RAPID ADAPATATION
No full textGiddens stressed in the ‘Consequences of Modernity’ that trust is contingent and that risks escalate when transfers are disembedded from local contexts. This paper concentrates on the need to develop policy and praxis to protect the commons. A critical and systemic approach explores Inglehart’s (1997) notion of culture shift. Giddens’ (1990) essay on the ‘consequences of modernity’ informs the analysis.The aim of the paper is to explore the cascading interconnected challenges associated with energy and water security. The paper focuses on the impact of urbanisation in a context of climate change in Cape Town, South Africa where little preparation has been made for accommodating the higher population that has migrated to Cape Town.This is partly due to the higher cost of a desalination plant because of a corrupt energy sector (Bond, 2012). It uses a case study approach based on a range of primary and secondary sources to explore water insecurity in Cape Town.Rapid adaptation to conserve water in Cape Town has been achieved through a combination of fear for the future and a desire not to be shamed through a transparent water management mapping system and through generous donations of water by farmers within the region and by NGOs across South Africa.In this paper a case is made for a way forward to address the cascading effects of climate change in the Western Cape region of South Africa by redressing the rural-urban imbalance in development opportunities
Towards Systems Thinking: Strengthening the Bonds between Operations Research (OR) and Health Services Planning & Epidemiology
No full textThe study proposes a dialogical approach between OR and Health Services Planning and Epidemiology based on the similarities of their own epistemological experiences, according to Habermas’ Theory of Knowledge. As a field of application, health services planning and epidemiology are Complex Societal Problems (CSP), requiring multidisciplinary and multi-dimensional approach. The paper suggests an agenda towards systems thinking to enhance the interaction between the disciplines to guarantee the implementation research´ results by decision makers. Multi-methodology and concept maps tools deal with CSP and may consider peacefully the coexistence of different paradigms. Structuring the problems by concept maps accomplish the systems thinking approach, by presenting the context with diverse levels, feedback loops and dependencies. The map is a real board upon which actors and stakeholders exercise their communicative skills and define collaborative loops towards concepts, meanings and practical implementation