International Society for the Systems Sciences: Journals ISSS
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SYSTEMIC APPROACH FOR CHANGE AGENT - A NEGOTIATED EVALUATION FRAMEWORK FOR THE SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT IN CHINA
No full textThe paper aims to introduce a negotiated evaluation framework for translating social program in complex situations. Based on the national characteristics of China and the complex nature of translating social program, the author faced many challenges of translating an adolescent development program from Hong Kong to China at once. By adopting the ideas of developmental evaluation and the theory of boundary critique, the author eventually formulated the evaluation framework in handling of the challenges. Example of using the framework is illustrated, and the reflection of using the framework is also discussed.  
Reducing Acquisition Cost by Minimizing the Requirements Solution Space
No full textThe purpose of this paper is to explore the need to develop a methodology for reducing acquisition costs by minimizing the requirements’ solution space. The requirements solution space is the result of two or more solutions, resulting from the interpretation of system’s requirement. This can be problematic if solution spaces created by the requirements do not: 1) fall within the systems’ prescribed solution space, 2) or if the solution spaces from other neighbouring system requirements oppose one another. If either of these situations is realized, there will likely be negative consequences relating to costs, schedule and quality. The author briefly explores critical requirements and the relations to their respective constraints. In doing so, the concept of assigning a degree of freedom (DoF) nomenclature to these critical requirements is introduced, which helps relates the DoF to complexity. This nomenclature will prove instrumental in providing the initial assessment to the number of potential solutions existing per system requirement. The paper will also establish a relation between the requirements DoF, complexity and cost
SYSTEM DUALITY: BIRATIONAL HIERARCHY
No full textSystem theory, and most particularly hierarchy theory, must be consistent with philosophy. In his book “Logic in Reality”, Brenner reinforces the traditional philosophic position that an entity can only exist in relation to its non-existence. This leads to a duality in system theory which is consistent with the selective division of Nature into entity and ecosystem, where the two depend on different criteria and even different logics. A fascinating aspect of such a birational approach is that representations and properties only exist as intermediates between pairs of ideal extremes. Quantum logic, for example, no longer replaces post-Newtonian classical logic; it complements it, identifying all real entities as compromises between the two. This albeit philosophically non-traditional included middle is identical to that of the philosophical logic of Stéphane Lupasco, and to the implications of Brenner’s “Logic in Reality”. This presages a major philosophical change in the way Science can be carried out. What we wish to do is to bring all of Science under a generalized umbrella of entity and ecosystem, and then characterize different types of entity by their more or less important relationships with their relevant ecosystems. The most general way to do this is to move the ecosystemic paradigm up to the level of its encompassing logic, creating a complementary pair of conceivably different logics – one for the entity we are focusing on; one for the ecosystem within which it exists – and providing for their quasi-autonomous birational interaction. We present a representation of natural hierarchy which is itself dual in character, and counsel that monorational constructions are ineffective. As an example, we present a dual formulation of entropy. We conclude with an application of the model to large Organizations
An Action Research Study on using Elegant Tasks for Primary One pupils to Learn Art
No full textThis action research explored the use of Elegant Tasks for thirty primary one pupils who were seven year-old from a neighbourhood Primary School in Singapore to learn Art. This research study was conducted through a series of five Action Research Cycles with each cycle that alternates action and critical reflection. The concept of Elegant Task originated from Sandra Kay (1998) who defined it as an open-ended problem which will elicit ‘creative thoughts’ and ‘elegant’ or ‘aesthetically meaningful’ solutions from pupils. According to Kay, an elegant task is one that is worth solving, is studio-based and contains forced choices and constraints (as cited in Sukaimi, 2013). It is envisaged that setting such elegant problems will empower the pupils to make choices and meaningful decisions in the ideation and art-making process, enhance their technical and intellectual growth, and encourage them to discover and explore the attributes and characteristics of the materials in greater depth (as cited in Sukaimi, 2013, p. 10). Apart from making the teaching of art interesting, the application of Elegant Tasks have also helped to amuse the pupils into developing an awareness of his or her own-style of thinking, its strong points and its weaknesses. In short, teaching of Art needs to be pupil-centric and process-driven so as to develop the creativity and imagination of learners. For this research study, I had adopted the Elegant Task approach for my art lessons as it fulfills the 2009 Art Syllabus set by Ministry of Education. It encompasses the six guiding principles of “learner-centred”, “process-oriented”, “contextualized”, “interactive”, “initiative-related” and “fun”. Pupils were given opportunities to identify visual qualities they see around them during the Tuning-in Activity, arouse their curiosity through guiding questions during the exploration and the discovery stages, express their inner thoughts, feelings and imagination through the use of different medium during the art-making process. Four Unit topics totalling eleven Elegant Task lessons were covered. These Unit topics were (a) Colour Theory, (b) Drawing from Observation, (c) Fold and Dye and (d) Printmaking. I have used the Colour Theory lesson plan as an example on how I have linked the Literature Review into my lesson plan. In addition, I have also added in three new pointers as my own initiative to value-add and to enhance my pupils’ engagement in the art lessons. Qualitative data were collected through focus group discussions. The questions for the focus group discussions were patterned after the six specific questions. They covered the three themes: pupils’ reactions to the use of Elegant Tasks to learn Art, what they had learnt in the Elegant Task Art lessons and how the use of the Elegant Task approach had helped them to improve their artworks. The three themes were used to narrate the data on the pupils’ perceptions on the use of Elegant Task to learn Art. The findings from this study showed that pupils like the adoption of Elegant Tasks in their art lessons as they were given enough room to explore materials, make new discoveries, and work collaboratively in groups. To the pupils, the Elegant Task lessons were “exciting”, “fun” with “a lot of interesting activities to do”, and “cool and amazing”. They not only “got to play with their friends when doing art” but they also learn “new things”, “a lot of new techniques and skills”. They found learning meaningful because they understand the reasons for doing their artworks, and they could do them “creatively”. Besides, this approach has also developed a strong sense of ownership and pride in their artworks as witnessed from pupils’ presentation of their artworks at the end of each elegant task topic
Bringing Foresight into Systems Thinking: A Three Horizon Approach
No full textA primary goal of systemic intervention is the improvement of the ‘system in question’. The definition of the system in question is often itself a function of multiple stakeholders and is not a fixed object. Boundary critique can be helpful in clarifying the ambiguity, assumptions and the power dynamics around agreeing what the system is that is to be improved and for whose interests. However, there is another dimension of ambiguity which is time. Improvement implies some change from a present condition A to a better future condition B which eventually becomes a new present condition B. Where the environment is about to go through a significant change of pattern (a paradigm shift), the criteria of improvement will be different, depending which paradigm is being considered. For example, energy success in an unrestricted environment can be completely different from energy success in a restricted environment dominated by climate change. In this paper we will introduce the idea of three ways of looking at the future using a method called the three horizons. It will point out three distinct ways of looking at the future, each of which will strongly colour boundary critique and therefore affect what is considered to be a successful or ‘improved’ system. The foresight framing suggests improvement to sustain the current system, improvement which is a disruptive innovation and may reconfigure the system and improvement which is transformative and may actually result in the collapse of the systems in question
Systemic Parameter Estimation for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip in Children
No full textThe human being is a complex entity as such has a set of features that makes it different compared to other living beings. The bio -psycho- social conception of the human being is part of systems thinking: a totality organized by a number of interrelated and interdependent entities. From its origins science has tried to explain reality and seek control of those natural and transcendental phenomena that take place in it: the life, illness and death. Disease and / or medical conditions affecting the health of people for settlement have developed models, techniques and tools to use the response time decreases. These have evolved into a transition aimed not only significantly prolong the years of life and survival of a patient, but also the well-being or quality of life related to health, which refers to the consequences of disease or treatment on physical , emotional and social wellbeing of a person. The change in the health model allows reviewing the definition of health and health care. Practically, this model argues that health systems should consider this continuum of biological, psychological and social factors at diagnosis and establishment of treatment which will help to effectively manage the process of health and illness in a person, covering the evolution, the course of illness and recovery and/or rehabilitation of the individual. As medicine has evolved, have been discovered diseases that affect the health of people and produce both partial and total in these conditions, preventing the development of skills and attitudes within society. Within the range of diseases and/or conditions are those that damage the lower or hind limb of the human body (hip). One of these conditions is Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip (DDH) in children, which is presented as a condition of uncertain origin, evolution insidious and discouraging treatment if your diagnosis is not made early. The surgical procedure is often very invasive for the patient, since the bone composition is not fully formed and can cause secondary conditions that diminish their ability to lead a normal adult life. From a mono-disciplinary approach may provide a solution to this problem, but not entirely. With the implementation of Systemic Methodologies and Tools we address this problem holistically, because with this implementation, we can obtain the factors affecting our study and thus provide a solution to diminish entirely side effects. It is for this that comes a Systemic Methodology which consists of Soft and Hard Methodologies as an option for the study of Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip (DDH) in children in order to estimate parameters to identify the factors affecting the development of this condition at the time of diagnosis and treatment, in order to make improvements in applied surgical procedures and develop options to decision- making by the specialist to reduce risks that may arise and provide quality of life for patients in their family and social environment
The General Theory of Metadynamics Systemicity
No full textThe General Theory of Systemicity is being published - part after part since 2004 - from after the application of “The Bioethism Transdisciplinary Paradigm” that the author J.-J. Blanc developed since 1996. Made from an extensive research on "Systems science" that induced to his developing a new systemic paradigm, it was termed as a transdisciplinary approach to "Living systems" he named “The Bioethism”. A paradigm that is meant to support the acquisition of a large understanding on living systems' as naturally structuring and behaving for survival while adapting to their milieu.The "Cosmo-planetary and terrestrial metadynamics systemicity”, the “Life’s metadynamics systemicity”, and the "Biological survival metadynamics systemicity" processes are the core of the General Theory, which, resulting from a large research and approach of the whole set of universal metadynamics and their retroactivity, shows their interrelationship and interdependency. The systemicity of their atomic and molecular cycles has made and sustains both cosmic systems and Life on planet Earth. As to exist, living creatures replicate and evolve within global, glocal and local permanently changing endogen milieu and external environmental ecosystems. The Universe Cosmo-planetary gigadynamics and metadynamics 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 meta-dynamics systemicity, its forces, fluxes and moves cycles that made Life to have happened and thriven. From proto-organisms to humans, their individualities, social traits and behavioral statuses have accounted for the biodiversity of species developing 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 (- 545Mo/y), that after volcanism reheated the planet from the systemicity of interrelated terrestrial and cosmic metadynamics. These metadynamics are the main physicochemical cosmic, galactic, stellar, planetary and terrestrial feedback processing atoms to participate in forming matter and cosmic objects (nebulae, baby stars, stars and planets), within a molecular world as originated from after the “Big Bang”.Influenced with a certain number of forces, and going towards specific directions in the environment, Life as a whole is confronted with gravitation, electromagnetism, chemical and physical phenomena…, particularly temperature and the “thermodynamics of entropy”, all being forces and fluxes which driving diversity is concomitant. Furthermore, Life is confronted with the driving of terrestrial dynamic cycles of water, minerals, and climates which currents drive ecosystems metabolism. Among drivers are the coalescence, conjunction, co-evolution, convergence, symbiosis, percolation, phase transition and threshold output, neighborhood adaptation. Then feedback drives universal atomic, molecular and physicochemical worlds permanently provoking the evolution of the several metadynamics systemicity cycles. The specific bonds and traits of structures and behaviors as well as the evolution trends of “surviving living creatures” require some knowledge about actions-reactions (drivers) with ago-antagonistic signals and stimuli emerging from their ecosystemic and socio-systemic metabolism and environmental conditions. Since resulting in some sort of a confrontation between the body milieu and the natural environment, the narration and treatment of a general information refers to the fundamental “survival metadynamics systemicity" and “its drivers” like “symbiosis” and “feedback” as processing stimuli and signals to sustain their metabolism balance from both internal and external changing conditions. Part five of this theory only describes some drivers: symbiosis, coalescence, convergence and synergy, percolation, phase transition, threshold output, feedback… that permanently influence the systemicity of cosmic matter, objects and things interacting among the universal networks of the 3D worlds. Feedback driving the survival metadynamics systemicity sustains “the atomic and molecular cycles from cradle to grave”
Pragmatism, Morphogenesis and the Possibility of Sustainability
No full textPopulation growth and demographic shifts are placing an increasing burden on the planet. By 2050 it is projected that humanity will require almost three planets to live in if we continue to consume as we currently do. Changing the way we live in the world will require that we transform our current structural and cultural systems. The democratic and creative generation of good solutions is the beginning of this process, but effective transformation requires that these be successfully integrated and new, enduring systems emerge. This poster outlines some exploratory work that attempts to make sense of the contributions that Dewey’s pragmatism and Archer’s morphogenesis can contribute to systemic transformation
The Relations between Two Koreas under Roh Moo-hyun Administration: Matter-Energy and Information Flow
No full textUnder the Roh Moo-hyun administration(2003–2008), two Koreas continued improvement in relations begun by the previous Kim Dae-jung administration. The flow of matter-energy and information between two Koreas consistently expanded during these administrations. Comparing growth rates in information and matter-energy, we find that the growth rate in information ran faster than that in matter-energy from 1989 to 1994; since 1995, both have run at a similar rate. This shows that the two Koreas recognized the relative advantage of information in relation to matter-energy, but focused on the flow of matter-energy. The two Korean governments recognized the significance of the state of affairs in the region surrounding the Korean Peninsula. At the same time, external pressure had a significant influence on the two Koreas’ relationship. Historically, the two Koreas’ relationship has been dependent on external pressure from the big powers
Dynamics and viability of the Critically Endangered Cat Ba Langur: A new perspective for conservation actions
No full textThe golden-headed or Cat Ba Langur (Trachypithecus poliocephalus poliocephalus) is an endemic species of Cat Ba Island in northern Vietnam. It is listed as a critically endangered species in the IUCN red list because of its small, isolated sub-populations and low population numbers. This study was undertaken to understand the trend of population development and the risk of extinction of the species in the future. This will help conservationists to minimize the risk of extinction, and develop better conservation strategies for this species. A number of methods were carried out to examine the conservation status and life history of the langurs. This included conducting in-depth interviews with 21 members of forest protection groups and 20 staff of the Cat Ba National Park, gathering secondary data from reports and other publications dating from 1997 onwards, and conducting field surveys. These information and data were then used to construct a simulation model for the dynamics and viability of the langur population. The study found that 12 groups of the langurs consisting of a total of 50 – 60 individuals with an average group size of 4.67 individuals survived on Cat Ba Island. Disturbed social structure is one of the most significant reasons causing the stable population in the past twelve years, and it is predicted to continue to stabilize in the next 10 years, reaching 86 individuals by 2050. The validation tests have confirmed that the model is sufficient to be used as a tool for policy analysis and decision making for conservationists on the island. The effects of reproducing population on birth rate, and birth rate are two factors which have the most influence on the number of langurs. This clearly implies that an increase in the reproducing population numbers and birth rate would have a significant effect on the growth of langur population in the long-term. Relocation of non-reproductive groups to reproductive units, strict protection and management are important strategies to save this critically endangered species from extinction.