International Society for the Systems Sciences: Journals ISSS
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DESIGNING AND DEVELOPING “THE INTELLIGENT PROJECT (TIP)” USING THE VIABLE SYSTEM MODEL IN COLOMBIA
No full textA reflection of the impact of the certification for internationalize the software industry, considers understanding, solving, evaluating and implementing the TIP project using the VSM. The VSM was used as an organizational design tool for a better understanding of the software sector, and has been useful in developing the internal managerial capacity to adapt to internal and external change and opportunities.  
SYSTEMIC APPROACH FOR CREATING AND MANAGING SYSTEMIC RESEARCH GROUPS: THE EXPERIENCE OF A BRAZILIAN RESEARCH GROUP
No full textUniversities, research and teaching institutes, as organizations, are influenced by social changes, which require more and more systemic action to deal with complex situations. They are supposed to act in a more systemic way, developing more practical solutions to fulfill the need for a stronger linkage between academic research - especially those in applied social sciences - and social transformations. The new regulatory specifications of academic action are also elements that contribute to incorporate the systemic view into the practice of research groups. It happens because they involve multiple dimensions of groups’ performance, such as qualifying students, demands for publications, attention to funding agencies, monitoring the activity of international research groups, establishing international partnerships with other organizations, keeping the linkage between publications and monitoring the state of the art in its area among others. As research groups are also responsible for training qualified people to handle such situations, it is important to consider that those groups could do their job in a more effective way if they apply systemic assumptions to their own existence. The systemic approach allows groups to be systemic on their own identities. Besides that, the systemic view can help research groups understand their reality more broadly, considering various aspects through the analysis of the relationships that are established during its performance. From a literature review, this article aims at demonstrating the importance of the systemic approach to the creation and maintenance of research groups, highlighting the potential benefits of adopting systemic assumptions to the management of such groups. Furthermore, this paper presents the experience of a Brazilian research group created in order to be systemic in its own identity, describing the benefits, challenges and constraints identified over time since its creation. This academic research group was planned and designed to be systemic, based on studies of Systems Theory, the Soft Systems Methodology and the Viable System Model. The group was created upon the systemic perspective, with specific goals and objectives. Meanwhile, it has evolved into a larger structure and had modified its goals and concerns, dealing with challenges to maintain the systemic profile and the systemic way of working. Thus, this paper aims at exposing what kinds of challenges research groups can undergo while intending to be systemic. In order to accomplish these goals, a single case study is used. This is a descriptive study, with qualitative approach. Both secondary and primary data are used. Semi-structured interviews with former and current members of the group are developed. The main results obtained include a description of the group studied showing its creation process, first accomplishments, evolution and current scenario. The main difficulties faced by the group members, as well as the solutions they have built, are also described, demonstrating the benefits of the systemic approach to the activities of research groups
Knowledge Science – Modeling the Knowledge Creation Process
No full textKnowledge science is a problem-oriented interdisciplinary field that takes as its subject the modeling of the knowledge creation process and its application, and carries out research in such disciplines as knowledge management, management of technology, support for the discovery, synthesis and creation of knowledge, and innovation theory with the aim of constructing a better knowledge-based society. This paper considers what knowledge science should be, introducing a forthcoming book entitled Knowledge Science – Modeling the Knowledge Creation Process (Nakamori ed., 2011). The authors of this book are experienced researchers in knowledge science with the background of systems science, and core members of the International Society for Knowledge and Systems Sciences. This book introduces six important concepts in knowledge science, which are knowledge technology, knowledge management, knowledge discovery, knowledge synthesis, knowledge justification, and knowledge construction. Finally, the paper briefly describes a theory of knowledge construction systems; its fundamental part was already published in Systems Research and Behavioral Science (Nakamori et al., 2011
BOUNDARY GAMES: A LANGUAGE AND INTENTION BASED FRAMEWORK FOR BOUNDARY CRITIQUE
No full textExploring ways to understand the boundary of a problematic situation is fundamental to intervention. The boundary draws a difference between what is relevant and what is not relevant for the problem situation. In other words, it points out what it is and is not the system. Boundary Critique Theory, has used the notion of boundary to built ways to examine and reflect critically about the intervention process. It has developed ways to manage situations such as conflict, exclusion and the generation of reasonable discourse among the participants. These developments use ideas from sources such as critical theory, pragmatic philosophy, sociology, biology and cybernetics. This paper contributes to the range of theories informing Boundary Critique by adding a framework of Boundary Games. The framework is based on Wittgenstein’s Language Games and Relevance Theory (a theory from Language Pragmatics). It shows new ways to reflect on the actions and language on a setting. Particularly, it proposes six possible “moves”, intentions or games in relation to the boundary. The framework implies a shift in how the boundary is usually managed in Boundary Critique, from a boundary that shapes our actions towards a boundary that is shaped by every action
INTEGRATIVE ROLE OF INSTITUTIONS IN HUMAN ACTIVITY
No full textThis paper examines the role of institutions in integration of human activity across the levels of its hierarchical system. In the perspective of System-Activity Methodology, human activity is viewed as the only primary reality. Human activity is completely defined by standards. The main process constituting human activity is self-reproduction. The system of activity comprises four hierarchical levels ordered by relation of inclusion and defined by corresponding types of standards: (1) universe of mass activity – by universal values, (2) spheres of mass activity – by corresponding institutions, (3) organizations of collective activity – by schedules and protocols, and (4) acts, performed by individuals, – by modes of action. Enabled by their structure that mirrors the hierarchical system of activity, institutions integrate this hierarchical system of activity in a “top-down” manner. Actualization of the institutional standards proceeds in the opposite direction and integrates levels of activity in a “bottom-up” manner. The usual occurrence of deviations require supplementary remedial and sanctioning activities that penetrate all hierarchical levels and, in turn, create bottom-up pressure to change institutional standards at all levels. The two-way integration results in tight interdependence of the hierarchical levels of the activity system, necessitating consideration of the entire hierarchical context, if one is to understand and effectively act upon activity systems of any scale
Analyzing and Improving Chicken Meat Supply Chain Using Beer's VSM, SCOR model and Ackoff's Circular Organization
No full textThis paper deals with diagnosing broiler meat supply chain and designing a new metasystemic (in cybernetic terms) structure for it in Iran. The analysis has been informed by functionalist, interpretive and emancipatory paradigms. A combination of Beer's VSM and SCOR model are utilized for analyzing the situation. Resourced-based view is used in a complementary role for analyzing system2 requirements and strategic environmental relations. A new structure is proposed for the managerial body of the supply chain applying Ackoff's circular organization model which will relieve existing deficiencies
The Malik SuperSyntegration as the most effective and efficient tool for large-scale disaster response coordination
No full textMy proposal is to use the Malik SuperSyntegration (MSS) as a tool to set up the most efficient and effective disaster response for catastrophic events – in as short as 2,5 or 3,5 days, organized right after the event.MSS is a revolutionary highly innovative tool based on our 30 year research tradition in cybernetic management. This method is an extremely effective and efficient problem-solving tool with groundbreaking superlative results to deal with high complexity and solve the biggest challenges and the most pressing decisions of the top management level. It uses the power of up to 40 key players and their collective knowledge in the intelligence-enhancing, brain-interlinking architecture of the Syntegration.It has three parts:- an innovative cybernetic communication process for knowledge and intelligence enhancement- our holistic management systems for effective and efficient functioning of organizations- a menu of simultaneously implemented cybernetic instruments to control complexityThe decision process is speed up 100-fold and the people effectiveness is enhanced 80-fold. It is holistic and integrates 4 dimensions: technical, cultural, management/control and time level.Right after a catastrophic event, as seen during Katrina and in Haiti, resources poor in and much efficiency and effectiveness is lost in the beginning due to coordination and information failures. This unique tool comes to solutions with enormous speed and implementation power to coordinate organizational networks. MSS has proven successfully in over 500 applications without failures, in the business and non-business sector. I am proposing to use this tool as a setup to coordinate disaster management efforts and enhance resource (time, money, manpower) efficiency by a great deal to help victims more quickly.A more interlinked world needs more effective organizations. Cybernetic tools entail completely different, innovative and creative solutions for the business and non-business sector that the methods used today cannot provide
Construction of a Multimethodology for use in Collaborative Model Actualization
No full textAbstract Multiple stakeholder engagement and collaboration is an area of great complexity and difficulty. Crossing paradigms and disciplines involves the engagement and understanding of multiple worldviews by all parties involved. This is difficult at best with the full cooperation of the stakeholders involved and is further exacerbated by financial structures, divergent objectives, power relations, and institutional biases within and between organizations. It is, however, posited that collaborative efforts of this magnitude and range are necessary to fully employ the undergirding ethic of Sustainable Development (SD). The SD ethic also implies an intergenerational consideration that the author suggests is best introduced through a collaboratively derived statement of ethic used to mediate all decisions put forth for employment. This paper explores the assembly of a multimethodology constructed through the combination of widely held methodologies with peculiar strengths in a complementary manner. Soft Systems Methodology (SSM), Appreciative Inquiry (AI) and a Collective Statement of Ethics (CSE) are assembled in a partitioned manner that allows each to maintain its core strengths while feeding the next iteration with what is argued a higher quality input. The ontological, epistemological and axiological implication of the multimethodology are examined and illustrated along with a review of the literature regarding the implications of such a methodology. It is deemed that the ontological variance is not significant and that the minor epistemological and axiological differences are within reasonable tolerances considering the multimethodological protocol employed and successful precedent use of similar methodologies. The introduction of the CSE is suggested as a means to encourage a sense of fairness and to buffer power relations. It is proposed that the creation of the CSE will empower those who might in other circumstances have had a less than equitable voice in participatory environments. A secondary intent of the CSE is to open up the opportunity for the collaborative to introduce ecocentric, intergenerational and humanistic perspectives, inter alia, into the root definitions and conceptual models output actualized by the collaborative. Finally, the author explores the possibilities in the literature that might support a claim of change of behavior based on the sensitization of actors to repetition of standard ethics information or documents such as a CSE. AI has been selected, based on its underpinnings in positive psychology, to overcome a perceived conceptual weakness in SSM relating to a focus on problems as opposed to strengths in the development of future creating scenarios. SSM has been selected as it, arguably, has at its core a more conventional process of deployment methodology. The two methodologies combined prove compatible and complementary in theory. The context in which the methodology will be employed is also discussed as is the purpose of the multimethodology. Although, technique is not detailed in light of the stage of development of the methodology at this time, it is suggested that further steps include the development and subsequent deployment of the multimethodology, in a workshop offering, to the market. These suggested future activities follow conclusions that support the assembly of the methodology. The multimethodology partitions in a technically acceptable manner and the literature supports the use of similar multimethodology in practice
Communication as a mechanism for culture integration
No full textAutonomy of employees is one way to ensure the flexibility, adaptability and innovation competence needed in organisations working on a global market. This has to be dynamically balanced on a system level by integration of the employees into the organisation. Formulation and communication of an organisational culture is one way to integrate employees to an understanding of the work that increases the chances of co-ordinated behaviour towards the goal of the organisation. The aim of this article is to increase the knowledge about processes leading to integration of employees into the organizational culture. The hypothesis is that culture emerges in the interaction between members of a social group. Thus, the article is studying the importance of communication, the research questions are: What makes the culture of a work group similar to the organizational culture?, How is a work group culture constructed? and How is it possible that some members of the workgroup are integrated in the organizational culture while others are not? Theories used are about culture as an organizing structure emerging in interaction between actors, about organizational culture as a way for management to exert control, and about social networks as a way to describe the interaction processes is. The empirical data comes from a merchant bank in Sweden famous for: long term competitiveness, a decentralized organisation and the use of organizational culture. 105 respondents from ten work groups of this bank have answered questions about their communication and their integration into the organisational culture. The results show that communication between members of a group is a mechanism behind the development of the sub-culture of the group and the integration of each individual member into this subculture. There seems to be a self-reinforcing spiral between collegial talk, especially about goals, plans and changes at the work place, and culture integration. To build a strong subculture it is important to have all members of a group included in this communication, since persons in the periphery of the talk pattern tends to be less integrated. The value system of the group’s supervisor is strongly influencing the sub-culture of the work group. Thus, to hire supervisors with the correct values and giving resources to employees for communication is central for an organisation using organisational culture as a tool for control
The Transformative Nature of the Good Argument: Reason and Care as the Foundation for the Transformation of Human Systems
No full textThis essay addresses the use of language--spoken, written and implied--in a specific way, and the transformational effect of the use of that specific form of language on the subject and the family, neighborhood, community and other organizations within which the subject exists to lay the foundation for the good argument. Specifically, the nature of discourse ethics and the effect of discourse ethics upon the person and the community are explored through the development of Habermas' (1981/1987) discourse ethics as part of the subset of his theory of communicative action within the larger context of his enlightenment project. A review of the theme of reason as the foundation of Habermasian discourse ethics and the presentation of examples of the appropriation of discourse ethics in human deliberative settings will demonstrate the practical relevance of this discussion. By looking at the feminist critiques of Habermasian discourse ethics, the theme of caring becomes apparent as an enhanced (or new) foundation for ethical discourse. Next, examples from recent empirical studies in democratic institutions are presented to demonstrate the applicability of discourse ethics from the Habermasian and feminist points of view. I then show the expansion of the ethic of reason to accommodate an ethic of care through the development of human rights and the human transformation that grows from that development. Finally, the essay questions the argument that there is an inherent incompatibility between reason and care. In this exploration, it is argued that reason and care are not necessarily best conceived of as related to male or female identity or personality, nor are they mutually exclusive as ethical norms. Rather, the addition of care as an ethical foundation of discourse will bring about the transformation of human beings and the human systems in which they participate. In this essay, a neo-pragmatist interpretation of reason, as opposed to the classic Kantian interpretation is developed. While Kantian reason may be a useful tool to measure normative conduct, it is not the only tool. The use of care as a moral norm is also useful as a tool. This presentation will demonstrate that the use of a combination of care and reason as a justification for a claim of communicative validity is transformative of the person and the community. Both are necessary for the good to exist in what I am calling a good argument. Both are compatible with the neo-pragmatic understanding of reason