Towards a critique of Critical Systems Thinking within a foucauldian framework: A “demystification process” or an “instrumental use” of Critical Theory

Critical Systems Thinking is an approach which aims at providing a coherent platform to guide systems practitioners through the numerous systems paradigms and systems methodologies currently available. However, it claims not only that it can provide an efficient way for choosing the appropriate methodology based on proper understanding of their strengths and weaknesses, but also that it is grounded within a commitment to critique, complementarism, and emancipation. Furthermore, it has claimed to be deeply rooted in the ideas of Habermas and Foucault. Considering recent research in Foucault's philosophy, this paper attempts to provide of CST a critical examination which can be extended to other areas of the management and systems sciences. In the context of this examination, the conclusion has been reached that CST has at least two options. The first is to redefine itself as a demystification process (of cherished concepts such as emancipation, complementarism, intervention and so on), if it wants to remain somehow ‘inspired’ by Critical Theory. The second one is to redefine its ‘critical’ claims so as to become aligned with managerial activities such as business consultancy and intervention, openly acknowledging an application of Critical Theory that is instrumental, if such an influence indeed exists.     

Editorial

The book Fifth Discipline is Peter Senge's account of the learning organization. For Senge, five disciplines are necessary to bring about a learning organization—personal mastery, mental models, shared vision, team learning, and systems thinking (called systemic thinking from here on). Systemic thinking is the discipline that integrates all five disciplines. Each discipline is briefly explored in this paper, with emphasis placed on systemic thinking. Senge's concern with localness and openness is also touched upon. The paper concludes with an outline critique of Senge's work.     

具有变时滞的线性系统的时滞相关稳定性

具有时滞的控制系统是工程实践中经常遇到的一类重要的非线性控制系统。根据微分方程理论和矩阵指数特性，提出了具有不确定性的时滞控制系统与时滞相关和与时滞无关稳定的充分性判据，并给出系统衰减速率的估计方法。该方法仅需假定时滞有界，因而其结论适用于变时滞的系统。同时还给出了应用实例，并与相关成果进行了比较，计算结果表明了该方法的有效性。     

“Unfolding” Natural Resource-Use Information Systems: Fieldwork in Botswana

My research examines the performance of natural resource-use information systems. I question why such systems, despite receiving substantial financial and human investment, appear to have a weak impact on projects, programs, and policy intended for rural poverty alleviation in developing countries. Drawing on my understanding of the process of unfolding introduced by C. West Churchman, and its particular relationship to Habermasian constitutive interests, I reflect on my experiences of using the concept during fieldwork undertaken in Botswana. The concept is found useful on two fronts: first, it provides a purposeful guide for gathering and processing information/knowledge—what I have termed an epistemological intent; second, it provides a useful template for evaluating other information systems; in particular, the role of expertise—what I have termed an ontological intent. The process of unfolding, as I understand it, also provides an invitation for constructive (rather than self-indulgent) personal reflection: what might be termed a constitutive reflexive intent. By making information gathering and knowledge generation less mystical and a more transparent social activity, the conceptual and practical application of the process of unfolding can help toward retrieving inquiry as being a purposeful, openly political, and thereby less deceptive engagement: features which I believe are found particularly wanting in the business of rural development information gathering.     

Imagine the ideal,make it real: Bringing shared values to life

Idealized systems design (ISD) is defined as a process of disciplined inquiry that enables a system's users to discover the values that most inspire their involvement in the system and then to jump conceptually outside of existing reality to imagine what that system could or should be in light of those values and unconstrained by practical reality. When a fanciful but appealing idea is reached, one which represents an optimum resolution to the needs which have brought or will bring the system into existence, users bring that idea into contact with practical reality and design a system to bring it to life. Costs, benefits, limitations, requirements, and promises of ISD are discussed in light of the author's involvement with 80–85 ISD inquiries.     

A Partial Parallel Airport Gate Assignment Supported by a Knowledge－based System Combined with Mathematical Programming

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Systems thinking and critique. I. What is critique?

This paper is the first in a trilogy which intends to discuss the notion of critique within two different contexts: Modern Western Philosophy and Contemporary Systems Thinking. This first paper presents a phenomenological inquiry into the concept of “critique.” The result of the inquiry is a model of the possibilities ofcritique which is used to interpret four “moments” of critique in Modern Western Philosophy.     

The Ontological Constitution of Bounding-Judging in the Phenomenological Epistemology of von Bertalanffy's General System Theory

An analysis of the current presentation of boundary judgments in the Critical Systems literature highlights a general result: that the activity of bounding has been, implicitly or explicitly, considered as an epistemological issue. By arguing that knowledge is not produced singularly by bounding, the paper informs this general result. This, in turn, informs other results, which have emerged in current understanding. In particular, the paper argues (a) the reason why knowledge indeed never attains the status of "objective or right" knowledge, (b) how critique is dependent on some positing of knowledge, and (c) the exact place where critique is actioned. von Bertalanffy's attempted systems epistemology is considered at length because it explains and informs the epistemological conclusions seen to have been drawn in the current Critical Systems literature. von Bertalanffy's attempt requires the support of Husserlian phenomenology, especially Sartre's understanding of it. This requires an in-depth discussion of the phenomenological understanding of consciousness. Since the conclusions stem from von Bertalanffy, the paper reconsiders the status of General System Theory in Critical Systems Thinking.     

Exploration of opportunity costs and consideration exploration of opportunity costs and consideration for future generations: Two lasting contributions to systems thinking

In his numerous writings C. West Churchman has shown how the systems approach can be used to secure improvements in the human condition. Specifically one must think holistically. Two concepts—exploration of opportunity costs and consideration for future generations—underline whole systems thinking. The author argues based on his own experience that these tools of the human intellect are among the most lasting contributions Churchman has made to systems thinking.     

Organizing for Research and Action: Implementing Action Researcher Networks

The article describes and analyzes the process by which action researchers transcend boundaries—including discipline and institutional boundaries, as well as those between academia and industry—to develop effective action researcher networks. The particular empirical setting explored is that defined by the CO-IMPROVE project, a European Union-funded project which addresses the facilitation of collaborative improvement of operations practice and performance in the extended manufacturing enterprise through collaborative action learning among both managers and researchers.     

A health planner meets C. West Churchman

From 1966 to 1984, the author was professor of health planning at the School of Public Health of the University of California at Berkeley. During those years, he became a close colleague and friend of C. West Churchman, whose thinking on systems design became a Source of inspiration to him for rethinking many conventional patterns of thought in the field of health planning. In this paper, Henrik L. Blum draws a fine portrait of West Churchman, describing him as many of us who had the privilege of working with him—be it as colleagues or students—know him. (Editor)     

Implementing Cost Control in Health Care: Strategies Driven by an Organizational Systems Approach

In this paper, we offer a systems approach to assist health care organizations in their cost-containment efforts. A general model of the organization which specifies the various components of this approach is offered. Each system—technology, structure, psychosocial, managerial, and cultural—is linked to illustrative selected actions designed to improve cost performance. In our view, the key to successful interventions to contain costs lies in careful consideration of both the direct and interactive impacts on all systems of the health care organization. A case example of an Academic Medical Center's effort to curtail costs illustrates both the model and the sample actions.     

有限理性下的演化博弈与合作机制研究

指出了以Nash为代表的经典博弈论及其纳什均衡解在完全理性假设下的理论缺陷,从而引入有限理性下的演化博弈论.介绍了演化博弈论中策略进化的思想,提出有限理性的实质是怎么去学习,进而探讨了演化博弈中的各种学习模型.介绍了基于个体的学习模型和网络上的演化博弈研究进展;提出了用演化博弈去解释现实复杂网络的设想;分析了网络结构和博弈策略的互演化思想.讨论了演化博弈框架下合作的进化及合作机制的研究进展.最后,对演化博弈今后的发展趋势和研究方向给出了评述.     

ON A LINEAR EQUATIONS METHOD OF NONLINEAR POLYNOMIAL EQUATIONS-SOLVING

A method for solving nonlinear polynomial equations is given which avoids theappearance of redundant factors as in the previous characteristic set method developed bythe present author. The new method seems thus to be of much higher efficiency than theprevious one. It has the further advantage that numerical data may be inserted at willeither at the outset or during the procedure so far removal of factors by divisions may beavoided.     

非相参雷达动目标处理的数字相关分析法

当前,非相参雷达得到了广泛的应用,其通常的动目标处理方法是用相干振荡器(COHO)记忆每个发射脉冲起始相位来实现。本文介绍的是用数字存贮发射样本的方法实现动目标处理。此方法亦称数字相关分析法。由于此方法不仅能补偿发射脉冲起始相位不稳定性,还能补偿发射系统中存在的其它不稳定因素,如脉冲频率不稳、幅度不稳等。因此,应用此方法的雷达能获得较好的动目标处理能力。 文中除介绍实现动目标处理的原理和方法外,着重介绍数字相关器的功能及其能达到的性能。文中将讨论数字相关器的基本关系式;用自卷积方法实现鉴频功能;幅度补偿原理和由于相位检波器正交误差而引起对改善因子限制等问题。本系统原理已得到证明。     

Convergence of Self-Tuning Regulators Under Conditional Heteroscedastic Noises with Unknown High-Frequency Gain

In the classical theory of self-tuning regulators, it always requires that the conditional variances of the systems noises are bounded. However, such a requirement may not be satisfied when modeling many practical systems, and one significant example is the well-known ARCH(autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity) model in econometrics. The aim of this paper is to consider self-tuning regulators of linear stochastic systems with both unknown parameters and conditional heteroscedastic noises, where the adaptive controller will be designed based on both the weighted least-squares algorithm and the certainty equivalence principle. The authors will show that under some natural conditions on the system structure and the noises with unbounded conditional variances, the closed-loop adaptive control system will be globally stable and the tracking error will be asymptotically optimal.Thus, this paper provides a significant extension of the classical theory on self-tuning regulators with expanded applicability.     

模仿式羊群行为的计算实验

借助行为金融理论, 基于异质性假设, 在计算实验平台上, 将一种模仿策略通过Agent间的自主复制得以实现,在单一股票条件下, 实验 结果观察到显著羊群行为并伴随股票价格波动,从而证明: 异质假设下, 投资者的模仿可作为羊 群行为形成的一种机制,其对股票价格波动存在明显影响.     

Adaptive Robust Control for A Class of Nonlinear Systems with Unknown Uncertainties

CONTROL THEORY AND APPLICATION1. INTRODUCTIOnThe practical systems inevitably contain some kinds of uncertain elements. With the existence of uncertainties,the performance of systems may be changed, even may cause the systems stableless. Under such imperfectknowledge of the model, controllers are tried to design so that the controlled system has certain satisfactoryproperties. In the past, robust controller design generally hinges on three main assumptions: 1) the systemstate ve…     

Total systems intervention: A practitioner's critique

An earlier paper in this journal described an intervention in North Yorkshire Police using the TSI meta-methodology. This Research Note draws upon the experience gained from that intervention to provide a critique of TSI. The critique is informed by Flood and Jackson's foundational work but is intended to be pitched more at the practical, rather than the theoretical, level.     

Polynomial dynamic programming algorithms for lot sizing models with bounded inventory and stockout and/or backlogging

This paper addresses a dynamic lot sizing problem with bounded inventory and stockout where both no backlogging and backlogging allowed cases are considered. The stockout option means that there is outsourcing in a period only when the inventory level at that period is non-positive. The production capacity is unlimited and production cost functions are linear but with fixed charges. The problem is that of satisfying all demands in the planning horizon at minimal total cost. We show that the no backlogging case can be solved in ) O(T ²) time with general concave inventory holding and outsourcing cost functions where T is the length of the planning horizon. The complexity can be reduced to O(T) when the inventory holding cost functions are also linear and have some realistic properties, even if the outsourcing cost functions remain general concave functions. When the inventory holding and outsourcing cost functions are linear, the backlogging case can be solved in O(T ³logT) time whether the outsourcing level at each period is bounded by the sum of the demand of that period and backlogging level from previous periods, or only by the demand of that period.