Community Work Research through Co-Operative Inquiry in Timor-Leste,Australia and Peru: Insights into Process

Co-operative inquiry is an under-explored method in community-based research. Its democratic approach involves a group of “co-researchers” collaboratively inquiring into a mutually-agreed research topic through systematic cycles of reflection and action. This article shares the process, outcomes, and methodological reflections of three co-operative inquiries that were conducted as part of an international study regarding love in community work. Groups of up to 10 community workers in rural villages in Timor-Leste, Australia, and Peru engaged in co-operative inquiry to collaboratively develop new knowledge to inform practice. The article analyses data regarding co-inquirer experiences of the methodology, and identifies the strengths and challenges of the co-operative inquiry method to support the collective generation of new knowledge. The article concludes that co-operative inquiry involves shared power, participation, action, and contextual reflexivity, and is a useful method for community workers to collaboratively develop innovative approaches to community work practice through cycles of reflection and action.     

Co-operative Inquiry: Changing Interprofessional Practice

Recent government guidance concerning the welfare of children emphasizes the necessity for change in interprofessional practice. This paper examines how co-operative inquiry enabled a diverse professional group to inquire into how change can be promoted in complex practice systems. It considers the influence of external stakeholders, highlights the consequent tension between task and process, and addresses the implications for the role of facilitators.     

Editorial Introduction: The Practice of Co-operative Inquiry

Systemic Practice and Action Research -     

一种复杂网络中社团划分的新算法

为了寻找复杂网络中的社团结构,本文基于社团的核的定义和一些定量条件,提出一种新的寻找复杂网络中社团结构的算法。该算法的基本思想是首先构建社团的核心,然后寻找它的邻居的集合,把满足定量条件的邻居节点添加到该核心中,直到没有节点满足定量条件。重复这个过程找出网络中其它所有的社团。最后,通过Zachary和Dolphin social network两个经典网络验证了该算法的有效性。     

Oral Assessment: Preparing Learners for Discourse in Communities of Practice

Grounded in social constructivism within an action research framework, this paper locates oral assessment within situated learning and focuses on the construction and assessment of knowledge within communities of practice. This study found that by simulating situations for undergraduate learners to familiarize them with the discourse practices before they are expected to interact on a more professional level within communities of practice, oral assessment enables exposure to the cultural models and the sociocultural groups that can socialize them into these. It is recommended that these experiences be guided by their educators and more capable peers so that learning can be scaffolded.     

基于复杂适应系统（CAS）对社会的探究

从复杂适应系统理论的层面考察社会和谐问题,可以看出,社会适应性主体的相互作用是社会系统演化的主要动力,“适应性造就和谐性”,适应性是社会和谐的关键要素。     

基于上海企业的EFQM模型权重结构

以2000年上海194家企业质量管理实践的一项问卷调查为基础,依据EFQM模型,通过Bootstrap方法重复取样,从原始样本产生了5 000个bootstrap样本.针对每个样本应用因子分析法及因子得分回归分析,确定了上海企业质量管理水平指标构成的权重结构,并得出欧洲质量管理奖权重结构的差异.上海企业的质量管理实践中关注动力部分多于结果部分,在结果中更注重顾客满意,但是对顾客满意以及过程管理和实施结果仍需要提高实践和关注程度.     

Systemic Indicators for Rural Communities in Developing Economies: Bringing the Shared Vision into Being

Community indicators have been a frequent focus of the scholarly literature. There has been little exploration, however, in relation to rural communities, especially in developing countries. This reflects the special challenges associated with the complexity of rural systems, and the difficulties involved in developing appropriate and systemic indicators for rural communities. Identifying indicators that help the community to monitor progress towards sustainable outcomes requires a framework that is both practical and holistic. This paper introduces a participatory systemic framework for identifying community indicators, which respects the principles of complexity and honours the sense of ownership present in the communities. This framework is an iterative, sharing, co-learning engagement process that extends from creating a shared vision and extracting its core messages, to identifying indicators of progress and determining what actions to try. Importantly, this framework enables us to rank the indicators identified by communities with reference to ‘leverage points’, the best places to intervene in the social-environmental system for transformational change. This framework provides a potential pathway for sustainable rural development and perhaps also for organisations and urban communities.     

A Systemic Inquiry into the AIDS Epidemic in the Western Cape of South Africa through Interactive Management

South Africa has the largest number of people living with HIV/AIDS. Approximately 6.2 million South Africans are living with HIV/AIDS. The AIDS epidemic has impacted on its economy and plagued its vibrancy. The government of South Africa has invested significant resources to fight AIDS. However, the number of AIDS-related deaths in South Africa is the second highest in the world. Different from the common approaches used to study the AIDS problem, this paper demonstrates how Interactive Management (IM), a methodology echoing systemic thinking, can be employed to identify the drivers leading to the AIDS epidemic in the Western Cape of South Africa. The preliminary exploration is not aimed at discovering a theory, but enhancing learning and consensus among stakeholders. Through a full-day IM session, the study identified two major drivers leading to the AIDS epidemic: poverty and lack of knowledge of HIV/AIDS. The identified drivers can serve as a starting point to revisit the current governmental strategies in fighting AIDS.     

Large Banks and Systemic Risk:Insights from a Mean-Field Game Model

This paper presents a dynamic game framework to analyze the role of large banks in interbank markets. By extending existing models, a large bank is incorporated as a dynamic decision-maker interacting with multiple small banks. Using the mean-field game methodology and convex analysis, best-response trading strategies are derived, leading to an approximate equilibrium for the interbank market. The influence of the large bank is investigated on the market stability by examining individual default probabilities and systemic risk, through the use of Monte Carlo simulations. The proposed findings reveal that, when the size of the major bank is not excessively large, it can positively contribute to market stability. However, there is also the potential for negative spillover effects in the event of default, leading to an increase in systemic risk. The magnitude of this impact is further influenced by the size and trading rate of the major bank. Overall, this study provides valuable insights into the management of systemic risk in interbank markets.     

Insights on Social Responsibility of NGOS

Systemic Practice and Action Research - The social responsibility of nongovernmental organizations starts from the values this sector defends. Despite the social vocation, a question arises as to...     

Using Co-operative Inquiry with Black Women Managers: Exploring Possibilities for Moving from Surviving to Thriving

This paper recounts and explores the early stages of a Black women managers' Co-operative Inquiry group exploring strategies for moving from surviving to thriving. The term Black describes any person perceived not to be White. It considers why Action Research methodology was perceived to be appropriate for this work, outlines key considerations attended to in setting up the inquiry, and then, briefly, explores some of the dilemmas encountered and insights gained in the process of undertaking the inquiry. To ensure confidentiality all names used are fictional ones chosen by the individuals.     

复杂性思想视野中的皮克林实践理论

皮克林的实践理论用操作性语言描述科学实践过程,揭示出科学实践中阻抗与适应的辩证活动;强调对称性的看待各种异质因素,具有多中心主义的思想;阐述科学宏观和微观共同的演化特征,体现出局部与整体的自相似性;并把这种特征推广到本体论层面,提出演化的本体论思想。然而从复杂性思想来看,皮克林实践理论对现代性的批判只是停留于解构层面。用复杂性思想审视科学的演化,分析科学系统中不同层次之间的联系,以及演化的自组织机制,探讨科学哲学研究中重新进行建构的一条复杂性思想进路。     

Appreciative Inquiry: A Field Study of Community Development

The meaning of race, ethnicity, social class, and culture has rapidly changed within the last two decades. In addition to the tremendous growth of diverse populations in our neighborhoods, administrative policy changes have pushed community leaders to approach organizational engagement with diversity more comprehensively. Using Appreciative Inquiry method to achieve a high level of participation and to transform inner dialogue between the participants, this study is about doing systemic thinking and practice in a diverse inner-city setting in the United States. The results of this study indicate that Appreciative Inquiry method is an appropriate model for systemic practice in community development.     

Deliberative Inquiry: Integrated Ways of Working in Children Services

In striving for greater integration of children services across a number of government and non government agencies, this paper examines the effect of drawing on deliberative inquiry as the lever for realising greater alignment across agencies. The paper discusses the need for improvement in UK local government children??s services and then offers a review of the dialogue based inquiry approaches. In so doing, the paper highlights the Socratic mode of inquiry, emphasising the dual strategies of penetrative questioning, elenchus, and the process of founding new knowledge through working through confusion, aporia. This paper then reports how a London borough realised sustained change through the adoption of deliberative inquiry. The study achieved successful integration through the penetrating and contextually sensitive dialogue the inquiry participants generated, allowing them to develop the capability for realising effective organisational change. The paper concludes that deliberative inquiry facilitates individuals to speak their concerns in a manner that prompts ??consensually accepted beliefs?? to emerge through paying equal attention to the motivation of the inquiry participants, as well as to the reality of the contextual demands they need to confront.     

农业生态学教学与实践研究

以系统论观点作为指导,探讨如何将系统论应用于绿洲农业生态学课堂教学,帮助学生掌握绿洲农业生态学知识体系,系统性把握绿洲山盆系统结构及功能,为绿洲农业生态学教学与实践提供帮助。     

Applying Participatory Processes: Findings from a Supply Chain Analysis on the Commercialisation of Paper Mulberry Bark in Laos

Although participatory supply chain analysis (PSCA) is widely used to trigger action in development aid, there is very little published describing the method, its benefits and limitations. The theoretical background of participatory processes related to supply chain analysis and the related benefits and limitations found while implementing the method in Laos are presented. It is concluded that joint problem-solving in supply chains can be facilitated through PSCA as the method allows participants to evaluate their initial assumptions, investigate institutional barriers, gather new information and realise some of the interdependencies among supply chain participants. On the other hand, the lack of legitimate representatives, the failure to convince important stakeholders to participate, distances between participants, the length and breadth of the supply chain were factors limiting joint action. This method is recommended to study supply chains of niche products and local/regional products locally processed.     

考虑一类过渡过程的连续过程生产调度建模

处于连续过程核心环节的生产调度,充分考虑由于装置大惯性引起的长过渡过程,可以有效提高企业经济效益.根据过渡过程的特点,采用连续时间建模方式,针对物料切换这类典型的过渡过程,以最大利润为目标建立起包含过渡过程的生产调度模型.经过对模型分析论证,把物料切换问题转换成旅行商问题,并采用分步求解的策略用Lingo软件求解.最后通过一个炼油厂生产调度实例验证了模型的有效性.     

间歇生产过程优化控制的分布式仿真平台

间歇生产过程具有时变性、过程不可逆、模型不精确等特点,采用传统的控制方法很难满足市场的需求,如何检验先进智能优化控制算法在间歇生产过程中的实际应用效果是有待深入研究的课题。结合MATLAB强大的运算能力和WINCC开放的人机界面数据处理功能,枸建出间歇生产过程分布式优化控制仿真平台,并将OPC技术应用于该平台的数据实时通讯过程中。通过在该平台上加载先进的控制算法,实现对间歇生产过程的控制和仿真,为先进智能优化控制算法的研究提供了逼真的试验环境。