The Concept of Sustainability in the Evolutionary Guidance of an Educational Institution

Sustainability has been introduced at Ithaca College as a potential guiding theme for a wide range of development efforts. How these efforts will shape the institution's future is unclear, particularly when one places them in the context of recent changes in the College's approach to governance and planning. Countering rather primitive applications of systems thinking in the popular literature on sustainability, a case is made that sustainability principles can be reframed within Banathy's [Banathy, B. H. (1989). Syst. Res. 6(4), 289–296.] notion of an evolutionary guidance system, and this could lead to the next evolutionary stage of the institution.     

A Biography of Bela H. Banathy: A Systems Scholar

This article reflects a biographical account of Bela H. Banathy's life, providing a recorded history of his accomplishments, personally and professionally. Professor Banathy made significant contributions to systems design theory and practice throughout his life. The author chronicles Bela's lifework as a systems scholar, drawing from personal communication, autobiographical documents, and published works to create a biographical portrait.     

The Impact of Bela H. Banathy's Research on an Educational Scholar-Practitioner

This remembrance is a narrative of how Bela H. Banathy's work involving the idealized design approach to educational change mediated and informed the author's attempt to understand the complexity of educational change. In addition, commentary is provided about the influence on the author's students of Banathy's ideas regarding systems thinking, design culture, design conversation, conscious evolution, and evolutionary guidance systems.     

Systems Language for e-Democracy: Personal Resource Systems Management (PRSM), a Model and Action Research

In ancient Athens, the Agora was a place for collective decision making about personal and community issues. New Agoras, most recently Internet-enabled ones, now propose to enliven participatory democracy and establish systems by which our institutions can serve us and we can govern ourselves (B. H. Banathy, Guided Evolution of Society: A Systems View, Kluwer Academic/Plenum Press, New York, 2000). Effective participation in such activity will require a language and consciousness not currently in evidence, and learning beyond current parameters. In this article, high school students from Stephanie Williams' Child Development classes at McDowell High School, Millcreek Township School District, demonstrate use of a new paradigm. This model of Personal Resource Systems Management provides systems language for Agora discourse enabling effective participatory democracy.     

Systems Thinking and Systems Practice: Working in the Fifth Dimension

This paper describes how a messy organizational problem was tackled using a systems approach which led to a resolution of the problem and to an improvement in the working relationships of the people involved. The example also shows how people who are not familiar with systems thinking, as such, can quickly be helped to develop a shared systemic view of a complex situation using activity modeling. At a deeper level, the paper also shows how the underlying dynamics of the problem situation was altered as a result of using a cooperative, dialogical working method, leading to an improvement in the quality of service provided by that part of the organization. The paper uses Peter Senge's five disciplines of a learning organization, together with various systems concepts, as a framework for describing how the process of change was brought about through the simultaneous management of task and social processes, leading to both individual and organizational learning.     

Fostering Design Culture Through Cultivating the User-Designers' Design Thinking and Systems Thinking

In this paper, the essence of design thinking and systems thinking is reviewed, analyzed, and synthesized. Although there are many valuable schools of systems thinking, I focus on both Banathy's and Senge's since there are design spirit embedded in their systems thinking. I attempt to grasp the spirit of Banathy's systems models and the essence of Senge's systems thinking, incorporating them into my design inquiry. I propose adopting an enlightened, transformative design approach in order to enhance the revolution of the public's inner and outer systems through collaborative design engagement. It is expected that by utilizing the transformative design approach, the public or user–designers could gain the necessary skills to envision their own learning, assume responsibility for designing their own learning environments, and systematically reflect upon their habitual thinking and actions. Ultimately, the user-designers would be able to transform their model-driven or theory-driven approaches to systems application into a cultural approach to the cultivation of systems thinking and design thinking. Indeed, design thinking, as well as contemporary systems thinking are two powerful wings to make us fly in the capacious learning world of the 21st century.     

Follow the Yellow Brick Path: Finding Our Way Home Via Banathy's User-Design

This paper examines the intersection of work focused on user-design between Drs. Banathy and Carr-Chellman. Definitions of user-design and evolution of the field are offered along with directions for future research and theory.     

The Pragmatics of Educational Systems Design: A Critical Examination

The author critically examines educational systems design (ESD) through the lens of pragmatism. Examining ESD through a lens of pragmatism draws to the foreground issues related to Banathy's (1991, 1996, 2001) idealized systems design for social and societal systems. The author addresses the complex and dynamic nature of systems design, focusing on the systemic processes in which user-designers are continually challenged to inquire, communicate, and consider choices, and make design decisions concerning the nature of the system being designed. The power of social systems design (SSD) lies in the ability to consider the ideal image of a social and/or societal system, critically and pragmatically in relation to creating a new system that will contribute to the evolutionary betterment of society and a sustainable future for humankind. Following an introduction, the author examines pragmatism. Then the author applies a lens of pragmatism, critically, to examine educational systems design in relation to generating change and creating the ideal educational system. The author then argues the pragmatics of educational systems design, concluding the paper with final reflections on ESD as a process.     

A Model for Design of Human Activity Systems

A background is given to the common failures of management information systems and the authors' view of the causes behind these failures. There seems to be a lack of effective methods for analyzing information requirements. Different scientific methods are discussed as to their propensity for analyzing the information requirements. The importance of the systems design approach instead of the system improvement approach is emphasized. The concept of Human Activity Systems is discussed and an analysis of the interdependence of the soft and hard parts of these systems indicates that an integrated view is necessary. A methodology based on a systemic and systematic analysis of the information requirements in an organization is proposed. This methodology focuses the settings of the decisions on all levels in organizations and also indicates organizational discrepancies and information imbalances. The methodology can be regarded as a dynamic, learning system.     

Embodiments of organizational fitness: The Viable System Model (VSM) as a guide

Managers are facing new problems in their quest for organizational fitness. With environments of growing complexity, foresight, adaptability, and learning become critical features for a social system to survive and develop. Established models of organizational control are insufficient to cope with this proliferating complexity. The science of cybernetics provides powerful models to master this key challenge to management. The present article offers a synthesis of Beer's Viable System Model (VSM) and a multilevel concept of organizational fitness, based on recent progress made in the field of planning theory.     

Pluralism and the legitimation of systems science

The central message of this paper is that methodological pluralism is essential for the continued legitimation of systems science. This statement is supported by a critique of our notion of complexity. Our traditional view of complexity focuses upon the natural world of object relations and thereby excludes complexities of moral decision making and subjectivity. However, we are now beginning to realize that these realms of complexity are not independent of one another. Indeed, our ability to cope adequately with many of the problems we are currently facing, especially global problems, depends on being able to understand the systemic relationships between all three. Interestingly, we find that different methods have evolved to handle the different forms of complexity. Therefore, if our inquiries are going to have any legitimacy in tackling some of the major issues of today, we must indeed embrace methodological pluralism.     

Toward Fostering Systems Learning in Organizational Contexts

This article explores the ways in which the process of systems learning can be nurtured in organizational contexts. I posit that in order to mobilize systems learning at the individual, group, and organizational levels, an integrated, holistic approach must be pursued. It is suggested that the challenge of not only teaching the systems thinking concepts but also using their actual applications in practice is more than just an issue of pedagogical improvement. The cultural and material issues integral to the use of systems thinking must be taken into consideration as well. I argue that our efforts to improve our pedagogical practices to foster systems learning in organizational contexts can benefit from the social constructivist perspective, which represents a system of ideas about learning. The qualities of systems pedagogy resided in social constructivism are proposed as a framework to think with in designing the meaningful systems learning activities. This article also discusses how to create the cultural and material environments in which the process of systems learning can be nurtured.     

Structure Underlies Other Organizational Determinants of Mental Health: Recent Results Confirm Early Sociotechnical Systems Research

Workplaces are implicated in the current global epidemic of mental illness. This paper presents early results from an action research project designed to investigate and prevent mental illness at work. It treats the organization as an open sociotechnical system where mental health is measured by self report and the affects experienced at work. Sick days are also measured. The study finds that the second genotypical, organizational design principle creates enabling conditions for mental health, many of which enablers such as trust and equality have previously been hypothesized as determinants of mental health. But the enablers are themselves consequent to a design principle. The results show how the second design principle creates the jointly optimized sociotechnical system that leads to enablers and positive outcomes, for people and the bottom line. This research reinforces the conclusion from the first study of sociotechnical systems that structure is a determinant of mental health.     

From Fitness Landscapes to Knowledge Landscapes

Based on the complexity theory concept of fitness landscapes, this article develops and discusses the concept of knowledge landscapes. A knowledge landscape is a metaphor describing the ever-changing potential knowledge peaks and valleys that surround each one of us. Individuals, communities, and organizations move on their own knowledge landscapes by simultaneously climbing local peaks and exploring other visible peaks. The higher one climbs, the harder it is to climb still higher. Our ability to climb is also limited by our identity, who we are, which on an organizational level is linked to the tightness of organizational interconnectedness. Coevolutionary struggles between individuals and organizations can lead us to climb potential knowledge peaks faster. Moreover, our knowledge landscapes exist on many levels of scale, meaning that what appears to be one peak is actually a series of subpeaks on a smaller level of scale.     

供应链复杂性对组织学习和运营竞争力的影响

供应链上的企业越来越认识到组织学习对其基本生存与持续发展的重要性,然而组织学习面临着内外复杂环境的影响.从供应链内部复杂性、上游复杂性和下游复杂性三个维度探讨了组织内部学习和外部学习,并探究了两种组织学习对企业运营竞争力的影响.基于全球10个国家的317家高绩效制造(high performance manufacturing,HPM)企业的一手数据,采用结构方程模型方法,提出并验证了"复杂性-组织学习-运营竞争力"的模型.结果表明,供应链上游复杂性对内部学习和外部学习均有负面影响,下游复杂性对内部学习有负面影响,而内部复杂性对内部学习和外部学习均无显著影响;内部学习显著提升了运营竞争力中的交付、创新、客户服务,而外部学习显著提升了质量和客户服务.     

Science as Systemic Intervention: Some Implications of Systems Thinking and Complexity for the Philosophy of Science

This paper sidesteps the usual starting points for debate about complexity and the philosophy of science, which tend to assume that science is primarily about observation. Instead, the starting point is intervention, defined as purposeful action by an agent to create change. While some authors suggest that intervention and observation are opposites, it is argued here that observation (as undertaken in science) should be viewed as just one type of intervention. We should therefore welcome scientific techniques of observation into a pluralistic set of intervention methods, alongside methods for exploring values, reflecting on subjective understandings, planning future activities, etc. However, there is a need to explicitly counter a possible pernicious interpretation of this argument: intervention could (erroneously) be viewed as flawlessly preplanned change based on accurate predictions of the consequences of action. This is the mechanistic worldview that systems thinking and complexity science seek to challenge. Therefore, having redefined scientific observation as intervention, the paper revisits insights from systems thinking and complexity to propose a methodology of systemic intervention. Some brief reflections are then provided on the wider social implications of this methodology.     

Soft Systems Methodology: Other Voices

This issue of Systemic Practice and Action Research, celebrating the work of Peter Checkland, in the particular nature and development of soft systems methodology (SSM), would not have happened unless the work was seen by others as being important. No significant contribution to thinking happens without a secondary literature developing. Not surprisingly, many commentaries have accompanied the ongoing development of SSM. Some of these are insightful, some full of errors, and some include both insight and absurdity. Checkland (1999, p. A42) opines, in the recently published 30-year retrospective, that "SSM has been ill-served by its commentators." Scrutiny of the secondary literature on SSM provides support for this view and also identifies some general characteristics and trends that are important to the development of SSM and, incidentally, reinforces some existing conclusions.     

Refinery constructors incorporated: A case study in adaptation to advanced telecommunications technology

This paper illustrates the application of a broadly based approach to the implementation of an advanced communications system in an international setting. The failure of an initial implementation is discussed. The subsequent removal of the failed system and redesign of the second implementation process with overt consideration of sociotechnical factors are discussed. This article challenges a conventional view that focusing on technology, e.g., hardware and software, is the major determinant of success in implementation. The intrusion of computer-based technology into the office environment mandates considering the sociotechnical aspects of implementation such as work-group impacts, job design issues, and organizational adaptation. This study, in a field setting, describes the results of socialand technical considerations in systems implementation and illustrates the bottom-line impact of a specific investment in information technology in a large multinational corporation.     

A multidimensional perspective of organizational change

This paper discusses some key societal changes which are pressuring organizations to find new ways to use their workforces more creatively so that they can face increasing environmental and internal complexity. It is argued that we should use a multidimensional perspective to promote the multifaceted organizational change needed in today's society, since each existing approach gives a distinctive but partial contribution to the understanding of organizational phenomena. A multidimensional training and intervention technique we have begun to develop to promote organizational change is then presented, and this is compared and contrasted with Critical Systems philosophy, principles, and methods of intervention.     

Diagnosis of Organizational Soft Problems in a Peruvian Financial Institution by Systemic Thinking

Managing financial institutions in an underdeveloped economic context has become a real challenge nowadays. In order to reach the organization’s planned goals, they have to deal with structural, behavioral and informational problems. From the systemic point of view, this situation gets even worse when the company does not present organizational boundaries and a cohesive identification for their stakeholders. Thus, European countries have some special financial lines in order to help the development of micro credit in Latin communities in an attempt to help the local economy. However, institutions like Caixa dos Andes in Peru present management problems when dealing with this complexity. Based on this, how can the systemic eye help in the diagnosis of soft problems of a Peruvian financial company? This study aims to diagnose soft problems of a Peruvian financial company based on soft variables like identity, communication and autonomy and also intends to identify possible ways to redesign its basic framework. The (VSM––Viable System Model) method from Beer (1967), applied in this diagnostic study, was used in a practical way as a management tool for organizations’ analysis and planning. By describing the VSM’s five systems, the creation of a systemic vision or a total vision is possible, showing the organization’s complexity from the inside. Some company’s soft problems like double control, inefficient use of physical and human resources, low information flows, slowness, etc. The VSM presented an organizational diagnosis indicating effective solutions that do integrate its five systems.