Doing Action Research in One's Own Organization: An Ongoing Conversation Over Time

There are many variants of action research. This article describes a socioecological action research approach done from inside an organization-in-environments. Building on past discussions of action research, an inside-outsider action research model is presented, and using the author's own experience, the paper explores some special relations inherent in such a model. The paper starts with a brief outline of the theory, then discusses some of the structural relations of inside-outsider action research, some practical issues and then reports several vignettes as examples. The paper concludes that action research is still an evolving paradigm.     

The Current Version of Emery's Open Systems Theory

There are variations on the idea of an open systems theory (OST) or socioecology. This paper deals with the "current" variant developed primarily by Fred Emery, or OST(E). It is "current" because that terminology acknowledges a continuing development of knowledge. OST(E) is heir to a long line of intellectual development known as the "thin red line" and can be distinguished from other variants by its adherence to that line of development. The paper outlines the state of the art of OST(E) and its historical relation to the thin rd line.     

Critical systems thinking: Edgar Morin and the French school of thought

In response to the call that systems practitioners need to produce a second epistemological break corresponding to a shift of interest from systems science to systems rationality, it is submitted that the preparation for this break has already been carried out. It is shown that systems rationality is firmly established and central to the French school of thought in systemics and that the philosophical groundwork has been extensively laid out by Edgar Morin. A very limited exposé of Morin's work is presented in support of this claim.     

Boulding's typology elaborated: A framework for understanding school and classroom systems

The scope of current educational reform themes is wide. Power is shifted from central governments to local, from administrative office to school site, from principal to teachers, from teacher to students. This is hopeful because traditional reform efforts have been counterproductive. These new themes parallel a worldwide paradigm shift from viewing relationships as monocausal and top-down regulating to interactive and self-regulating. The new themes are also problematic because resulting reform efforts are conflicting, proposing either control or flexibility, which increases harmful out-comes. This paper elaborates Boulding's typology of system complexity drawing from education and related disciplines. The elaboration unifies conflicting perspectives and explains why school reforms fail. Agency in change is clarified. The change model that results highlights system adjustment capacities and specifies both control and flexibility: control of morphostatic subsystems for maintaining access to resources of time, materials, equipment, and energy; and flexibility in morphogenic subsystems for learning, growth, and differentiation.     

A Maturing of Systems Thinking? Evidence from Three Perspectives

This paper reviews trends in systems theory/thinking from the 1970s to the early 2000s. It proposes a maturation of the field based on certain conceptual and methodological advances that have sought to liberate systems thinking from earlier strictures. An edited dialogue among three prominent systems thinkers from different systems schools—Merrelyn Emery, Bob Flood, and Eric Wolstenholme—provides evidence. Similarities and differences are identified, complementarities among the schools are derived and analyzed, and trajectories for future research are indicated.     

Organization Change in a University Hospital: A Six Year Evaluation Report of the HORIZONS Project

Many health care organizations are currently engaged in changing the design of their health care services delivery system. The issues of cost containment, quality, and access are prominent. This paper reports on the impact of the implementation of a new organization design at one university hospital. The organization change effort (named HORIZONS) was a five year project funded in part by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Pew Charitable Trusts. In a changing health care environment, the project was undertaken with three goals in mind: (1) to maintain and enhance quality of patient care; (2) to improve the quality of working life; and (3) to accomplish this in a budget neutral manner. Initiated as a program to strengthen hospital nursing, the project became a patient-focused redesign effort encompassing both clinical and administrative affairs. The core ideas of the project approach included systems thinking, interactive planning and idealized design. This evaluation reports on the project's progress after six years.     

系统论视阈的企业文化解读

以系统论的视角,诠释企业文化命题,解读系统论的基本特征即整体性和综合性、联系性、动态性、最优化在企业文化中的反映与表现。     

文化的系统审视

文化作为一个开放的、复杂的自组织系统，有其自身的要素，结构和自组织特性。文化系统内部诸要素之间的非线性相互作用共同推动文化系统的自组织演化。     

The Third Track of the Open-Systems-Thinking School: An Application of Domain Theory to New Zealand Ports

The Open-Systems Thinking (OST) school identified with Emery and Trist is situated as an important but underutilized approach in systems thinking. The main features of OST are described, including four "tracks" along which OST has developed. The third track, which focuses on interorganizational domains, is considered in detail. It is then applied to a case concerning the complex social dynamics of and in port domains in New Zealand. This exercise enables us to illuminate some lacunae in previous representations of the port domain research, to assess OST's third track regarding its relevance for systemic practice, and to help to bring OST to the table with other systems approaches that are all vying for the attention of researchers, practicing managers, students, and consultants.     

系统工程优化决策理论及其发展战略

系统工程是一门综合性的技术学科.本文分别从单人优化决策和多人优化决策的角度出发:介绍了系统工程涉及到的优化与决策方法.包括最优化理论、决策理论、博弈论等多种理论方法.综述了每种理论方法研究问题的特征、基本的结论以及发展过程,并对系统工程中使用到的优化与决策理论的发展趋势进行说明.为解决系统工程问题使用到的优化与决策理论方法的研究与应用提供一定的参考.     

Tracking the development of the Emery-Trist systems paradigm (ETSP)

This paper is written to accomplish two objectives: first, to introduce the Emery-Trist systems paradigm to the critical systems thinking, a largely neglected and under-utilized paradigm; second using a critical systems thinking framework, to provide a rational justification in an attempt to track the developments in the ETSP so that an extended heuristic map is offered to the scholars interested in the Emery-Trist systems paradigm. Four tracks within ETSP are identified and analyzed to produce a liberation theme that has not previously been articulated. The liberation theme imminent in all four tracks of the paradigm development denotes the value and the promise of the ETSP to the critical systems thinking community as well as to other systems thinkers.An earlier version of this paper was presented at the 34th meeting of the International Society for Systems Science, Portland, Oregon, in July 1990.     

从人类文化系统看基督教与科学的关系

科学和宗教作为人类文化系统中最有影响力的两个子系统，它们之间的关系直接影响着人类文化系统的和谐与发展。历史上它们冲突不断，如何让二者携手为我们人类文化系统的完善而发展，对于今天来说有着极其重大的意义。     

论现代企业文化结构之功能

社会经济系统在结构变革过程中，催生了“现代企业文化”，这一崭新的序参量，在企业的经济活动中，充分展现了参量系统三大要素的特殊功能，即科学文化的动力功能；道德文化的尽善功能；艺术文化的尽美功能。“真、善、美”的统一，是企业从“经济人”向“伦理人”提升的必经途径。     

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.     

复杂适应组织变革中的变革体应用

复杂适应组织是在复杂动态变化环境条件下能够得到较好生存和发展的一种组织形态，在其自组织发展进程中变革体的工作至关重要。从分析复杂适应组织中变革体在促进自组织过程的作用着手，指出变革体推行组织变革的进程及相应技巧，以期为现实组织发展与变革提供指导意见。     

可计算组织模型的验证难点与验证方法综述

模型“有效性”能否得到验证是推动计算组织理论发展的必要条件,也是一大瓶颈. 立足于计 算组织理论的前沿地位,论文综述并讨论了可计算组织模型的验证难点和验证方法. 首先,可计算组织模型验 证区别于自然工程模型,也超越了传统实证方法,在验证过程面临诸多主观、客观的难点;其次,发展基于问题 域、建模目的、参照系三者内在联系的验证情境,从“度”上考量模型有效性,是可计算组织模型的有效性本质;再次,建立区别于自然工程系统的VV&A验证方法,关注概念效度验证、操作效度验证以及数据效度验证,遵循 迭代验证原则,是未来的研究趋势. 本课题也列举了相应的验证案例;最后,可计算组织模型验证应该是一个不断 增强模型信心的过程,亟待跨领域专家执着于该领域的研究兴趣.     

RS码时域编码算法及其计算机模拟

RS码被广泛应用于数据通信和存储系统的差错控制中。从RS码的结构出发,给出了RS码时域编码的基本过程,并对影响RS码编码器设计复杂度的因素进行了分析讨论;采用基于有限域中多项式乘法理论的快速有限域乘法器的设计,得到了简单的有限域上乘积运算算法。该算法中乘数与被乘数都采用标准基来表示,而不需基与基的转换;最后对RS(255,223)码编码器的设计过程进行了计算机模拟。     

从自组织理论看加入WTO后中国企业人力资源管理

对加入WTO后 ,中国企业人力资源管理面临着巨大的挑战和机遇进行了分析 ,并用自组织理论探讨了柔性组织结构、薪酬制度的改革 ,企业文化建设和学习性组织的建立对中国企业人力资源管理的必要性。     

The observer's role and the process of critical review

The intention in this paper is to present a framework of critique which can be used to evaluate OR and determine (1) whether it is possible for OR to address its missing systemic, interdisciplinary components and (2) whether OR might address the practical (human) considerations often found in complex problem situations. The discussion begins with hierarchy theory and the work of C. West Churchman and moves towards incorporating those insights into a process of critical review (Wilby, 1996) as practiced within Total Systems Intervention (Flood and Jackson, 1991a, b; Food, 1995; Flood and Romm, 1996).     

自组织理论对海军院校教育系统的分析

根据自组织理论分析了军事系统的性质,提出了海军院校教育系统的动力学模型．对简化模型进行了动力学分析,得出了一些有益的结果