Developing Ourselves as Police Leaders: How Can We Inquire Collaboratively in a Hierarchical Organization?

This paper gives a practical account of a recent 18-month long action inquiry project, in which the author facilitated (and co-inquired with) a mixed group of police managers with the intention of improving our own leadership practices. Six phases of the inquiry are identified—doing the groundwork, getting the group together, creating a safe environment, sustaining the inquiry, accounting for the learning, and bridging the gaps. It is argued that such forms of collaborative inquiry are particularly well suited to addressing the uniquely complex phenomenon of leadership, and some tangible benefits for members of the project and for the organization as a whole are identified. Particular attention is paid to the politics and practicalities of doing collaborative inquiry in an overtly hierarchical organization, concluding that action inquiry must be crafted to its particular circumstances and context to realize its considerable potential to help us improve both individual practice and organizational performance.     

Action Research in Management—Ethical Dilemmas

This paper discusses the application of the guiding ethical principles for the conduct of research involving human subjects in an action research project in a membership-based community psychiatric disability organization. Action research is a collaborative process of critical inquiry between the researcher and the people in the situation, in this case the management executive. The relationship between the researcher and manager participants in a long-term action research project gives rise to ethical dilemmas related to participant selection and voluntary participation, informed consent, decision making, anonymity and confidentiality, conflicting and different needs. The process and strategies implemented to address them are discussed.     

基于模糊时间Petri网的协同工作流模型研究

为了准确描述复杂产品协同工作过程,提出了一种基于模糊时间Petri网(FTPN)的工作流建模和性能分析方法.首先,给出了协同开发任务链接关系的形式化定义,将工作流模型的关键路径计算转化为一个基于FTPN状态方程的求解问题.并在此基础上,结合实例计算了某工程项目在约束条件下完成的可能性.结果表明,该方法可以方便确定产品协同开发过程中的关键环节,为产品协同工作的组织和管理提供指导.     

OpenStack开源软件开发者协作网络分析

以著名的开源云计算平台OpenStack项目为例研究大型开源软件的开发.以该项目Git提交数据中父子哈希码关系为基础构筑代码协作修订网络,分析其结构与演化.并在此基础上探究OpenStack项目的内在的自发组织模式和人员集体工作模式.研究结果表明,OpenStack的开发可以看作一个具有稳定的中央节点群的网络型系统的集体知识创造活动.核心开发人员在其中起主导作用,但一般开发人员从开发总工作量上是整个项目的主体.OpenStack的子项目与社区演化具有显著关联性.开发人员的工作领域呈现高度的集中性和持续稳定性.研究结果对于理解大型开源软件项目的自组织型开发人员协作结构的形成和演化,及大规模群体的社会化创新活动模式具有参考意义.     

Dilemmas of Confrontation

Practicing action research in workplaces is a choice of letting oneself be closely involved in other peoples’ integrity as working men and women. The encounter between the researcher and the social group in the contract organization is the vital and sometimes only instrument for generating new learning and lasting change, thus it is critical for engaged action researchers to continuously be self-reflective on our praxis and appearance in this encounter. Within the action research literature, this encounter is discussed in relatively broad terms emphasizing preferred roles, values and strategies for organizing collaborative learning processes. Relatively little is reported, however, on the unpleasant sides of this interaction between the researcher and the collaborative group. In line with Greenwood and Levin’s (1998) argument for the action researcher as a friendly outsider who confronts in a supportive way, most researchers practicing action research have experienced how difficult it is to be as confronting as it takes if dysfunctional social routines are to be changed. In this article, I report on my own practice from an action research project, where I gradually developed my skills and confidence in acting more confronting as to bring forward new collaborating working routines among metal workers. I discuss three different forms of confrontation to be of critical necessity. By daring to act more confrontational, I also realized that it made me feel better about myself as a professional engaged researcher as I could reveal my true meanings and perspectives to the workers. I conclude by suggesting that in order for an engaged researcher to be able to develop her role as a confronting practitioner it is important to work closely in a team with fellow researchers, as well as to have the personal capacity to be self-reflexive and self-therapeutic.     

IT Diffusion,Implementation and Assimilation in Micro-Businesses – an Exploratory Study Based on a Process Approach

An important limitation of the management information systems (MIS) literature concerns the lack of a process model to understand how a system is assimilated by the organization. We seek to contribute to this topic through studying ERP adoption in two Chilean restaurants. In this paper is proposed that adoption occurs as a process composed of four stages and, therefore, it is presented findings from three of them. We used action-research (AR) as a methodological framework. Two AR cycles were performed in each case. Qualitative data was collected from the field through video recording, interviews, observation and social network analysis. Analysis data was analyzed by comparing results within-cases and between-cases. Three conclusions were reached: (1) during the implementation, a user-system negotiation cycle occurs; (2) after assimilating, the system must be constantly confirmed, otherwise can be abandoned; (3) speed of assimilation by group users depends of degree of influence in the social group of early adopters. Interestingly, an innovative micro-business owner could become a barrier to successful assimilation of a system. Findings introduce a dissenting view to most studies that have found that involvement of management is always beneficial to the success of a technology project. Our findings show involvement of owner impacts a successful adoption, but this impact is not because that person is the owner, but because of their degree of influence on the social group. Conclusions of this study will be of interest to micro, small and medium-business owners because it shows the value of social structure of the organization as a determinant of the success of a technological project.     

基于SNA的复杂项目组织权力量化及实证

在社会网络分析(social network analysis, SNA)中, 中心度和中心势是衡量个人(团队)结构位置和权力指针, 也是刻画权力的关键指标. 基于该理论, 分析了复杂项目组织权力和关系的联系以及权力量化方法, 包括六个重要指标: 个体中心度、整体中心势、个体中间中心度、整体中间中心势、个体接近中心度和整体接近中心势, 以衡量整个组织及组织中某个单位的权力特征. 以2010年上海世博会工程建设组织为案例, 分析正式组织结构和组织社会网络结构下的权力界定区别, 并进行两种视角下权力的比较. 结论表明: 正式组织结构下的权力和项目组织网络下的权力并不呈现一致性的状态, 但后者更接近现实, 更有助于组织设计和组织管理.     

Consumer Participation in Designing Community Based Consumer-Directed Disability Care: Lessons from a Participatory Action Research-Inspired Project

User participation has been embraced worldwide as a means to provide better consumer outcomes in health and community care. However, methodologies to achieve effective consumer engagement at the programme design level have remained under-explored. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of a Participatory Action Research (PAR)-inspired methodology used to develop a consumer-directed community care/individualised funding service model for people with disabilities. A retrospective analysis of case notes and internal reports for the first 6 years of an ongoing project were examined. The findings suggest that PAR methodologies need to take into account community development, group support, and capacity building as well as succession planning and risk management issues in order to facilitate the often lengthy policy and project development process. Drawing on these findings, this article discusses five lessons and their methodological implications for PAR in a health or social policy/programme design context.

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.     

The Vision Conference: Facilitating Creative Processes

This paper presents the principles behind the design and management of the Vision Conference: a one-day workshop in which a large group of participants meet to create ideas, projects, and visions for the future activities of a local community or an organization. A case study from a local community in Denmark is also presented to illustrate the organization, planning, and management of a Vision Conference. The paper focuses on the three central social processes of the conference: group work, problem solving, and facilitation. The paper ends with a discussion of creativity and creativity techniques suitable for Vision Conferences.     

面向C4ISR系统联合作战的跨组织进程互操作研究

军事组织间的互操作是联合作战成败的关键,瞬息万变的战场环境中各组织如何协调、整合业务进程以完成共同的使命任务对协作模式的灵活性,协作组织的自主性等提出了更高的要求.传统的基于公共视角的业务进程协作模式已不能适应现代联合作战的需求.本文首先提出了一套灵活的可见性控制机制,基于可见性控制机制给出了一套新的协作进程建模框架,在该框架中各协作方从自身视角出发分别构建独立的协作进程,并支持系统加入退出时协作伙伴的自主选择及协作进程的扩展.论文同时给出了协作进程建模框架的数学形式化描述及相关算法.     

Action Learning and Action Research (ALAR): A Methodological Integration in an Inter-Organizational Setting

The purpose of this article is to demonstrate how action learning and action research were used concurrently as a single ALAR methodology in one research project which focused on collaborative improvement in the supply chain. The research in which the ALAR methodology was used was a European Union funded research project called CO-IMPROVE which sought to develop a business model, supported by a web-based software system, and action learning-based implementation guidelines to support the design, implementation and ongoing development of collaborative improvement between partners in Extended Manufacturing Enterprises (EMEs). The article describes how the participating managers worked in an action learning to achieve their commercial objectives and how action research was used by academic researchers to consolidate the action learning processes and to generate actionable knowledge.     

复杂产品多主体协同创新最优资源整合策略

针对我国复杂产品"主制造商-供应商"多主体协同创新模式,从主制造商干预并协调供应商资源整合的角度出发,运用项目管理相关理论建立了复杂产品资源整合的分解步骤,选取供应商的可投入资源为研究对象,构建多主体资源整合收益函数,并运用运筹学相关理论,分别搭建了主制造商寻求整体最优资源整合策略和主制造商不干预下供应商个体最优整合策略模型,给出了主制造商协调控制与非协调控制下供应商的最优资源投入量,为复杂产品技术创新协同下的最优资源整合决策问题提供依据.研究结果表明主制造商对供应商群体进行资源整合时,供应商协同群体的资源增值收益明显提升,复杂产品的多主体协同创新效益明显增加.     

Interactive Management: An Emancipatory Methodology

An erosion of the power of people and their communities to control any more than a fragment of their future continues. Educational and governmental policy decisions are, for the most part, mandated from above and/or outside the community. This paper introduces a model which reflects Freire's humanizing pedagogy. This method is a vehicle, an avenue of empowerment for people and their communities to control their own destiny and the future of their community. The model is Interactive Management (IM) and its derivative, The CogniScope System. IM is a specialized system of management using collaborative teamwork to define and resolve highly complex issues. The process includes the integration of the diversity of perceptions of the participants with regard to the given ssues, builds consensus and joint ownership of the process and/or product, and creates a collaborative action plan to accomplish the participants' goals. The principal intangible outcome of the process, however, is the reflective participation, which leads to action, and the learning that occurs among the community of stakeholders present. The process of Interactive Management (IM), enhanced through the use of the CogniScope System, is described and examples of its application by First Nation peoples are shared.     

Enhancing Collaborative Learning in a Blended Learning Environment: Applying a Process Planning Model

The research reported here was undertaken in a blended learning environment where contact tuition is “blended” with computer-supported (online) learning. The context is a developing country (South Africa). After completion of two full cycles of an action inquiry the planning for the third cycle was undertaken according to an existing process planning model which was originally developed for the design and planning of team-based action learning and action research (ALAR) projects. The illustration of the application of the model focuses on the aspect of student collaboration in a blended learning environment and shows how the original process planning model was adapted and applied during the re-planning phase of the project. The final deliverable is a set of action plans for future collaborative learning that could strengthen student-centred learning experiences in a context which still bears the scars of an unfortunate segregated past.     

Designing a Management System for a Rural Community Development Organization Using a Systemic Action Research Process

This paper describes the first phase, 'finding out', of a systemic participatory action research intervention in the management systems of a rural community development organization in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. The aims of the intervention were to (a) improve the management system of this organization, and (b) evaluate the usefulness of particular systems methodologies for the improvement of management systems of organizations involved in community development in under-resourced rural contexts. The second phase, "implementation," needs to be completed and thoroughly evaluated before any final conclusions can be drawn about the suitability of the chosen systems framework for Third World type rural contexts. However, the second phase is, at the time of writing, underway and all indications are that an interpretive ('Soft') Systems Methodology, combined with insights from a more functionalist ('hard') approach (with methods chosen through a Critical Systems Thinking framework) holds much promise for participatory systemic interventions in these contexts.     

复杂地下洞室群施工系统仿真与进度研究

大型地下洞室群施工是一个极其复杂的过程 .本文系统地研究了大型地下洞室群施工问题 ,提出了集循环网络计算机仿真技术、可视化面向资源仿真建模技术、网络计划分析与优化技术及基于GIS的动态演示技术于一体的地下洞室群施工系统分析理论方法 ,为选择合理的施工组织方式和最佳的机械设备配置方案、编制可行的施工进度计划和直观掌握了解地下洞室群施工过程提供了有力的分析方法 .研制开发了地下洞室群施工系统仿真与进度分析计算机软件 ( ESAS) ,在溪洛渡地下洞室群施工组织设计中获得了成功的应用 .     

协同设计中人力资源、组织和知识管理的研究

从场景的角度分析了组织、成员、它们的知识和CSCW之间的关系和相互作用,强调了其重要性,提出一种基于角色的知识建模和管理的方法,最终实现了一个原型系统.该方法实现了对组织结构隐性知识的学习和团队与成员的知识管理,从而为协同设计中的知识管理和重用提供基础.     

网络协同数字化预装配系统中的协同技术研究

针对网络协同数字化预装配特点,提出可重组的多Agent协同装配动态组织结构,基于Petri网建立装配动态组织模型和协同装配过程模型,对产品的装配协作过程进行了研究。提出商用CAD软件与数字化预装配系统的模型数据集成方法,研究了多Agent之间的通信和协同实时性的实现技术,并开发了原型系统。实例表明,该系统能使异地协作人员通过网络协同地对产品的装配设计进行分析与优化。     

Defining Focus and Integrity in Building a Community Research Coalition

Pervasive and systemic barriers to collaborative university-community research make such studies highly challenging. Yet the necessity of participative research means that feasible ways to conduct high quality collaborative investigations must be sought. In a longitudinal action research study investigating adult literacy, issues facing community and academic researchers centred upon focus and integrity. Differing researchers defined focus and integrity in sharply varying ways, so that terminology employed within the programme formed contested sites of meaning and interpretation. This meant that ideas of research integrity held very different connotations for different actors. Yet the viability of the programme depended on both academics and community people attempting to expand their horizons by understanding and taking into account others’ perceptions.