Co-operative Inquiry as a Tool for Professional Development

This article describes my involvement as an external facilitator in separate research projects, with a total of five co-operative inquiry groups. The groups all consisted of social welfare professionals, mainly social workers, who were wanting to explore the development of their practice in a context of competing demands from legislation, policy, and management at an organizational level. The article focuses on process, and how, collectively, we facilitated these as more or less successful inquiries. There is detail about how co-operative inquiry, with professionals, in their organizational context, can work successfully, and the part that an external facilitator can take in ensuring a positive result.     

Systemic Intervention in a University Department: Reflections on Arrested Action Research

This paper reflects on my experience as an insider researcher attempting to use critical systems ideas and practices to promote quality improvement in a university engineering department. Reflection is a key part of learning. This paper is intended to contribute to critically, self-reflective learning for the community of systems practitioners. These reflections on my questions about participation, ethics, politics of process, and the choices and actions resulting from them may help others to formulate their own. The complexity of systems practice places substantial demands on the researcher, particularly in the case of insider, practitioner research. Nevertheless, the exploration of critical systems approaches to critique boundaries and structure ‘problems’ in the core aspects of higher education in locally meaningful ways should continue. While demanding, it still can work to promote learning about authentic quality.     

Toward a Holistic View of Staff Development of Regional Tutorial Staff at the Open University

This paper presents a personal account of the theory and practice of staff development of Open University (OU) tutorial staff, based on nearly 30 years' experience, during which I have consciously reflected on my work, continually building on what has seemed important. It results from an extensive process of reflection in which I have tried to capture an understanding of what I do, with the aid of systems models. Some of the basic assumptions and systems models I present have more or less stood the test of time for a number of years; others are the result of my latest reflections. I show how I have used systems concepts and methods to form a coherent, holistic framework for developing tutorial staff in the East Anglian Region of the OU. Two aspects of this work are emphasized: first, the role that staff development can play in improving tutors' basic skills and understanding of their role; second, how the quality of their work is managed through using feedback and the notions of single- and double-loop learning. An important feature of this work has been the setting-up of communities of practice which enable learning by individual tutors to be shared with their peers and transformed into organizational learning for general use. Starting with some basic assumptions about staff development, a number of systemic models are presented which fit into a coherent framework, linking theory to practice and embodying Rene Dubos' (1972) well-known dictum to "Think globally, act locally."     

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.     

“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.     

Human inquiry: Steps towards emancipatory practice

In this paper we explore the contribution of work in Human Inquiry to the debate about what might constitute authentic emancipatory practice and about how such an ideal might be approached. We beghin by considering some key values, issues, and commitments which characterise this work and distinguish it from other established research traditions. A number of distinct approaches to the practice of human inquiry have been articulated. These are referred to but it is not our purpose to review particular approaches in detail here. Rather our aim is to move from this overview of human inquiry to consider some important implications for practice. In particular, we look at Bateson's theory of levels of learning and explore ways in which both the intellectual and the more personal frameworks of participants can contribute to, and at times impede, the kinds of mutual learning with which human inquiries are concerned. We illustrate this discussion by drawing on examples from our own work in human inquiry. Here we aim to highlight particular implications and issues that might arise within human inquiries. One source of illustrations is Peter's work with general and complementary practitioners in a primary health care centre, the other is Anne's work with UWE student groups acting as consultants for local community organisations. In each case we consider some origins, forms, and expressions of power differences and show how empowerment can occur as participants learn within and across Bateson's levels as inquiries progress. We conclude by summarising the evidence of and opportunities for empowerment in each case and by showing how a deeper appreciation of Bateson's levels of learning can further understanding of the nature of emancipatory practice. Finally, we make more general suggestions about the role of approaches to Human Inquiry in future emancipatory practice.     

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.     

Interdisciplinary Practice as Reflexivity

This article considers ways in which interdisciplinarity may be practiced. The suggestion is that interdisciplinarity as a practice can be understood as embracing a reflexive orientation on the part of inquirers. It is this orientation which enables them to entertain possibilities for taking on board ideas/interpretations exceeding the boundary of some source discipline. It is part of the responsibility of inquirers to consider whether single discipline-based research might be unduly restrictive in its way of seeing issues of concern and hence of constructing options for action. Interdisciplinary processes imply that effort is expended to create fresh opportunities for understanding-and-action through working with the juxtaposition and interplay of different vantage points on inquiry. Possibilities for discursive accountability on the part of all concerned are hereby extended. It is also suggested that calls for more interdisciplinary inquiries are part of a larger project toward the increased democratization of discussion about research practices in society. Discussions about the value and validity of interdisciplinary inquiries may be seen as linked up with the pursuance of such democratisation.     

Managing Action Research: The PEArL Framework

The difficulty of managing and validating Action Research field studies has been widely discussed. Several different approaches to Action Research have emerged, and one of the most widely used models is Checkland’s FMA model, where a framework is provided to facilitate interested individuals in ‘recovering’ the route of the inquiry. In this paper, I argue that the FMA model is a valuable tool for planning the application of theoretical ideas in a practical situation, but that, as a guide to Action Research, it still fails to provide a sense of the manner in which an inquiry is undertaken. The PEArL mnemonic has been previously offered as a guide to facilitate researchers, participants, and those interested in gaining an appreciation of the manner in which an inquiry is conducted. In this paper, it is argued that applying the PEArL elements does not provide insight into the dynamic nature of collaborative inquiry. In order to gain a sense of the manner in which an inquiry was undertaken it is necessary to apply the PEArL mnemonic alongside a framework that facilitates the flow of the action research cycle. To illustrate the framework, an Action Research field study is described that was undertaken with residents and key workers in a shelter for the homeless, where the aim was to create a shared understanding of complex needs and support requirements.

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.     

Insights into Operationalizing Communities of Practice from SSM-Based Inquiry Processes

Two systemic inquiries, based on soft systems methodology (SSM), into the potential for using community of practice (CoP) theory by an Australian-government created research and development corporation to change its knowledge management (KM) strategy, are reported. Key staff were engaged in the inquiry into how to build a third-order KM strategy based on CoPs; an exploration of key published work on CoPs yielded four SSM activity models—‘being a community practice system’; ‘doing the work of imagination sub-system’; ‘doing the work of alignment sub-system’ and ‘doing the work of engagement sub-system’. These models can be used as heuristics to aid the purposeful design of CoPs in other settings. SSM, enacted as a systemic inquiry, can be understood as a form of systemic action research, which was well equipped to deal with CoP theory and, when enacted participatively, can generate important systemic insights. The inquiry began the process of fostering an appreciation of third order KM but, on the evidence available, did not lead to on-going commitment to a CoPs-based KM strategy. Future research should acknowledge how the framing of research situations influences the research process, the importance of the design of practice change settings and the limited evidence for purposeful interventions leading to successful CoPs.     

How Systemic Inquiry Releases Citizen Knowledge to Reform Schools: Community Scorecard Case Studies

Despite the relevance of systemic practice for repairing broken public systems, documented instances where it empowers marginalised groups en masse to be action researchers are rare. Public school systems that fail to educate millions of pupils are ripe for systemic inquiry. Using evidence, this article identifies conditions under which such inquiry fosters school system accountability and increases pupil learning. By tracing the emergence of a type of community scorecard practice called Citizen Voice and Action (CV&A), it explains how and why marginalised groups use CV&A’s systems-enhanced participatory research to engage with and reform unresponsive public systems. It also shows how soft systems thinking and further action research enhanced scorecard methodology. Brief case studies of CV&A use in Ugandan primary schools illustrate and explain how communities reform schools by using CV&A to systematically foster accountability. Discussion identifies how processes free them to create and use systemic knowledge. This theorising helps explain conditions under which systemic inquiry into school and other public systems is being generalised and scaled up.     

Collaborative Inquiry as a Critical Systemic Approach to Improving Ethics and Governance in the Philippine National Police

Improving ethics and governance in policing is often considered an institutional function that police agencies do as ??expert?? institutions. Participation by other stakeholders may be welcome so long as police are able to control the processes and mechanisms of participation. This paper, based on research done with the Philippine National Police, argues that collaborative inquiry could be an effective critical systemic approach to participation by the wider society in police reform. This could enable both police and non-police stakeholders to work together towards mutual understanding and cooperation as equals towards better policing. This participatory approach is not meant to replace the institutional mechanisms that the police use for their own reform effort, but it is supposed to complement them. The research on which this paper is based was an attempt to design a model for collaborative inquiry at the local municipal level of policing in the Philippines, since the municipality is the lowest operational level for the Philippines?? police service. The results of that study suggest that it is possible to establish such a mechanism and make it work, in effect establishing a Close Knit Knowledge Organisation at the lowest level of operational policing.     

Systemic Research Practices Towards the Development of an Eco-Community in Vietnam: some Joint Post-Facto Reflections

In this article we discuss how an interdisciplinary research team partnered with a variety of stakeholders concerned with and/or affected by the impacts of climate change in the Red River Delta of Vietnam. The research, undertaken from 2016 to 2018, drew upon a wide range of methods to investigate systemically these impacts – with a view to the research inputting into the development of (more) sustainable ways of living. The research solicited various accounts of the experience of climate change in the community, set up learning processes in community meetings, and created an interface with government officials positioned at commune, district, provincial, and national levels. The intention was to offer support towards developing a learning process (broadly defined as including learnings/systemic inquiry across organizational levels of the society) to pursue options for sustainable living. The article offers our post-facto reflections which render more explicit (to ourselves and for the benefit of audiences) how the research team, with Hoang as lead researcher, facilitated the inquiry process towards developing a synthesis which underscored the assets for resilience to climate change and supported interventions to strengthen such (defined) assets.

     

The First-, Second- and Third-Person Dynamics of Learning History

Learning history is a well delineated action research process consisting of consecutive stages of inquiry where groups and individuals engage in learning and reflecting on their past shared, but often multiple, experiences as these are recorded in a ‘learning history’. Learning history has much in common with other forms of action research in that it configures first-, second- and third-person processes of inquiry in a particular way and enacts research qualities of rigour, relevance and reflexivity. Yet these and other links have as yet been tacit and under articulated - resulting in learning history often conceived as a distinctive linear method with the practice of learning history likewise confined. This reflective article opens out and makes explicit the inherent first- second- and third- person dynamics of learning history. These dynamics are explored from the point of view of different actors – the historian, the participant and the reader - in a learning history process and connections to a general empirical method are made. Finally questions of quality in a learning history are discussed. The aim of this article is to establish firmer methodological foundations for the learning history approach and to provide practical insight into how action researchers might engage more readily in learning history work.     

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.     

The trojan door: Organizations,work, and the “open black box”

The paper summarizes recent work on organizations, artificial intelligence systems, human-computer interaction, etc., which emphasizes thesituated, distributed, andfluid nature of social systems. This contrasts with the traditional way of writing and thinking about social systems which sees them as disembodied, ideal, formal notions of thought. The implications of this new view of systems for social actors, information, knowledge, and technology are discussed. The literature reviewed offers a new way of talking about systems and their practices.     

Multi-Modal Systems Thinking and a Self-Study of Teaching Reform: Realizing the Ethical Mode of Being

I describe multi-modal systems thinking in the context of my qualitative investigation of the influence of open discourse on technicism in a University Business Computing Course. I discontinued the research on realizing, through a reflective self study, influenced by my reading of the multi-modal thinking of the Amsterdam School, that I had acted unethically. I thus changed my research and my teaching practice. I note that this approach has recently been incorporated into systems thinking in the work of J. R. D. de Raadt, whose university informatics teaching reform, informed by the "way of the prophet," resonates with my reforms.     

Systemic Design for Applying the Combined Use of SSM and CDA to Social Practices

In this paper, we propose a framework for applying the combined use of soft systems methodology (SSM) and critical discourse analysis (CDA) based on social semiotic systemic functional linguistics to social practices. In the social practice, ‘participation’ mode of Checkland’s SSM is used for ‘problem-solving’ whilst CDA is used to problematize ‘problem-solving’ processes within the practice. During the meta-process of problematization of our research, we used Churchman’s systems approach and its theory of ‘boundary critique’ in order to explore issues such as governance, inequality of power, and social values within the organization examined for this study. In other words, the process-oriented methodology proposed in this paper consists of two processes: that of ‘problem-solving’ based on SSM and of problematization of naturalized discourse from the perspective of CDA and two phases of boundary critique in social practice. A detailed account of a case study of Korean social enterprise is given to demonstrate how our proposed framework of the combined use of SSM and CDA is applied into practice. Reflecting the outcome of the case study, this paper argues that critical social research from systemic inquiry using what we call ‘process-oriented methodology’ is useful to address some of the social and complex issues related to understanding dynamic relation between power and discourse amongst participants in the social enterprise in Korean contexts.