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.     

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.     

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.     

Establishing a Co-operative Inquiry Group: The Perspective of a “First-Time” Inquirer

Systemic Practice and Action Research - This paper gives a detailed account of the activities I engaged in when establishing a co-operative inquiry (CI) group of 12 young women managers. I feel...     

The Participation Imperative in Co-operative Inquiry: Personal Reflections of an Initiating Researcher

Participation has become an imperative in international development. In particular, participatory approaches to development research are believed to support empowerment through collective development of knowledge and action. Yet there are broad interpretations of participation, ranging from passive participation and information exchange to empowered participation through self-mobilisation. As such, development researchers may claim to use a participatory approach without yielding power and agency to citizens involved in the research. This is a reflexive article about a development researcher’s experience in applying a participatory worldview through co-operative inquiry, a research approach that attempts to engage emancipatory forms of participation. The article begins with a critical analysis of literature regarding participation, the participatory paradigm and participation in the co-operative inquiry. The author then analyses her personal experiences, challenges and strategies as initiating researcher to actualise empowering forms of participation in three co-operative inquiries. The article emphasises that researchers must “let go” of their power, control and personal agenda to support empowering participation.     

Beyond Reflection: Cake and Co-operative Inquiry

Issues arising during a participatory action research project with a group of midwives are explored, in particular, those related to group process, membership, and roles. A Midwives Action Research Group established an Early Mothering Group for women in hospital to talk to each other and form supportive social networks. The time-honored ritual of sharing morning tea and cake allowed both midwives and mothers to experience the therapeutic potential and power of women's ordinary talk.     

Communicative Action through Collaborative Inquiry: Journey of a Facilitating Co-Inquirer

As complex and rapidly changing organisational contexts present a significant challenge for the management and organisational development of professionals, this paper explores a particular journey of one facilitator/co-inquirer (participant) in a collaborative inquiry (CI) intervention driving culture change within the UK's Civil Service. Through such experience it is argued that CI represents an intensive and effective inquiry based change strategy involving collaborative interaction between the co-inquiring facilitator and client. The philosophical history and richness of CI is explored as a prelude to outlining the learning and development of the co-inquirers involved in this project and the observed impact of CI on the organisation. Of note is that over an extended period of time, the facilitator assumes the two roles of inquirer and subject of inquiry, and through such a dual responsibility, gains a deeper understanding of the challenges they face and the nature of the solutions that would require further attention. It is concluded that co-inquirers effectively contribute both to scientific knowledge and the solving of real life practical problems. This document may not be copied in any form, in whole or in part, without the express permission of one of the authors.     

Quality in Action Research: Reflections for Second-Order Inquiry

One of the current debates in action research concerns the quality of these practices. Up to now, many contributions have focused on defining specific criteria based on action research epistemology. This article sustains (1) that prior to dealing with these questions, it is necessary to define for what purpose and for whom we are making the evaluation; (2) that this leads us to make a distinction between different evaluation models; and (3) that the quality strategies and criteria will be different for each model. In particular, the article confronts an academic evaluation model as a form of external control over the quality of action research and an internal, participatory evaluation model as a quality strategy aimed at establishing feedback for the process. Final considerations are given about the implications of both models for academia.     

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.     

Developing Managers as Healing Agents in Organizations: A Co-Operative Inquiry Approach

This action research examines how a health service manager, with a clinical background, sought to develop his clinical skills in a management context. When asked to undertake an evaluation of an addiction counseling service, he found that there was evidence of systemic ill-health expressed through feelings of powerlessness, hurt, and alienation among the staff of the service. The article describes how the manager used action research, and in particular co-operative inquiry, to become an agent of healing in his own place of work. It illustrates how the co-operative inquiry process can be used to help individuals or groups to overcome feelings of alienation and powerlessness in organizations. By dealing with these feelings through a process of co-operative inquiry the conditions necessary to improve systemic health can be created to help develop a service and meet service objectives It explores the neglected subject of how managers can be agents of healing in organizations.     

Applying the Clinical Inquiry Approach to Understand and Facilitate Enterprise Restructuring in Transitional Economies: A Case Study From the Moldovan Wine Industry

Enterprises in the Former Soviet Union (FSU) have had to fundamentally reform how they are managed and operate to cope with the switch from central planning to a more market based economy. In understanding these challenges and how firms are reacting to them, the clinical inquiry approach, a variant of action research, is deemed particularly appropriate. Research following this approach was conducted with a case study enterprise drawn from the Moldovan wine industry. The process encouraged self-diagnosis and intervention and a PSEFI (Problems, Strategies, Evaluations, and Future Issues) matrix was drawn to guide and assess the companys evolution. Reflections on the benefits of the clinical inquiry approach in transitional economies, compared to more conventional business support and research methods are discussed.     

BP神经网络在团队创新记录的应用

知识创新是许多组织的重要竞争因素,现代组织越来越多地利用团队解决复杂的创新任务。团队方法的缺点是信息分散,导致组织知识碎片和知识流失。而且,由于创新和创新提出人不能被及时地记录,经常导致不能合理有效地促进团队创新。团队创新信息及时、有效地记录是知识管理的基础和必要环节。面对具体的创新任务,团队在创新过程中可以使用的记录方法是多种多样的,本文采用人工神经网络的方法,研究不同条件下,团队创新活动的记录方法的有效性。     

Electronic support for knowledge creation in a research institute

This paper focuses on the question how to build an electronic support environment for knowledge creation in a research institute （JAIST）. In order to assess the importance of diverse conditions of scientific creativity, we performed a survey in JAIST, and extracted useful knowledge from the database of survey results. Following the analysis of the theory of academic processes of knowledge creation and the survey findings in JAIST, a computer-based integrated system is proposed. In the aspect of the system design, we postulate that an electronic support environment for academic creativity can be achieved through a seamless integration with Internet, Application Server, Middle Ware, Database and Data Warehouse. The paper addresses issues of knowledge representation in the Electronic Support System for academic research, testing and evaluation issues and conclusions.     

SYSTEMS INTUITION：ORIENTAL SYSTEMS THINKING STYLE

This paper put forward the concept of systems intuition. In the paper, features of intuitivethinking are described at first. Then the origins of Oriental intuitive thinking from the ancient Chinesephilosophy are explored. Finally put the focus on new concepts: systems intuition and collectivesystems intuition as well as the relation between intuition and tacit knowledge.     

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.     

速率仿真转台波动力矩抑制问题的研究

针对某型速率仿真转台调试中存在的波动力矩干扰问题,分析了其产生的机理,实验测试确定了波动力矩的频率成分并给出了具体的数学表达式。通过重复控制器的设计,实现了对此类扰动的有效抑制。系统调试结果表明,设计的重复控制器能够克服周期性的波动力矩干扰,性能优于常规的控制器。     

基于hMETIS与FP-Growth的协同创新社区领域知识发现方法

基于在线社区的协同创新作为一种汲取用户智慧的有效机制,有利于企业发掘其产品创新方向.然而大数据时代下,信息过载及失真为社区中的知识获取带来了诸多挑战,且已有研究主要聚焦于利用价值较低的高频知识的提取.因此,为了充分挖掘用户经验与创新知识,本文基于社区知识间的共现关系构建了知识超图模型,并利用超图划分算法hMETIS对知识超图进行了探索性分析,同时结合关联规则算法FP-Growth进一步研究了知识间的关联关系,以此获取不同领域的价值知识.最后,本文通过一个实例证明了该方法的有效性.本文的研究实现了对社区知识的深度挖掘与分析,提出的领域知识发现方法对企业社区管理和产品创新极具指导意义.     

基于本体论的团队虚拟知识流抽取模型研究

集成本体论与过程视图理论改进现有的模型,以iPhone的研发过程为依据定义了标记知识流与虚拟知识流,论证了两者的关系.根据iPhone研发过程中不同团队的实际任务,选取标记知识节点抽取虚拟知识流,建立了团队虚拟知识流抽取模型,阐述了模型的运行规则和步骤并以规划团队为例进行实证分析.研究结果表明:选取合理的标记知识节点形成虚拟知识流是组织满足不同任务团队知识需求的有效途径;借助虚拟知识流的抽取模型,组织可以直观地为不同职能的团队提供知识支持,说明不同团队的知识需求及工作相关知识信息的查阅顺序,使团队更具针对性地完成自身任务,以此提高组织的内部沟通效率和决策质量.研究为知识流动的过程分析提供了新的视角,也为相关领域的深入探索提供了有利的理论支持.     

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.