The biocybernetic approach as a basis for planning our environment

In this paper, Professor Vester introduces the readers ofSystems Practice to his biocybernetic approach to systems planning, an approach that he has shown to be fruitful both in concrete applications and in many best-selling didactic publications, including children's books and games. Based on this approach he proposes a “cybernetic senstivity model,” a conceptual framework for ecologically sound systems design based on a biocybernetic redefinition of conventional techniques of systems modeling and simulation. The author explains the basic structure of the model and presents eight pertinent biocybernetic principles of good-systems practice. (Editor).     

相似系统工程

基于相似学和相似系统理论，本文研究了相似系统工程的概念及其含义。相似系统工程主要研究一切与系统相似性有关的科学技术和组织管理实践问题。认为相似系统工程的主要特点是：１．将自然系统优化原理应用于工程实践，在人造系统中实现与自然系统中存在的某些相似特性；２．运用已知相似规律和一定系统已知优秀特性及经验或技术方法，成功应用于另一系统中，设计、组建和管理新的相似系统。结合工程实践，探讨了相似系统工程实践应用的原理与方法，以及向相似工程学发展的前景。     

Morality materialized: Notes on public prevention as a policy system

Public prevention is discussed as a policy system that owes its coherence to a number of “constitutive principles” rather than to an institutional fabric of its own. Notions from Luhmann's autopoietic social systems theory are combined with some recent developments in discourse analysis to outline this discussion theoretically. As to the constitutive principles, first, it is argued that public prevention is negatively constituted by its divorce from the regular healthcare system. Second, it is demonstrated that the constitutive principles of the public prevention system itself stem from the basic insecurities of this type of social policy. Public prevention strategies always have to impose themselves on existing (social) policy fields, and, more importantly, they often intrude upon people's private lives. That is why they tend to locate responsibility “outside,” moralizing the environment and moralizing things.     

Enabling Political Legitimacy and Conceptual Integration for Climate Change Adaptation Research within an Agricultural Bureaucracy: a Systemic Inquiry

The value of using systems approaches, for situations framed as ‘super wicked’, is examined from the perspective of research managers and stakeholders in a state-based climate change adaptation (CCA) program (CliChAP). Polycentric drivers influencing the development of CCA research pre-2010 in Victoria, Australia are reflected on, using Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) to generate a boundary critique of CCA research as a human activity system. We experienced the complexity of purpose with research practices pulling in different directions, reflected on the appropriateness of agricultural bureaucracies’ historical new public management (NPM) practices, and focused on realigning management theory with emerging demands for adaptation research skills and capability. Our analysis conceptualised CliChAP as a subsystem, generating novelty in a wider system, concerned with socio-ecological co-evolution. Constraining/enabling conditions at the time dealing with political legitimacy and conceptual integration were observed as potential catalysts for innovation in research management towards better handling of uncertainty as a social process using systemic thinking in practice (StiP).

     

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.     

Repositing Thinking for Future Social Systems Design: In Tribute to Bela H. Banathy and His Inspiration of the Fuschl Conversations

Contemporary systems activity can be divided into that stressing feasible and practical short-term measures, and that which is more ideal-aware, focussed on mid-longer term futures, and typically involving on-going community or social systems design. The paper highlights the key differences in approach, but then invites closer collaboration in the cause of the possible contribution that systems thinking could make for a longer term future, with Y3K (Year 3000) as a metaphor for this. This analysis, which derives from work undertaken at Asilomar 1995 and Fuschl conversations in 2000 and 2002, finds that contemporary social system design, which is driven by western culture and is action-oriented, needs adaptation before it could contribute to greater future global harmony. A truly comprehensive systems design process must accommodate a wide range of possible parameters in terms of culture, and appreciation of time and progress. An emerging paradigm as basis for thinking and engaging in social systems design work of the future is offered, which also has relevance to general systems practice.     

New delay-dependent stability criteria and robust control of nonlinear time-delay systems

This paper investigates the stability analysis and H_∞ control for a class of nonlinear timedelay systems,and proposes a number of new results.Firstly,an equivalent form is given for this class of systems by means of coordinate transformation and orthogonal decomposition of vector fields.Then,based on the equivalent form,some delay-dependent results are derived for the stability analysis of the systems by constructing a novel Lyapunov functional.Thirdly,the authors use the equivalent form and the obtained stability results to investigate the H_∞ control problem for a class of nonhnear time-delay control systems,and present a control design procedure.Finally,an illustrative example is given to show the effectiveness of the results obtained in this paper.It is shown that the main results of this paper are easier to check than some existing ones,and have less conservatism.     

From Practitioner to Researcher: Designing the Dissertation Process for Part Time Coursework Masters Students

Coursework Masters degrees that are offered as block release programmes provide opportunities for access to postgraduate education for adult students while in full time employ. These students attend structured contact modules after which they return to home and work and a distance format of study. However, these courses are generally characterised by low completion rates and lengthy time to completion, particularly of the research dissertation. While various explanations for this problem have been offered, for example, students’ non-academic commitments and supervisor–student-relations, our particular concern in this paper is students’ reading and writing practices in the transition from professional work practice and Masters coursework to the research dissertation. This paper proposes a systemic design to improve student reading and writing in this transition, and the proposal is illustrated using a block release coursework Masters programme in Management at a South African university. The design draws on interpretive systems ideas to think about the different levels of institutional and disciplinary context that impact on the research dissertation. We also use an academic literacies perspective—the concepts of literacy practice, language identity and power in particular—to think about reading and writing. This design incorporates components that include system elements, relationships, purpose and feedback that facilitate interaction between the conventions of the research practice, what the student brings to the practice, and the agency of the student.     

大规模分布仿真系统架构设计技术参考模型

近年来对大规模分布仿真系统产生了更多需求,但对它的架构设计研究还难以充分支撑实际工程开发,为此给出一个技术参考模型,对仿真系统架构的技术体系,以及核心组件进行定义和说明。技术参考模型可以为重构现有系统,以及开发下一代系统提供参考。     

探讨用系统哲学原理诠释科学发展观的科学内涵

我国经历了60年伟大的社会主义建设的发展实践,在60年的历程中,取得了丰富的成功经验和一系列的历史性教训。"科学发展观,是立足社会主义初级阶段基本国情,总结我国发展实践,借鉴国外发展经验,适应新的发展要求提出来的。"本文试图用学习系统哲学之体会,进一步理解与诠释科学发展观的科学内涵。文中根据系统哲学中的协同和谐原理、自组(织)涌现原理和整体优化原理来探讨科学发展观的含义,试图说明树立科学发展观就应学会用系统思维方法和系统哲学原理来思考问题和处理问题。文中还讨论了整体优化律发展了否定之否定律和人们的知识结构整体优化的有关问题。     

The Mind Could Accommodate Inconsistencies

The mathematical language of function is an important part of natural science since its inception. Its influence leaves visible traces in social science, in the theory of cognitive dissonance and prevailing systems approaches. They postulate that mental activities are analogous to mechanical principle, complying with the language of function. Yet, an inward introspection reveals that the mind is not thoroughly bounded by mathematical principles. An individual could experience an inconsistent mental status at a given time, which detaches itself from the prison of function. A preliminary survey demonstrates that the existence of inconsistent mental state at a given time is possible. The mechanists compel people to abide by mechanistic design. This approach is likely to make some innate characters, not amenable to mechanistic explanations, vanished. It also involves pointless applications of abstract mathematical operations on mental activities.     

基于模糊AHP的视景仿真系统逼真度评估方法研究

总结了在当前视景仿真逼真度研究中存在的不足,即大多数研究都集中在评估方法上,而忽视了指标体系的作用。对此提出了一套视景仿真逼真度评估的指标体系,包括了从三维建模到仿真画面输出在内的整个视景仿真系统构建的各个步骤,并以某鱼雷视景仿真系统为例,探讨了这套指标在工程实践当中的运用,最后得出了设计和开发视景仿真系统的5条原则。     

The organization as a doublet

Organizations are living systems, similar to other living systems, but with an important difference. They are multiminded living systems. In this paper, the changing concept of organizations is sketched and it is shown how models actually influence the evolution of organizational types. In the history of organization there have been basically three main stages,viz., the machinistic, organismic, and multiminded stage. All three types still exist, so far as the later stages in fact include the former ones. The living systems theory (LST) is firmly based in the organismic model and thus provides an excellent basis for organizational development. However, the concepts of process autonomy and flexibility as well as dispersed decision-making will have to be included if the theory is to have an impact in the evolution of modern organizations. We believe that the extension of the LST using Biomatrix principles might be sufficient to meet the present challenge.     

<Emphasis Type="Bold">An Engineering View for Social Systems: Agency as an Operational Principle for Designing Higher Education Access Policies</Emphasis>

Access to higher education (HE) has been a persistent concern for governments, practitioners and researchers. Access to HE has been widely studied from scientific perspectives that have focussed on the factors that contribute to the problem; however, authors have highlighted the need for systemic and design perspectives on education systems. The need to connect research with policy remains one of the most challenging issues for education researchers. In view of this gap, this paper argues that engineering thinking and methods represent an opportunity for the design of HE access policies because engineering rationality (distinct from scientific rationalities) matches the concerns and goals of any policymaking attempt. Engineers design artefacts to meet particular goals. These artefacts are artificial systems, tangible or intangible, such as hammers, bridges or whole organizations, which are designed in particular contexts to meet precise goals. Policies for access to HE are good examples of artefacts that seek to fulfil specific needs under concrete constraints inherent to a country or region. More specifically, HE systems are social systems; in other words, they are created and recreated by the interactions and decisions of diverse actors. Hence, to change, redesign or improve such types of systems involves engineering their very interactions that are the outcomes of institutional and human actions. In particular, engineering design requires operational principles. Thus, we propose agency as a fundamental design concept for the improvement of HE systems, which opens new possibilities for a distinct type of policy-making that takes excellent advantage of what engineering can offer, while at the same time expanding on traditional expectations for engineering.     

Peirce and Beer

This paper considers the philosophical background of Stafford Beer's Viable Systems Diagnosis (VSD) as profoundly influenced by Charles Peirce. In a general sense, our work discusses the VSD theory base in the development of a model for actionable theory in organizations. This paper examines VSD theory in the Beer trilogy ‘Brain of the Firm,’ ‘The Heart of the Enterprise’ and ‘Diagnosing the System’ and we propose that a sound set of VSD action principles can be derived from this trilogy. We contend that the philosophical background underpinning these principles is important. Using Beer’s ‘Decision and Control,’ we consider that philosophical background and link Operational Research and the interdisciplinary learning within Cybernetics to modern general systems theory. We explore Beer’s viewpoint on the Peirce depiction of four main methods of fixing belief; tenacity, authority, a priori and finally the scientific to assist in that expansion. We consider how knowledge of Beer’s perspective on making sense of the world is important in the linkage of VSD theory to the managerial problem arena. We relate the Peirce methods to previously reported problem solving exercises involving the VSD ideology, which we will develop individually at a later date. This paper reflects our desire to express the interpretation of VSD theory in a language that the well-informed manager may readily translate into the third step of testing theory in practice.     

人力资源管理的发展新趋势——从基于工作的人力资源管理到基于能力的人力资源管理

以工作为基础进行组织设计的思想已经统治了组织行为学与人力资源管理数十年 ,但是这种思想目前已受到了挑战 .许多学者提出了基于能力的组织设计方法才是更适当的组织方法 .在日益激烈的全球竞争中 ,一个组织的报酬系统 ,人员选拔系统以及组织结构需要转换到以能力为中心 .本文着重从当今工作性质的转变、组织的转变、组织机构的变化、对全球经济竞争的适应几个方面论述这种转换的必要性 ;同时 ,论述了基于能力的组织方法的潜在效果 .     

逆向系统工程引论

基于科学、技术、工程"三元论"的理论,对系统工程的基本定位及思维方式进行了反思,提出了创建逆向系统工程(results-oriented system engineering,ROSE)的必要性和可行性.指出ROSE构建的新的存在物以系统形式存在,构建过程表现为要素集成和整体涌现.阐述了ROSE的成效性原理、精益性原理、集成性原理和实践性原理,并从系统认知和系统实践两个层面阐述了ROSE方法论的逻辑过程.最后对ROSE的应用进行了实证分析.     

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.     

A Holistic Approach for Designing Human-Centric Trust Systems

Online trust systems, albeit existing as technical implementations, aim to translate the role that trust has in the traditional world onto the virtual platforms. Establishing the inter-dependence between these systems and the human-factor is essential for reducing, but more importantly for understanding the inherent complexity of the open social platforms, and for improving the user-experience and system-performance. This work determines the systemic features of trust and introduces a novel framework of design-properties based on the principles of General Systems Theory. We determine the systemic properties which lack in the current technical solutions, and incorporate social factors into the design-guidelines of trust systems. We introduce four influence-factors and demonstrate that accounting for those factors leads to compliance with the generic system-principles. Finally, we employ case study analysis following the premises of case study research established in the social science literature. By performing semantic analysis of the state of the art on trust systems, we are able to identify two semantic clusters to which trust research belongs, and to choose in a non-random manner the representative case studies for evaluation upon our framework. To our knowledge, this is the first study applying fundamental social science principles from General Systems Theory and case-study research for the purpose of theory-building and evaluation of technical human-centric solutions.     

Systemic Evaluation Methodology: The Emergence of Social Learning From Environmental ICT Prototypes

This paper investigates why and how systems approaches can help in evaluating the design of new Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) as social learning platforms. It focuses on the prototypes created by the research project Virtualis, whose objective is to promote social learning on environmental concepts and practices amongst a variety of stakeholders. The paper presents the principles of systems thinking and practice that did help in formulating such evaluation processes. It illustrates how both a peer systemic evaluation process (within the research team) and a participatory evaluation process (involving potential future users of the ICTs) were carried out.