Systems thinking in British Telecom Training: A brief account

This paper describes how British Telecom's Training Department has been using Systems Thinking over the last few years and has started introducing Systems concepts and methodologies to a wider audience of operational managers within. The paper explores some of the reasons for British Telecom to adopt Systems Thinking and describes the application of Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) to a particular project within Training Department. The paper also describes the design and delivery of the Introduction to Systems Thinking course which is now part of British Telecom's core program of management training.     

How Task Allocation Strategy Affects Team Performance: A Computational Experiment

This paper studies how to determine task allocation schemes according to the status and requirements of various teams, to achieve optimal performance for a knowledge-intensive team (KIT), which is different from traditional task assignment. The way to allocate tasks to a team affects task processing and, in turn, influences the team itself after the task is processed. Considering the knowledge requirement of tasks as a driving force and that knowledge exchange is pivotal, we build a KIT system model based on complex adaptive system theory and agent modeling technology, design task allocation strategies (TASs) and a team performance measurement scale utilizing computational experiment, and analyze how different TASs impact the different performance indicators of KITs. The experimental results show the recommend TAS varies under different conditions, such as the knowledge levels of members, team structures, and tasks to be assigned, particularly when the requirements to the team are different. In conclusion, we put forward a new way of thinking and methodology for real task allocation problems and provide support for allocation decision makers.     

Extracting behavioural models from 2010 FIFA world cup

The FIFA World Cup? is the most profitable worldwide event. The FIFA publishes global statistics of this competition which provide global data about the players and teams during the competition. This work is focused on the extraction of behavioural patterns for both, players and teams strategies, through the automated analysis of this dataset. The knowledge and models extracted in this work could be applied to soccer leagues or even it could be oriented to sport betting. However, the main contribution is related to the study on several automatic knowledge extraction techniques, such as clustering methods, and how these techniques can be used to obtain useful behavioural models from a global statistics dataset. The information provided by the clustering algorithms shows similar properties which have been combined to define the models, making the human interpretation of these statistics easier. Finally, the most successful teams strategies have been analysed and compared.     

企业战略博弈模拟实验系统的基本结构及设计方法

研究企业战略博弈模拟实验系统的原理和结构并提出其设计方法。实验设计应用企业模拟和实验经济学方法，目的在于学习或检验企业博弈理论。实验系统的模型有四个部分，各部分的设计应与战略博弈理论的前提要求相应。整个系统的设计结构包括七个部分，每部分对各种实验变量依照设计算法进行处理，核心算法依据产业组织理论的原理。     

The Application of Critical Systems Thinking to Enhance the Effectiveness of a University Information System

Faced with the common problem of dissatisfaction with the outcome of investments in information systems (IS), the IS community has long sought ways to improve information systems development (ISD). This paper reports on action research (AR) that sought to improve the effectiveness a UK university’s student record system (SRS), which had exhibited persistent problems. Critical systems thinking (CST) is seen to have value for ISD and was used to guide the AR. In the first stage of this research, the issues with the initial design of the SRS were identified to have largely resulted from insufficient elicitation of the underlying assumptions about, and perspectives on, complex organisational issues. The second stage centred on examining the situation from an “ought” perspective analysing what should be done and how, in order to develop creative solutions to the problems uncovered. The third stage involved recommending solutions to address the problems identified in order to improve the effectiveness of the SRS. Overall, the AR indicates that CST enables those involved to view the design and implementation of the SRS as a holistic system, critically reflect upon broad and complex human, technological and organisational issues from different perspectives, and thereby identify creative solutions. The main contribution of this research is in generating support for an ISD intervention guided by CST. The results of, and the understanding developed from, this intervention are likely to be relevant to the problems that frequently occur in similar situations.     

基于DEA-Malmquist的内资工业企业动态创新效率分析

针对工业企业的创新过程构建了两阶段投入产出指标体系,运用DEA-Malmquist方法,深入剖析2000～2009年间我国内资工业企业的科技创新效率和产品创新效率。研究结果表明,在样本期内,尽管科技创新的资源配置效率不断提高,但是科技创新技术的大幅退步使科技创新效率表现出显著的下降趋势;产品创新的资源配置效率大幅提升,则使产品创新效率表现出良好的上升态势,但是资源配置效率可改善的空间非常有限。内资工业企业应大力推动科技创新技术和产品创新技术的进步,并进一步提升科技创新资源配置的规模效率,从根本上改善企业的创新效率。     

基于VR的塑料虚拟注射成型系统的研究与实现

虚拟现实，作为一门新型技术，已成功地应用于工程、设计和制造业领域。本文提出并实现一种基于虚拟现实技术（VR）的塑料注射成型的可视化交互式仿真系统。创新的采用Delaunay三角剖分技术进行成型设备的三维建模，同时提出了模拟注射成型过程运动仿真的方法，结合基于三维模型的注射成型FEA技术，创建注射成型仿真系统。整个系统可在塑料新产品设计的早期阶段及时的发现产品设计和工艺过程中可能出现的错误和缺陷，进行产品设计和生产工艺的优化，保证产品质量，节省开发新产品的时间和费用。     

知识多样性及任务依赖性对团队绩效的影响

医生团队模式是在线健康咨询平台的一个新兴模式，借助信息技术，可以为患者提供更及时、更全面的咨询服务，对于合理匹配医生患者并促进分级诊疗有重要作用。本文运用了团队绩效研究中的理论模型“投入-过程-输出”（Input-Process-Output，IPO）研究了虚拟医生团队成员间的知识多样性、任务依赖性如何影响团队绩效，并检验了团队成员的互动过程接触频率如何调节知识多样性、任务依赖性与医生团队绩效的关系。通过网络爬虫共收集了好大夫网站上连续8个月的面板数据, 并使用面板负二项回归随机效应模型验证假设。实证结果显示，知识多样性和任务依赖性都显著正向影响团队绩效，接触频率负向调节任务依赖性对团队绩效的影响。研究结论拓宽了虚拟团队的理论应用，也为在线健康咨询领域提供了组建高效医生团队的实践指导。     

Science of winning soccer: Emergent pattern-forming dynamics in association football

Quantitative analysis is increasingly being used in team sports to better understand performance in these stylized, delineated, complex social systems. Here, the authors provide a first step toward understanding the pattern-forming dynamics that emerge from collective offensive and defensive behavior in team sports. The authors propose a novel method of analysis that captures how teams occupy sub-areas of the field as the ball changes location. The authors use this method to analyze a game of association football (soccer) based upon a hypothesis that local player numerical dominance is key to defensive stability and offensive opportunity. The authors find that the teams consistently allocated more players than their opponents in sub-areas of play closer to their own goal. This is consistent with a predominantly defensive strategy intended to prevent yielding even a single goal. The authors also find differences between the two teams’ strategies: while both adopted the same distribution of defensive, midfield, and attacking players (a 4: 3: 3 system of play), one team was significantly more effective in maintaining both defensive and offensive numerical dominance for defensive stability and offensive opportunity. That team indeed won the match with an advantage of one goal (2 to 1) but the analysis shows the advantage in play was more pervasive than the single goal victory would indicate. The proposed focus on the local dynamics of team collective behavior is distinct from the traditional focus on individual player capability. It supports a broader view in which specific player abilities contribute within the context of the dynamics of multiplayer team coordination and coaching strategy. By applying this complex system analysis to association football, the authors can understand how players’ and teams’ strategies result in successful and unsuccessful relationships between teammates and opponents in the area of play.     

多准则决策评价系统设计

针对产品设计中方案设计与评价的复杂的决策问题 ,研究并设计了基于知识的 ,有限方案的多准则决策评价系统 .文章从系统的体系结构、功能结构、数据结构、工作机制 ,以及实现途径等方面进行了阐述 .首先综合考虑技术及经济等各项设计指标 ,建立并维护多准则的决策指标模型 ;然后以知识库、模型库、数据库、方法库等信息源为基础 ,设计各种信息处理工具 ,包括知识处理工具、方案处理工具、多准则决策评价工具 ;综合运用知识推理以及多准则决策评价方法 ,按评价指标模型 ,对有限的待选方案进行评价与排序 ,最后综合分析的结果为复杂的方案论证过程提供科学的决策依据.     

Identifying and incorporating change in information systems

The difficulty of identifying future requirements and the inflexibility of information systems make what is normally called the maintenance process difficult and costly, and may lead to information systems failure or obsolescence. This paper addresses the problem in a number of ways. It discusses three techniques which might be used to help identify future requirements. Two of these techniques are drawn from other disciplines; the third is not used widely in the information systems domain. All the techniques have broader applicability than maintenance alone, in that they are concerned with reducing uncertainty. The paper outlines some tenets of good applications software design, drawn from a number of sources, which will facilitate change by making the software design more flexible. Finally, these tenets are incorporated into information systems design through a proposed modification of the information systems life cycle framework. This framework—part of a “code of good practice” for information systems developers—could be incorporated into information systems development methodologies.     

Computer Support for Concept Engineering Design：Enabling Interaction with Design Knowledge

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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.     

美国再工业化祸兮福兮：双向FDI能否促进中国经济高质量发展？——基于产业结构和技术创新的中介作用

随着对外开放政策的实施，对外直接投资（OFDI）和外商直接投资（IFDI），简称双向FDI，无疑对中国经济的高速增长发挥了重要作用，但是面对美国再工业化战略的冲击，双向FDI能否发挥以及如何发挥对经济高质量发展的驱动作用，是需要迫切解答的问题。以新经济增长理论为基础，构建包含双向FDI的经济高质量发展理论模型，并结合中介效应模型和调节效应模型，实证检验并揭示了产业结构和技术创新这对“双引擎”在双向FDI对经济高质量发展影响的中介作用以及美国再工业化战略的调节效应，采用夏普利值分解法量化了不同中介作用的贡献比例。研究结果表明：双向FDI能够显著促进中国经济高质量发展，技术创新在其中发挥了部分中介作用，而产业结构合理化存在遮掩效应；美国再工业化战略的实施既能直接调节双向FDI对经济高质量发展的影响，也能通过调节双向FDI对产业结构高级化和技术创新的影响，间接影响经济高质量发展；夏普利值分解结果显示，产业结构对经济高质量发展的边际效应大于技术创新的边际效应。通过区域异质性分析发现：产业结构合理化在沿海和内陆地区均存在遮掩效应，产业结构高级化仅在沿海地区存在遮掩效应，技术创新的中介作用仅在沿海地区成立；美国再工业化对双向FDI的调节作用在沿海和内陆地区均存在显著差异。研究结果有助于揭示双向FDI对经济高质量发展的作用机理，为有效发挥双向FDI对中国经济高质量发展的积极作用提供政策依据。     

Football,Business, and Government—Can Studies of High-Level Teams Across Disciplines Produce Generic Principles for Systems and Management?

This paper describes work in progress which seeks to establish whether there are sufficient similarities between high-level teams operating in the business, government, and sporting environments to justify further research in these areas. It distinguishes strategic and tactical teams and identifies the characteristics of each within their separate disciplines. The paper concludes that there is indeed worthwhile research to be conducted in this field. Such research would not be confined to mere theory because the three areas investigated are already interconnected in a complex manner best investigated by a systemic approach.     

Systems Pluralism in Infrastructure Decision-Making for Socially Connected Greenfield Communities

The problem in planning for relevant infrastructure in new communities is that the community doesn’t yet exist and is not engaged in the planning process. As such, planners draw on available housing and demographic information and essentially ‘best guess’ the future community’s infrastructure and social connection needs. This situation spotlights a gap in the planning literature concerning ways to ‘better determine’ a future community’s infrastructures that enable social connection between residents. In seeking to help address that knowledge gap, the purpose of this paper is to theoretically argue for the process of and illustrate the value of, pursuing a hybrid systems thinking approach to the identification and deployment of the physical infrastructures that may help better facilitate the social connectedness of a future community in new greenfield development areas. This approach combines aspects of Soft systems methodology and system dynamics. Such a process informs the development of a decision support model for Planners’ that incorporates multiple user perspectives in these local planning decisions and contributes to the structural advancement of socially connected communities.     

基于本体的工业综合预报警系统设计与实现

针对流程工业制造过程中产生的海量实时数据因数据量大、可读性可理解性差而带来的知识获取困难以及面向应用需求的处理利用不充分等问题,应用本体论建模的方法和技术,构建了一种以测点、区域、生产设备与过程的多级别综合预警报警知识库为核心的综合预警报警系统。通过运用本体知识系统的推理机制,利用分布于企业生产控制网络不同节点上的实时数据,实现了对工业生产过程可能隐患进行综合预警报警等功能。该系统已成功应用于某大型化工企业管控一体化系统中,对提升企业生产本质安全与管控一体化系统应用水平起到了积极作用。     

Opportunity Initiated Systems Design

This paper proposes a design theory of how opportunities might be used to facilitate change within a system, particularly an educational system. Opportunity Initiated Systems Design (OISD) is a system design model that retains the values and goals of Idealized Systems Design (ISD) yet incorporates other models of systemic change to form a simpler, more practical theory of systems design. Traditional barriers to ISD are discussed, used as the basis for describing suggest an alternative theory of systems design. The paper articulates the values and goals of OISD and outlines a theory of OISD. The six phases of OISD are presented, including specific guidelines for implementing OISD. Limitations of OISD and implications for further research are discussed.     

An Integrated Decision Support System for Macroscopic Coordinative Development

This paper describes the required functions and development tactics for the SXSES-DSS,and briefs the general design of the system and a developed prototype based on the design.It ispointed out that the system is an intelligent,distributed,integrated group DSS based on model base,knowledge base,algorithm base,graph base and text base etc.,which has a two-layer coordinationstructure.     

Leading Effective Global Virtual Teams: The Consequences of Methods of Communication

This paper explores the relationship between communication and team effectiveness within the context of global virtual teams, arguing that a range of communication methods may impact upon the team’s effectiveness. To explore this relationship empirically, we present a key informant insights based on the activities deployed by a participant in a global team. The paper reports on the team’s effectiveness, their communication strategies and the team’s psychological traits: trust, shared understanding and co-operation. Findings from the pattern matching analysis indicate that the limited range of communication methods available to a global virtual team was not a major contributing factor to a team’s effectiveness. The paper offers communication/management techniques that could be beneficial to the global virtual team leader in facilitating team effectiveness, highlighting some issues surrounding the level of dispersion within teams that could be further explored in future research.