Systems Thinking, Systems Design
Day 3
Time and place:
- Wednesday, January 24, 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm
- Bissell 417
3.1 Preparation
For all class participants, spend no more than 2 hours reading from
a selection in each of the clusters. If you don't like what
you're reading, move on!
3.1.1 Cluster 3: Idealized Design
Recommended articles
- Edson, Mary C., and Gary S. Metcalf. 2017. “Evaluating the
Impact of Systems Research.” In A Guide to Systems Research,
199–234. Translational Systems Sciences. Singapore: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-0263-2_8.
- Santoso, M. Iman. 2015. “Applying Interactive Planning on Public
Service Leadership in the Directorate General of Immigration
Indonesia.” Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, The
6th Indonesia International Conference on Innovation,
Entrepreneurship, and Small Business (IICIES 2014), 169
(January):400–410. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.01.326.
- Jones, Peter H. 2014. “Design Research Methods for Systemic
Design: Perspectives from Design Education and Practice.” In Proceedings
of the 58th Annual Meeting of the ISSS. Washington, DC. http://journals.isss.org/index.php/proceedings58th/article/view/2353.
- Jones, Peter H. 2014. “Systemic Design Principles for Complex
Social Systems.” In Social Systems and Design, 91–128.
Translational Systems Sciences. Tokyo: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-54478-4_4.
- Giannaris, Pericles. 2011. “Implementation Of Interactive
Planning.” Master’s thesis, Philadelphia: University of
Pennsylvania. https://repository.upenn.edu/od_theses_msod/44.
- Pourdehnad, John, and Patrick J. Robinson. 2001. “Systems
Approach to Knowledge Development for Creating New Products and
Services.” Systems Research and Behavioral Science 18
(1):29–40. https://doi.org/10.1002/sres.365.
- Ackoff, Russell L. 2001. A brief guide to interactive planning
and idealized design. May 31. http://www.ida.liu.se/~steho/und/htdd01/AckoffGuidetoIdealizedRedesign.pdf.
Accessed via Jerry Michalski at http://ackoffcenter.blogs.com/ackoff_center_weblog/2003/10/a_brief_guide_t.html
.
Recommended book chapters
- Ackoff, Russell Lincoln, Jason Magidson, and Herbert J. Addison.
2006. Idealized Design: Creating an Organization’s Future.
Upper Saddle River, N.J: Wharton School Pub. http://go.utlib.ca/cat/7093838
- Ackoff, Russell L. 1969. The Nature and Content of Planning. In
A Concept of Corporate Planning, 1-22.
Wiley-Interscience. http://go.utlib.ca/cat/2611885
- Excerpted as "The Nature of Planning", Chapter 6, pp. 100-103
in Ackoff, Russell L. 1999. Ackoff's Best: His classic
writings on management. Wiley. http://go.utlib.ca/cat/3163809
- Ackoff, Russell L. 1981. Our Changing Concept of Planning. In Creating
the Corporate Future: Plan or Be Planned For, 51-76. New
York: John Wiley and Sons http://go.utlib.ca/cat/2137397
- Excerpted as "Ends Planning" in Chapter 10, pp. 119-124 in
Ackoff, Russell L. 1999. Ackoff's Best: His classic
writings on management. Wiley. http://go.utlib.ca/cat/3163809
Recommended multimedia
- Ackoff, Russell L. 2004. Keynote at ICSTM 2004. Web Video. International
Conference on Systems Thinking in Management. University of
Pennsylvania. https://vimeo.com/170334843.
- Ackoff, Russell L. ????. Tape of Ackoff’s Bell Lab Lecture.
https://vimeo.com/148192220.
3.1.2 Cluster 4: Soft Systems
Methodology
Recommended articles
- Kish, Katie, Martin Bunch, and Beiyuan Xu. 2016. “Soft Systems
Methodologies in Action: Environment, Health & Shanghai’s
Elderly.” Systemic Practice and Action Research 29
(1):61–77. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11213-015-9353-4.
- Checkland, Peter. 2010. Researching real-life: Reflections on 30
years of action research. Systems Research and Behavioral
Science 27, no. 2: 129-132. http://doi.org/10.1002/sres.1019.
- Checkland, Peter. 2010. Comments on the conference and special
issue. Systems Research and Behavioral Science 27, no.
2: 240. http://doi.org/10.1002/sres.1032.
- Zhang, Huaxia. 2010. Soft systems methodology and ‘soft’
philosophy of science. Systems Research and Behavioral
Science 27, no. 2 (March 1): 156-170. http://doi.org/10.1002/sres.1022.
- Bunch, Martin J. 2003. “Soft Systems Methodology and the
Ecosystem Approach: A System Study of the Cooum River and Environs
in Chennai, India.” Environmental Management 31
(2):0182–97. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-002-2721-8.
- Waltner-Toews, David, James J. Kay, Cynthia Neudoerffer, and
Thomas Gitau. 2003. Perspective changes everything: managing
ecosystems from the inside out. Frontiers in Ecology and the
Environment 1, no. 1 (2): 23-30. http://doi.org/10.1890/1540-9295(2003)001[0023:PCEMEF]2.0.CO;2.
- Sinn, J. S. 1998. A comparison of interactive planning and soft
systems methodology: enhancing the complementarist position. Systemic
Practice and Action Research 11, no. 4: 435–453. http://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023098025076.
Recommended book chapters
- Checkland, Peter, and John Poulter. 2010. “Soft Systems
Methodology.” In Systems Approaches to Managing Change: A
Practical Guide, edited by Martin Reynolds and Sue Holwell.
London: Springer London. http://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-84882-809-4_5.
- Checkland, Peter, and Jim Scholes. 1990. Soft systems
methodology in action. Chichester: Wiley http://go.utlib.ca/cat/1338537
Recommended multimedia
3.2 Presenter-facilitator Groups 3 and 4
Prepare slides or materials to lead the class, with suggested
content as:
- How is the approach used (in one or two example system(s), close
to your research interests)?
- What are the basics of the approach?
- Why would you use (or not use) this approach (over another
approach)?
- When and where would you use (or not use) this approach?
- Which points about the approach are unclear, and would benefit
from deeper inquiry?
If you have questions, you can consult with the instructor!
3.3 Classroom activities
| 1:00 - 1:15 |
Discussion on blogs from the previous
class |
| 1:15 - 2:15 |
Group 3 presents and facilitates discussion on Idealized
Design |
| 2:15 - 2:30 |
Instructor fills in on ambiguities |
| 2:30 - 2:45 |
Break |
| 2:45 - 3:45 |
Group 4 presents and facilitates discussion on Soft Systems
Methodology |
| 3:45 - 4:00 |
Instructor fills in on ambiguities |
3.4 Assignments
- Write an personal appreciation diary log as a blog post, trying
to spend no more than 45 minutes.
- Which 2 or 3 system ideas from today are resonating to change
the way you think (and which ones might remain a mystery)?
- Why are those systems ideas significant in your research, your
work and/or your life?
- Where could you see applying (or avoiding) using these systems
approaches?
- Include 2 or 3 references at the end of your blog post, and
use a proper citation style.
- Post a notification on the Google+ Systems Sciences Community, or
on a Blackboard Discussion Board thread.
- The deadline for posting is the Monday morning, 9 a.m.,
January 29