Proceedings of the 54th Annual Meeting of the ISSS - 2010, Waterloo, Canada

THE INTELLIGENT SCENARIO SELECTION IN DYNAMIC HOIST SCHEDULING PROBLEM: THE REAL-LIFE ELECTROPLATING LINE CASE

Krzysztof Kujawski — 2010-07-16

The paper presents a scheduling system which was designed for a electroplating production line. The system allows flexible production, in the real time environment. The number of transport hoists is routed as well as chemical and material treatment processing stations are scheduled in order to create a functional production line. The expert knowledge is used for preparation of production scenarios. The system manages to create schedules in the real time because of using machine-learning methods to identify production system state and support the decisive process of scenario selection. The Intelligent Scenario Selection Method is used on the real-life production line located in Wrocław, Poland. The paper presents issues that occur on analyzed line and the results achieved by using The Intelligent Scenario Selection Method.

VIABLE SYSTEMS MODEL AND QUALITY OF HOSPITALITY SERVICES

Abraham Briones-Juarez — 2010-08-25

This paper discusses the design of a model for service quality in hospitality concepts and proposals using the Viable System Model (VSM) of S, Beer. The object of study is a human activity system whose complexity must be addressed through systemic methods. The study identifies the elements to be considered for a system design approach (with emphasis on quality of service) through the establishment of internal and external environments that integrate it. Through the analysis it is determined that the hotels can function as viable systems, ie may be able to absorb the complexity through the generation of internal tools to manage it.

Improving Resilience of Critical Human Systems in CBRN-Emergencies: Challenges for First Responders

Gerhard Chroust — 2010-08-26

Today’s catastrophes (many of them man-made or at least triggered by human activities) usually endanger a growing number of humans and larger areas in more diversified ways, creating a need for dependability and resilience of our environment. Experience tells us that no matter what precautions and quality approaches we take we will always encounter systems which initially were dependable and ’suddenly’ turn untrustworthy due to some unexpected, unknown cause. A system which in itself is unable to reestablish its dependability, i.e. it is not rewsilient (any more) needs an outside intervention: For humans a physician acts as an intervention system for re-establishing dependability. A complex system can be made resilient by the inclusion of an Intervention System which intervenes in the case of loss of dependability.

In this paper we investigate the role of First Responders (i.e. fire brigade, ambulance services, police forces) as an Intervention System in the case of CBRN-incidents, aimed at providing resilience. Taking a process view of such interventions we analyze key processes especially with respect to supporting them by Information and Communication Technology. We identify properties of CBRN incidents and their implications for the activities of First Responders both in training and real assignments.

THE SOFT SYSTEMS METHODOLOGY ON THE IMPLEMENTING OF A GPS SYSTEM, IN THE TRUCKING COMPANIES

Adrian Elizalde-Medrano — 2010-07-16

The identifying of the complex systems of the real world not only require of the participating and the interpretation of the different actors in the society with several Weltanschauung, but also of participative and holistic methodological process of planning-action with a feedback that confront and articulate to the set of subjective visions of each social actor that is involved in the whole process. The trucking face recurrent problems as the empty trips, delays in times for delivering-receiving of merchandises, trips out of route, insecurity of the charging, lack of logistical planning, and high costs of operation, among them. That´s why, as a result of the applying of the soft systems methodology SSM, the system Global Positionment System GPS of localization, monitoring and control of vehicle units is a logistical technique that can convert by itself in a model to support the enhancing the levels of productivity in the trucking transportation industry.

Total System Intervention for System Failures and Its Application to ICT systems

Takafumi Nakamura — 2010-08-26

otal system intervention for system failure (TSI for FS) is proposed for preventing further occurrences of system failures. Total system intervention (TSI) is a meta-methodology in critical system thinking for managing complex and differing viewpoints. First, the authors introduce meta-methodology called “system of system failures (SOSF)” as a common language among various stakeholders to improve their understanding of system failures. Then we propose the actual application scenario, or “total system intervention for system failures (TSI for FS)”. TSI for FS identify the stakeholders in the failure using a matrix that shows for each stakeholder the entity and/or the factor that is thought to have caused the failure. This helps to clarify the stakeholders’ views and to identify stakeholders with opposing views. The SOSF meta-methodology and related methodologies are used in the course of the subsequent discussion and debate to agree upon who is responsible for the failure and to identify the countermeasures and/or preventative measures to be applied. An application example in information and communication technologies engineering demonstrates that using the proposed meta-methodology as a critical system practice helps prevent future system failures by learning from previous system failures. Three actions were identified for preventing further system failures: close the gap between the stakeholders, introduce absolute goals, and enlarge system boundary.

ANALYZING THE BULLWHIP EFFECT IN AFTER-SALES SPARE PARTS SUPPLY CHAINS IN TELECOM FIRMS, A COMPLEX SYSTEM APPROACH

Ricardo Tejeida-Padilla — 2010-08-25

Complex system science is a new field into the interdisciplinary disciplines. Different phenomena have been studied under this approach. In this paper, we analyzed the bullwhip effect in an after-sales spare part closed loop supply chain in telecom firms. The system is analyzed using tools of fractal analysis.

Computer-based Information Systems as a means of Automating the Use of Knowledge about Information Processing in Complex Systems

Roberto R Kampfner — 2010-08-25

Information processing can be seen as an aspect, indeed as an integral part, of the dynamics of systems (Kampfner, 1998). Any system uses information in order to control, and coordinate the processes that perform its functions. It is in this broad sense that the dynamics of a system, which comprises the processes that perform its functions, can be seen as the specific way in which a particular system processes information. Information processing in a system or, equivalently, the information processing aspect of its dynamics, can be seen as a manifestation of the ‘knowledge’ about information processing that the system possesses. The notion of information processing that we are using here is very broad. It applies not only to information processing as performed directly by humans or by devices or systems of human design, such as computers and computer-based information systems. It applies to any dynamic system since any such system needs to process information in order to perform, control, and coordinate the processes that perform its functions and achieve its goals. This view confers to information processing a fundamental role in the dynamics of a system, hence in its ability to perform its functions and to achieve its goals. Computer-based information systems play an increasingly important role in the way in which complex adaptive systems such as modern organizations process information. The effectiveness with which computer-based information systems support the functions of a system is therefore a basic, underlying design goal. In this paper we explore the role that some basic principles for the design of computer-based information systems stated earlier play as a guide for the development of computer-based information systems that provide effective function support and contribute to adaptability. We discuss some design factors on the light of these principles. The dynamics of complex systems such as modern organizations is composed of a variety of processes including physical, human, social, and economic ones. As an aspect of their dynamics, information processing is correspondingly complex in these systems: it takes a variety of forms that act concurrently with the other aspects of the dynamics. Especially important to us is the fact that it combines human, computer-based, and other forms of information processing. Human information processing is capable of representing, organizing, transforming, manipulating, and communicating information in a variety of ways, both explicitly and through the actions that we take and the processes that we control. Human information processing is capable of exercising judgment, creativity, and general problem solving capabilities. In addition to that, we humans process information in a conscious way and we can acquire, develop, and use knowledge about information processing. The way a system changes its behavior can be seen as a manifestation of the knowledge it has about how to evolve and to adapt to changes in its environment. This knowledge can be seen as inherent to the system. Part of this knowledge is implicit in its structure and dynamics in the sense that it is not stated in any explicit form. We mentioned earlier that the information processing aspect of the dynamics of a system can be seen as a manifestation of the information processing knowledge that it possesses. The information processing knowledge that a system possesses is, however, only an aspect of the knowledge that it has about all of its dynamics and, consequently, it can be considered an integral part of this broader knowledge. In the systems of interest to us, this knowledge is constantly changing, which means that these systems are constantly developing new ways of processing information. Part of the knowledge that a system has about information processing is meta-knowledge, that is, knowledge about information processing knowledge. This meta-knowledge includes the ability of a system to change its information processing knowledge and, consequently, the way in which it processes information. In the systems of interest here, however, parts of the information processing knowledge and the corresponding meta-knowledge (that is, knowledge about how it processes information) usually exist in an explicit form, including, but not only, the explicit knowledge that people have about computer-based information systems, and the knowledge that is expressed in the documentation of their functions, of the information systems development processes, and of their operation and maintenance. A basic design principle that we refer to here aims at the achievement of the effective support of function in a manner compatible with the adaptability of the system being supported (Kampfner, 1997, 2002). We also refer to a related design principle that aims at designing the architecture of the computer-based information system in a manner that reduces subsystem interdependence in the system being supported (Kampfner, 2008). In this paper we show that allowing the computer-based information system to use some of the information processing knowledge that it needs only when it needs it, instead of storing and maintaining this knowledge on a permanent basis, may help to improve its contribution to adaptability in a manner consistent with the effective support of function. We discuss the conditions in which this contribution is more significant. References Kampfner, R. "Function Support as an Information Systems Development Paradigm," World Futures, Vol. 50, pp. 689-702, 1997. Kampfner, R. “Dynamics and Information Processing in Adaptive Systems,” BioSystems, Vol. 46, pp. 153-162, 1998. Kampfner, R. “Is there a systemic Scale of Information Processing?,” SIG on the Foundations of Information Science, 46th Annual Meeting of the International Society for the Systems Sciences, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China, August 2nd to August 6th, 2002. Kampfner, R. "A basic principle for the architecture of computer-based information processing." SIG on Information Systems Design and Information Technology, 52nd Annual Meeting of the International Society for the Systems Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, July 13th to July 18th 2008.

Study of Intelligent Control of an Arm Robot Equipped with a C-MOS Camera Using a New Type of Image Processing

Yoshishige Sato — 2010-08-26

This paper proposes an approach that allows an arm robot equipped with a C-MOS camera to utilize new image recognition in order to intelligently and autonomously grasp objects, and introduces a method that uses the conventional way of teaching position to the arm robot, after which the intelligent robot employs a program that allows the arm robot itself to autonomously determine the action required to move the arm into that position. In experiments, an intelligent robot was successfully engineered to use image recognition to identify colored blocks and autonomously move toward a target and grasp it using a new centroid search approach.

MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGY FOR MEXICAN SATELLITE SYSTEM

Erick Velázquez Lozada — 2010-08-26

Systems and mobile communications are based on current satellite systems offer different transmission and reception of voice, audio, video, broadband data, etc.., Requiring satellite systems provide an efficient service and the further development technologically. To achieve this, it is necessary to make a technology that allows management to make further proposals according to the needs of the country, public institutions, private and public. This involves managing the technological, political, social and economic development.

Identify the problem, the underlying causes of war and raise the solution strategies for technology management of the Mexican satellite system. Based on the rules, conventions and national regulations and international satellite systems to streamline communication of knowledge and practices related to the processes of creation, development, transfer and use of technology.

FALLACY AND OSTENTATION OF CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (IN SOME COMPANIES)

Ricardo Andres Frias — 2010-08-26

Companies that achieve a more or less consolidated market position and a sustainable growth in it, start working on improving their corporate image. Among the strategies to achieve this social recognition the preferred one is develop their actions under the principles of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), a concept that involves procedures and attitudes that should be ethical, rational and sustainable of these firms in their environment. We consider that there is a fallacious behaviour of many of these companies that are covered under CSR but they commit very serious damage to the environment, sometimes unwittingly and sometimes with full awareness of it. And worst, they make an ostentatious display of it. A narrow view of the meaning of CSR leads to these firms misleads them and deceives the community. So we think it is important to stop and analyze a series of examples that can demonstrate that the lack of broader vision of the whole in time and space, leave out of consideration effects or emergent properties of a system designed as model to follow (CSR) but adversely affects a large proportion of the population.

Resilience, a necessary property for the Housing Problem of Ushuaia: the inherent factor for the Governance

Tariana Maia Gessaga — 2010-08-26

The city of Ushuaia, located in Tierra del Fuego (Argentina), and other urban conglomerates in Latin America, are undergoing into a crisis in urban areas, where the housing problem is shown as the witness and most obvious symptom of the crisis. The explosive population growth that has experienced Ushuaia from the '70s to these days has triggered various crises of urban and social type. Among the housing problems that have been generated we can stress the strong friction between different sectors of the people, neighbours with unsolvable housing problem that intrude state land. On the other hand there are neighbours who are opposed to these intrusions, but there are government sectors that sympathize with the intruders, so there are no government actions to prevent such activities and a significant number of laws are violate. All these factors generate the frame of a strained social situation in the city. The native forest deforestation, pollution of freshwater rivers, the precarious living conditions of some people, the lack of systemic and coordinated politics driving by government agencies, the intransigence of some neighbours and the culture of citizens in general, result in a social crisis from which no one knows the outcome The resilience of this society involved as a voluntary emergent property of it, can be one of the references approaches to begin a path in order to search of sustainable solutions that contribute to governance for a young State with a whole future ahead. There are several management tools to address complex problems such as the one we have just described. These management tools and its applications will be discussed on this paper, hoping that can contribute to create the foundations for a possible settlement of the conflict. We believe that this analysis can drive to a sustainable self-organizing social system of the city of Ushuaia, in an almost immediate future.

SYSTEMS THINKING FOR STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT

Amanda Gregory — 2010-08-26

In this paper important ontological questions are raised about the strategic development process and related concepts which should significantly affect how strategy is approached both in theory and in practice. The dominant discourse on strategic development and management views the organization as possessing a brain and hence being capable of knowing its range of possible futures, making decisions and taking actions in the present to bring about the most desired state. By making this view of the organization problematic and not giving the ontological status ascribed to it by the traditional paradigm, we are required to look anew at the development and management of strategy. An alternative route, following Henderson and Heidegger, is to view the organization and authentic strategy as acts of individual will and social becoming based on the structures of attunement, standing, discourse and destiny. Since traditional forms of strategic management are not able to bring about the structures necessary to support the creation of authentic strategy or shared destiny, these are rejected in favour of a systems based approach. Espejo’s concept of self-constructed organization recognizes that organizations are constituted by complex networks of ongoing interactions and it is proposed that in such organizations the strategic development process can be designed to enable reflective organizational stakeholder engagement and self-construction. An on-going project with an independent school foundation in the United Kingdom illustrates the use of the ideas in practice.

Enacting Wholeness-Infinity Theory to Foster Wholeness Praxis of Social Enterprise for Global Sustainability

Kingkong Lin — 2010-08-26

I. Background-Malfunction of global governing systems

Each century could be described as "The best of times, and the worst of times." Such contrast is unexceedingly great in the twenty first century. Because it might be a far better times, and an even darker times. The tension between the unsustainability driving forces and the awakening sustainability consciousness has caught much attention all over the world. Since the great shift on earth was admonished by scholars, such as Capra and Laszlo, and the "2012 Global Collapse" prophecized by the Mayans was cast on the public's eyes, resolving the imminent human crisis and unexpected global disasters become the urgent tasks to all human beings.

Indeed, the unsustainability crisis encountered by us nowadays has much to do with the malfunction of the global governing systems. The global governing network composed of governmental, business and non-profit organizations has become so complicated that any single sector could hardly cope with the increasing problems of the unsustainability crisis. Such malfunction, at worst, might cause a great number of losers in the dawn of new millennium, be they overwhelmed by the sudden loss of homes, jobs, family members or a safe environment. Therefore, it is obligatory that we expend more efforts to reframe the problem structures come from the three sectors and clarify the rooted causes of such unsustainability in order to create a new opportunity structure within the social enterprise (the sets of the three sectors) for global sustainability.

II. Research Questions and Methodology

2.1 Nurturing a Co-living Art for Global Sustainability

Since the 15^th century, western science has become a dominant discipine, and many humanity sciences, such as aesthetics, ethics and religions disciplines, were gradually marginalized and regarded as dissipated and archaic. This phenomenon aggravated in the following centuries, and went extreme in the 1950s. Therefore, calls for emancipation from scientific knowledge were echoed from various disciplines. The most distinguishable are Habermas' reflection on modernity, Derrida's deconstruction of modernity, and Giroux' postmodern discourse on unleashing the technological hegemony revealed in the western education, all of which represent emerging forces chanllenging the authority of scientific knowledge. Some scholars (Giddens, Griffin) even advocate the third path to search for order from the postmodern chaos. Moreover, attempts to resolve the disputes between modernism and postmodernism yield to more converging efforts on integrating knowledge and wisdom from the West and East. Meanwhile, the core idea and ultimate goal of integrating the western science and eastern humanity is also heatedly discussed with the economic uprising of China.

2.2 Undertaking the wholeness-infinity holistic approach to resolving global unsustainability

The literature reviewed in this paper covers four themes. The first is the major problems and challenges of technological civilization which human beings have been encountering and have to confront in the 21th century. The second is the paradigm shift of systems sciences, and the evolution of wholeness movement. The third is exploration of human collective wisdom and evolution of wholeness consciousness. The last one is devoted to the Tao of sustainability for enacting global wholeness praxis and global governance within the social enterprise (the sets of the three sectors).

In this paper, the authors apply the Wholeness-Infinity Theory (WIT) they developed in 2010 to resolve the cultural disparities of the west and east, and to integrate the unique characteristics of the western and eastern cultures. The literature reviewed in this paper serves as theoretical background for the wholeness- infinity theory. It is expected that delicate integration and convergence of the western systemic knowledge and eastern wholeness wisdom will enact a new wholeness praxis organization, hence presence the various forms of social enterprise to maximize the possibilities of global sustainability.

In this paper, the wholeness-infinity theory the authors apply includes four metaphoric patterns, each bringing forth different types of social enterprise. Furthermore, the authors use the four types of social enterprise to illustrate how to promote the global dialogues and cultivate collective wisdom among governments, profit organizations and non-profit organizations to resolve the predicaments of global unsustainability and to create wholeness praxis organizations for global sustainability.

The four research questions to be inquired in depth are listed as follows.

1. How might Wholeness-Infinity Theory (WIT) develop a co-living art?

2. How might WIT enact the possibilities of wholeness praxis organizations?

3. How could the essence of wholeness praxis organization presence various forms

of social enterprise?

4. How could the various forms of social enterprise enhance the transformation of

global unsustainability into sustainability?

III. Research Results and Findings

We are encountering a critical turning point in the 21 century. Laszlo confirms that human beings will leap finally in this point and create a human new era in his book "2010." De Chardin pioneered the next evolutions from the humanity to deity in the middle period of 20 century. We believe that wise integration of contemporary knowledge and wisdom tradition will open up new possibilities for well-balanced global governance systems. Human's collective wisdom for creating new forms of global social enterprise with transcendental knowledge and wholeness praxis would undoubtedly contribute to global sustainability.

In brief, the primary findings of this study include:

1. Application and exploration of wholeness infinity Theory (WIT).

2. Cultivation and development of wholeness praxis organization through WIT.

3. Critical roles of wholeness praxis organizations in building new forms of social enterprise for resolving the predicaments of global unsustainability.

IMPLEMENTING AN ETHICAL MERCHANDISING CODE IN A COMMUNITY MARKET

E John Vodonick — 2010-08-25

The nature of this project was to use methods of action research to investigate the feasibility of developing a process to implement a code of ethical merchandising for use by a member owned co-operative market.

Initial research was to determine the nature, and extent of current ethical positions of the Co-op was undertaken using documentary sources only. Following the initial research of the published positions of the organization a series of meetings were scheduled with various stakeholders. The meetings were action research sessions. The researcher used a series of questions to facilitate discussion among the participants at the meetings. The participants identified a variety of problems involved in the implementation of an ethical code of merchandising, and created methods and processes of resolving those problems.

An ethical merchandising code that is oriented to a telos of sustainability is a worthwhile project for a community member-owned market. The adoption of such a code, and of processes to implement the same, requires the participation of stakeholders in the Co-operative. The ethos of the various stakeholders must be balanced against the need of the enterprise to remain financially stable. This balancing process requires adopting an ethical code that involves the co-operative membership the in process of establishing ethical criteria for the selection of products, and in vetting the potential products for sale. The use of knowledge and the means of production of knowledge are seen as an ethical process in and of themselves, as well as carrying out the mandate of the mission statement of the enterprise.

THE A H1N1 INFLUENZA PANDEMIC. A SYSTEMIC ANALYSIS OF ITS GENESIS, EVOLUTION AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC, CULTURAL AND HEALTH CONSEQUENCES IN MEXICO

Francisco J Aceves — 2010-08-25

In April 2009 a health emergency was declared in Mexico City, as a new influenza virus (AH1N1) began to spread. This new virus was similar to the Spanish Influenza virus which caused the death of more than 40 million persons in 1918-1919.

The 2009 health emergency declaration in Mexico imposed the suspension of activities in crowded areas such as schools, restaurants, sports and recreational areas, during several days, causing important economic loses and deep seated fears in many persons.

This paper presents a systemic analysis of the genesis and evolution of this pandemic and proposes some preliminary conclusions and recommendations.

This pandemic situation was not as grave as expected, but the alert flags continue to be raised, at the world level, because the spread a very dangerous influenza epidemic is feared by the World Health Organization specialists.

Knowledge Inheritance in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)

Jifa Gu — 2010-08-26

Traditional Chinese Medicine has his old history and accumulated a lot of rich experiences and thoughts, but how can we inherit them is a difficult problems, since some of them are tacit knowledge.

From 2006 we had participated into a large project sponsored by Ministry of Science and Technology. The purpose of this large project was designed for collecting and maintaining the idea, experiences, knowledge and wisdom from selected 100 veteran TCM masters. We wish use the advanced IT technology and systems science to mine the main ideas and experiences from each of them and also to find their collective experiences and thoughts. We also wish to improve the old traditional master-disciple education method in TCM to learn the phronesis from the veteran TCM doctors.

System Dynamics of the Relations Between Two Koreas Under the Roh Moo-hyun administration

Youn-soo Sim — 2010-08-25

Under the Roh Moo-hyun administration, two Koreas continued improvement in relations begun by the previous Kim Dae-jung administration. The flow of the matter-energy and information between two Koreas had consistently expanded during these administrations. Comparing growth rates in information and matter-energy, we find that the growth rate in information ran faster than that one in matter‐energy from 1989 to 1994; since 1995, both have run at a similar rate. This shows that two Koreas recognized the relative advantage of information in relation to matter‐energy, but focused on the flow of matter-energy.

The two Korean governments recognized the significance of the state of affairs in the region surrounding the Korean peninsula. At the same time, external pressure had a significant influenced on the two Koreas' relationship. Historically, the two Koreas' relationship has been dependent on external pressure from the big powers. This presume, which produced heterogeneous societies on the Korean peninsula, has made it difficult to improve relations between the Koreas in emerging areas and the traditional sphere of subsystems.

TOWARDS A GLOBAL-SYSTEMS STEERING VISION THAT IS SIMPLE ENOUGH, BUT NOT TOO SIMPLE:- SYMVIABILITY

Gary Boyd — 2010-08-26

The question addressed is:- How can we have pleasant long-term humane, human survival on Earth, given our very potent globally impacting technologies, huge populations and our terrible propensity for solidarity to propagate our own 'pure' quasi-tribal genetic and cultural identities through ruthlessly devastating competition with and suppression of, others' genes and cultures?

What has been tried and why it is not good enough: We have tried religious visions of peace, love (caritas) and even asceticism. These have indeed appealed to vast numbers of people, but have left them almost defenceless against those whose religious beliefs demand the conversion or extermination of unbelievers. We have also tried bread and circuses - economic growth with fair shares for all, but some humanimals are much more equal than others. The have-nots rebel (Thailand, Jamaica). Moreover large-scale economic growth without system-sciences based ecological wisdom quickly becomes ecocidal and eventually may be anthropocidal. Mankind's guiding visions have been workable for small populations with primitive technics, but they are proving to be much too simple to enable us to collaboratively steer the complex webs of coupled systems which constitute Life on Earth today. Recently, many people have pushed for notions of "sustainability" a rather ambiguous term, attractive to those with much to lose, but not so attractive to the have-nots of the World. What we propose: We propose an alternative, systems-sciences based vision that is simple enough to evoke World-wide acceptance and concertation of efforts by educated people, yet complex enough to ensure requisite variety of ventures, strategies, tactics and tools. The vision we call SYMVIABILITY is a vision of both ecological-cultural symbioses and intercultural symbioses World-wide, where each cultural actor appreciates the need to allow and support other cultural actors to live and flourish, providing that they control themselves to do likewise. It is important to eschew the use of "sustainability" which ambiguously allows people to believe that they can somehow manage to sustain whatever they feel identified with, (e.g. SUVs, imported foods and global air-travel etc.), provided that they make small sacrifices and others suffer large ones! . We propose this SYMVIABILITY as a transformative educative ultimate value vision based on methodological pragmatic philosophy and the systems sciences and implemented fairly through discursive legitimation forums representing all stakeholders - the whole to be carried out through global social networking and modelling and simulation games technology.

THE HARD FACTS OF SOFT SOCIAL SYSTEMS: BOULDING'S TYPOLOGY AND THE ROUNDTABLE FOR NEW THEORY AND PRACTICE

Susan Farr Gabriele — 2010-08-25

This paper outlines a new theory and a new practice with the goal of improved descriptions of and prescription for schools and social systems. The theory, gleaned out of Boulding’s nine-level typology of system complexity, is named TPO for the three key domains of schools (technical, personal and organizational). Informative for instructional designers and school and organization change efforts, it is also a theory for non-specialists (things, people, and outcomes). The need for such a theory is great, given the variety of decision-makers, and the failure of well-intentioned reform efforts. Things, people, and outcomes, the key parts of a social system, have very different properties. First, things (technical) in a social system are of three kinds--Level 1: frameworks (e.g., buildings, books and equipment); Level 2: clockworks (e.g., school routines, schedules and calendars); and Level 3: thermostat-like systems (e.g., school goals which people--students and educators--self-regulate to attain.) The skillful design of Level 3 systems results is adjustment capacities. Level 1, 2, and 3 things are predictable and designable. Second, people (personal) in a social system are not designable. While things like thermostats self-regulate to externally prescribed criteria, living systems self-regulate to internally prescribed criteria (Level 4: open; e.g., cell). Living systems (Levels 4-7) act to meet their own basic needs first, then, in people, higher needs—generally predictable by Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs: survival, safety, belonging, achievement, self-actualization and transcendence. People’s behavior decreases in predictability due to inherent individual differences (Level 5: blueprint; e.g., plant); differing immediate perceptions from among competing stimuli (Level 6: image-aware; e.g., animal), and their own long term reflections, prior knowledge, choices, and abilities (Level 7: symbol processing; e.g., human). The third part of a social system is labeled outcomes (organizational). Outcomes depend on people’s behavior. If things (T) of the systems are designed and arranged to allow people (P) to easily meet their basic needs, outcomes (O) will be desirable. This principle is not a question of ethics, but a question of physics. It is natural, biological, and scientific law that people will behave to meet their individual and personal needs (Level 7: human) before their social system or organization’s needs (Levels 8 and 9). Level 8 systems (social) are optional. Level 7 functioning is mandatory. A person can transfer schools (Level 8), but cannot transfer bodies (Level 7). The new practice, observed in the ISSS Morning RoundTable over the last ten years, corresponds to the goals of systemic renewal and the TPO theory. The ISSS RoundTable is a version of the GEMS RoundTable, which has been formally studied in 4^th Grade classrooms. Two of these teachers continue with it today. The RoundTable is an excellent example of a TPO practice because of its effective design, arrangement and use of things (T), to maximize opportunities for learning for the participants or people (P). Furthermore, the result is a system with the excellent adjustment capacities needed for best outcomes (O).

EDUCATIONAL CURRICULUM FOR MULTI-DISCIPLINARY SYSTEM DESIGN AND MANAGEMENT

Naohiko Kohtake — 2010-08-25

“System Design and Management” program, a study that integrates humanities and sciences by crossing many disciplines, is essential to foster talented persons who can lead in the development and operation of large-scale complex systems that are symbiotic, safe and secure. The subject of the new graduate school education is large-scale complex technological and social systems, with an education curriculum that provides practically oriented lectures through which students can acquire the capacity to consider systems, the faculty to design systems in line with system life cycles, and the ability for system management. By collaborating with industries and related stakeholders such as domestic and international educational research institutions, we designed an educational curriculum. As for the establishment of the graduate school in April 2008, the educational curriculum was formed to provide students with opportunities to acquire must-learn capability and knowledge that were classified into six groups. The validity of the education method was confirmed based on verification of the students’ self-evaluation and evaluation by the external evaluation committee after the first two years of graduate education.

Designing a class to teach multi viewpoints

Seiko Shirasaka — 2010-08-25

The Graduate School of System Design and Management of Keio University (Keio SDM) was established on April 1, 2008 to cultivate systemic thinkers who can lead in the development and operation of large-scale complex technological and social systems. One of the indispensable capabilities of system thinker is multi viewpoints. No system can be described from only one viewpoint. Complex technological system and social system have many stakeholders. To understand and satisfy stakeholder's requirements, the system thinkers have to have multi-viewpoints. Our approach to cultivate persons who have multi-viewpoints through a class at KEIO SDM is to make good use of combination of individual work and group work. Our students in the Keio SDM are of all ages and come from a wide variety of backgrounds, including employees and officials (both young and experienced) from private public sectors. We also have recent graduates. Group works with different background can cultivate multi viewpoints as far as the students work seriously. The student motivation is also very important for this approach. We designed the class, introduction to systems engineering, which is mandatory for all master degree students to realize the approach. We would like to have much time for group work, however, many students didn't have any background of system thinking nor systems engineering. In 2008, first year of KEIO SDM establishment, we taught its knowledge during the class, we didn't have enough time to have group work. Most of the class time, students had to sit and listen to our explanation. To improve the situation, we design the class to realize the multi viewpoints. As the results of our system design, we implemented the e-learning video for the class preparation and self and group consecutive work. The class operation is like follows; step1: learn the knowledge by e-learning at off-campus, step2: self work at on-campus during the class and step3: group work at on-campus during the class. The students had to watch the corresponding preparation video before the each class started. One or two 90min video was prepared for the each class preparation. As the results of this improvement, I had enough time for group work. As we mentioned above, a student motivation is also very important to make group work effective. Our approach to make student motivation is to make students feel their growth through the class. Our method to realize this approach is to ask the same question both at the beginning of class and at the end of class. The students can feel their own differences between before and after class. When they can feel their own differences, they can feel their growth. This makes them participate actively in the group work by motivated We did the questionnaires to the student at the end of each semester. According to that, the implementation of the class design works well. The combination of self work and group work makes the students feel the lesson easy. And the same question before and after lesson makes the students feel the lesson understandable and well ordered. However, there are two concerns. One concern is the time for the preparation. The students have to spend more time to prepare by watching e-learning to learn the knowledge of systems engineering. Because of this negative effect, even if the class feels more understandable, ordered well and easy to understand, the total evaluation does NOT become better. The other concern is the motivation. The same question before the lesson and after the lesson was implemented to make the students feel their growth and finally motivated. But the results of the questionnaire don't support this expectation

General Systems Essentials: An Introductory Course for a Modern Generalist Curriculum

Vincent Vesterby — 2010-08-26

General Systems Essentials is a course designed to serve as the introductory course for a Modern Generalist Curriculum leading to a doctoral degree in Modern Generalist Understanding. Because the course presents deep understanding of many factors of systems origins, structures, and processes, it is appropriate for anyone interested in studying systems science.

Ever since the advent of science and the consequent ever increasing body of new knowledge, it has been impossible to be a generalist in the traditional sense of quantity of knowledge. Becoming a specialist, whatever the degree of focus, was the only option.

It is now possible to become a generalist—not in the traditional manner of quantity and extent of knowledge, but in a new manner, based on quality and extent of understanding. The modern generalist mode is possible because it is a discipline-independent mode based on developments from general systems theory.

The course provides a practical introduction to the breadth and depth of the modern generalist mode by leading the student to an understanding of three universal aspects of the intrinsic nature of all that exists. (1) General factors are a more general form of general systems principles and isomorphies. (2) Structural logic is the way in which the intrinsic qualities of something that exists determine the kinds relations it can have with other things that exist. (3) Development is the sequential order of relations between things that exist, throughout space and structure, throughout time and process.

These three exist in reality as patterns of organization of space, time, and matter, and the modern generalist uses these patterns as conceptual tools of exploration, analysis, understanding, and description. Thus, the thinking within the mind matches the reality referents of that which is thought about, resulting in a high degree of objective understanding.

The modern generalist mode of exploration, analysis, understanding, and description has many benefits for understanding systems in any discipline. It enhances the ability to identify general patterns among multiple levels and disciplines through understanding the deep-structure of such patterns. It displays the interconnectedness between and within all the levels through the use of the general factors that play roles of connectivity between and within the subjects studied by the various disciplines. This generalist mode makes it possible to understand change in diverse systems and in their environments through the use of the general factors that form the bases of all forms of change. It enables critical reasoning at multiple levels through the use of the structural logic inherent in general factors and their interrelations. It enables integration of multidiscipline knowledge through the use of the general factor development, the universal general factor of connectivity. Using this method enables general holistic understanding through the use of those general factors that provide unity, depth, and breadth of understanding. Discipline-independent understanding can be achieved through the use of general factors whose core patterns of organization are independent of level of organization.

The modern generalist mode does not simplify complexity, but rather accepts it as is, gains access to the complexity by way of known general factors, observes what other factors are there playing roles of structure and process, and in that way achieves understanding of the intrinsic nature of the complexity.

The 'Maribor Concept' of Systems Education: Specialization without Over-specialization

Zdenka Zenko — 2010-08-26

Over 40 years, we have been practicing teaching of systems thinking and behavior to students of economics and business as well as to other professions. We are briefly presenting our course syllabus, our method of teaching, and our reasons for our program. Basically, we have been facing the following situation: both the ancient and modern fight for supremacy of either narrow specialization or the holistic/systemic thinking is not over, although it makes no sense: everybody needs a double capacity:

A profession, which is a narrow specialization unavoidably; and
Systemic behavior/thinking, which supports co-operation of narrow specialists on their way to the equally unavoidable requisite holism of them as mixed teams.

RELATIONAL SELF-SIMILAR SPACE-TIME COSMOLOGY REVISITED

John Kineman — 2010-08-25

A 'Relational, Self-Similar' cosmological model based on a contextual relation between local and non-local space-time dimensions was reported by the author in 2000. That model was based on a radially expanding 'Minkowski-space' geometry for general space-time, superficially similar to E.A. Milne's 'toy' model of the 1930's (Milne, 1948), in that its geometry is based on Special Relativity and the Hubble expansion alone, irrespective of general gravitation. Cosmologists have recently noted a "surprising" agreement with Milne's mass-less model and evidence for expansion at or slightly above the critical universe mass density (Omega = 1). An explanation for this agreement can be found in the self-similar, dynamically expanding geometry of the relational cosmological model discussed here, which unlike Milne's model, treats space-time expansion as an intrinsic scale change resulting from relationship between local and non-local realities; rather than a 'kinematic' movement through pre-existing space as Milne imagined. The internal geometry of this cosmology is a complex, self similar relation between a non-local domain represented by dimensions in an imaginary number domain, and locally measurable space-time, as a real number domain. The effect of general mass-density (gravitation and the General Theory of Relativity) was not resolved in the earlier model, but is now interpreted as a scale change under which the basic self-similar geometry remains invariant with respect to any evenly distributed mass-density, because the general gravitational effect is itself a self-similar scale change that alters local space-time measurements. The effect is thus detectable only in mass density anomalies, the general gravitation being non-detectible by local measure. These results suggest an interpretation of space-time in which the effective roles of 'special' and 'general' relativity are exchanged, such that Special Relativity holds for the universal geometry and General Relativity holds locally, governing the dynamics of local mass density anomalies. This view eliminates the need for 'dark energy' to correct the standard models, but adds the implication of dual time reference frames - intrinsic and observational - and the idea of an intrinsic formal domain ontology existing outside of measurable space-time coordinates. This geometry is self-determining in the imaginary space-time dimensions (modeled by the imaginary numerical domain),

Applying the model with empirical confirmation of Omega ~ 1 suggests that the universe itself is geometrically similar to the inside of a black hole (with the stable outer limit of 'flat' expansion corresponding to a Schwarzschild radius). Some theories claim that the zero-point ('quantum vacuum') energy (ZPE) is indeed sufficiently great to classify protons as ZPE black holes. Given the model's geometrical treatment of gravitation, the next question centers on the origin and fate of matter, which can no longer be seen as being propelled through space as a result of a giant cosmological explosion (big bang), but rather must originate and be conserved in local space-time that already has the relativistic properties of expansion. The model thus becomes open to a suitable 'steady-state' theory of generation and annihilation of matter in local space, perhaps in terms of quantum vacuum dynamics; while, owing to the model's dual time reference, all the observational (relativistic) properties of a 'big bang' universe are also preserved. Finally, as originally intended, the model is suitable for describing space-time at any scale, thus providing a means for linking quantum and relativistic phenomena, or, with additional non-local linkages, applying it as a model for proposed "orchestrated space-time selections" in the explanation of consciousness and perception.

SYSTEMS THINKING APPROACH AS A UNIQUE TOOL FOR SUSTAINABLE TOURISM DEVELOPMENT: A CASE STUDY IN THE CAT BA BIOSPHERE RESERVE OF VIETNAM

Thanh Van Mai — 2010-08-25

Tourism is not simply an industry, but is an open, dynamic and complex system. The system consists of many interacting components and involves many different stakeholders. The development of tourism in a sustainable way impinges on and is subject to many factors. The limitation of traditional approaches to tourism research has become evidently in many cases. These approaches have usually looked at a particular issue or issues of the whole tourism picture. As a result, it has become difficult to manage tourism toward sustainability. This paper provides an overview of the systems thinking approach and its application in the study of the tourism system in the Cat Ba Biosphere Reserve of Vietnam. This study shows that systems thinking has proved to be an effective and powerful tool to explain the complexities of the tourism system. It has helped to simplify, clarify and integrate isolated problems associated with the industry, and provided a mechanism for group learning and decision making to achieve desirable outcomes. The paper proposes systems thinking be used as an appropriate tool for sustainable tourism development.

Apithological System Dynamics in Strategic Sustainability Conversations

Will Varey — 2010-08-25

ABSTRACT When facilitating social learning processes in multi-disciplinary strategic conversation groups for societal sustainability the dynamics of knowledge diversity, identity framing, values conflicts and information inequality will often surface. These can result in both generative and dissipative constructions in the formation of information, collaboration and meaning. This paper records learning experiences in forming two strategic conversation groups involving twenty-six multi-disciplinary participants to examine macro-sustainability issues in ten distinct sustainability impact spheres. After identical and joint initial formation processes, the participants were divided into two groups of equal diversity in gender, age and background disciplines to work on identical programs. One group was selected for its homogeneity in operant levels of consciousness the other for its diversity in cognitive frames and perspectives. Distinctly different results occurred in the processes and outputs of the two groups. The reasons for this apparent divergence highlighted contrasts in individual learning intentions, self-perception of information and the commitment to collaboration. The initial productive performance of the homogeneous group was in contrast to the initial dysfunction of the heterogeneous group. Following intervention and the introduction of a specifically designed inquiry process using principles of integral methodological pluralism, the heterogeneous group learned to become process proficient and highly productive even though the conditions for conflict remained essentially unchanged. The study raises questions about the significance of information paucity, knowledge humility and the perceived value of collaborative inquiry in generating meaningful multi-stakeholder solutions to complex sustainability challenges. The apithological (generative) and non-apithological (non-generative) dynamics of the two groups altered over the ten strategic conversations held. The presence of an emergent trichotomy of formative conditions in the structures of information, communication and intention was concluded as being significant. Various observations are made on the formation of generative conditions to enable successful multi-disciplinary collaborations for sustainability outcomes.

Value Co -Creation Model of Service Innovation: Symbiotic Hypergame Analysis

Santi Novani — 2010-07-16

From service science perspective, value co-creation based on mutual understanding between customer and provider is one of fundamental importance. Service-dominant (S-D) logic is tied to the value-in-use meaning of value. The roles of providers and consumers are not distinct, meaning that value is co-created, jointly and reciprocally, also mutually beneficial relationship. However, at crucial points of interaction between customer and provider, where the co-creation experience occurs and where value is co-created, misunderstandings and service breakdowns can destroy the relationship. In this paper, we analyze formally how customer and provider are sharing internal model in the first phase of value co-creation model of service innovation, i.e., co-experience and co-definition. In co-experience, customer and provider perceived the value of each value proposition differently. Customer have an own internal model and so provider is, therefore co-experience is the most crucial feature of service system. Symbiotic hypergame analysis, in general explicitly assumes that the players involved possess subjective internal model of the environment including the counterparts. These assumptions convince us that it is the most adequate and convenient for describing value co-creation process by customer and provider. First, we categorizing customer and provider into the several types based on customer expectation and provider ability. Then, analyze formally using symbiotic hypergame analysis, how mutual understanding can be achieved between customer and provider. From the analysis, mutual understanding can be achieved as long as customer and provider have same interpretation, customer who has high expectation believes that provider is innovative and vice versa. It has been proven by analyzing Hyper Nash equilibrium in each scenario for pair of each type based on symbiotic hypergame analysis.

Volunteering and Linking roles in (enabling and sustaining the grassroots base of) resilient global governance: a systemic model?

Dennis Edward Finlayson — 2010-08-26

Defining resilience? Regarding individual commitment in social enterprises and innovation. Linking in different sectors arising from volunteering experiences and other social contacts across international boundaries. Agencies and initiatives that promote linkages and their governance The role of academics and other social thinkers I n designing and sustaining international linkages and initiatives: hands-off leadership? Horizontal and vertical Governance of initiatives, reporting and separate responsibilities. Barriers to sustaining resilient governance in grass-roots based organisations: professionalism; vested interests in governments and international agencies; self-maintaining NGO’s and institutionalisation. Sources on the web and elsewhere: Boy Scouts and related groups; VSO; ASE; UKOWLA; DEA; WEA; Fair Trade Foundation; Trade Unions and Business-based Groups i.e. Rotary.

A comparison of the Prochaska Cycle of Change and the Holling Adaptive Cycle

Victor Ronald David MacGill — 2010-08-26

The Prochaska Cycle of Change was developed in the field of cognitive behaviour and is used in areas such as nursing and criminal justice to effect behavioural changes in people. This proposes a cycle with the phases of pre-contemplation, contemplation, determination, action and maintenance. The Holling Adaptive Cycle was developed from research into ecological systems and is also used in such areas as financial and organisational systems. This model proposes a cycle of exploitation, conservation, release and reorganisation.

This paper attempts to map the two cycles on top of each other and explore how this mapping might enhance our understanding of both cycles. It further explores some possible implications for work with offenders. Resilience is a central concept of the adaptive cycle and in work with offenders. Just as building resilience helps natural and organisational system to be adaptive, so too building resilience will assist offenders to gain appropriate governance over themselves and avoid falling back into further offending.

A HOLISTIC DESIGN FOR THE SELF-CONSTRUCTION OF THE CORE OF A MODULAR SMALL HOUSE AND ITS SERVICES FOR DISASTER ZONES

Ignacio E Peon-Escalante — 2010-08-25

Haiti´s catastrophic systemic collapse after the ...earthquake is a dramatic example of the connection between a natural phenomena and the social and economic organization in an underdeveloped country. The earthquake had a much smaller magnitude than the ...Chile´s earthquake, but had a much larger effect. In Haiti there was a widespread destruction of its infrastructure, the reconstruction had to begin from scrape. Today a large part of the refuges is living in temporal living lodgings there are not enough funds to restore the fragile housing infrastructure of the country. The poor regions of different countries have a very fragile infrastructure that can be severely affected by natural disasters. When a catastrophic event happens, a widespread destruction occurs. After the event, an international effort is made to reconstruct the houses, and services that where destroyed. The relief effort does not last for a long time, and after the initial effort the population is abandoned, they have to solve their problems with their own scarce resources.

In the Instituto Politecnico Nacional (IPN), the National Polytechnic Institute, a large and influential Mexican public university, a project is being developed for the construction of a strong modular transportable mini house (bathroom and kitchen, and its services) as a first step in the rebuilding effort in disaster zones. The first step in the reconstruction of the housing infrastructure and its water service (with the recycling of water) can be a strong central core of the medium and long term rebuilding houses and their services. The construction process of this small central core of housing is the beginning of a participative self-sufficient effort of organized communities, a gradual medium or long term rebuilding process of their complete houses and services, with their own resources and knowledge. It is an integral, or holistic open socio-technical process that links the design of water infrastructure, with a social process (linking rational, emotional, cultural and spiritual dimensions) in a particular geo-cultural context..

The modular core, is the first part of a participative self-help construction process with local materials after training and workshops. Actually, we already are in the first step of this process (workshop and training) in Haiti, with some other partners as Caritas and Misereor

Program and Abstract Book for the 54th Meeting of ISSS

Jennifer M Wilby — 2010-08-26

No abstract.

Table of Contents for the 2010 CDROM Proceedings

Jennifer M Wilby — 2010-08-26

No abstract.

2010 EARTHQUAKES IN HAITI AND CHILE. A SYSTEMIC COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

Francisco J Aceves — 2010-08-25

Why did a relatively mild earthquake of 7.0 degrees on the Richter scale in Haiti cause more than 200,000 dead? And why did a very intense 8.8 Richter earthquake in Chile cause less than one thousand dead? In this paper, the socio-economic, demographic, legal, cultural, and natural causes of these differences are analyzed from a systemic standpoint. The objective of this paper is to contribute to the creation of a set of standards for Latin-American cities, to be better prepared in confronting the effects of disastrous events such as earthquakes.

Some of the preliminary conclusions of this paper are that the lack of high construction standards in Haiti, together with poverty and uncontrolled demographic growth in Port au Prince made the city very vulnerable. Chilean cities, on the other hand, with a better socio-economic and cultural level, and very strict construction standards, survived the earthquake and its sequels better than in Haiti.

THE POSSIBILITIES OF MAPPING NATURAL SYSTEMS INTO ORGANIZATIONAL SYSTEMS - PART 1

Dominika Maria Salwa — 2010-07-15

The presented 1st part of the paper is based on a four-year-long research on two categories of living systems: natural systems and organizational systems. Natural systems - as a part of biological world - were defined as a set of living organisms and interrelations between them, organizational systems - as a part of human system - as a set of organizations and interrelations between them. The main idea which inclined the author to the research was the assumption that organizational systems became more and more complex on one side but on the other reveal lots of weaknesses as the whole (general example: the paradoxes of globalization). One of the nature focused futurist, K. Kelly, said that organizations are starting to take on the complexity of natural systems and at that point they become out of our control. The natural thinking is: if we want to understand the complexity of organizational system and be able to steer it, we need to understand natural systems first. They might be a great model of what organizational systems or even the whole human system is starting to be. Through the comparison of both systems we might come to final ideas of what to concentrate on. The strategic point would be the ability to model organizational and human system according to natural determination of systems construction. Nature was always inspiring for humans, but usually in its specific parts. This research was a general and wide system analysis of the construction of nature as a whole in the context of mapping its solutions into organizational and human world. This paper, as part 1 of the research, is concentrated on: methodological aspects of mapping process of two categories of systems, description of natural and organizational systems. Finally it presents the main outcome which is the facet for both system analysis. The facet is four dimensional, according to function, structure, process and context of each system in their four levels of emergent properties. It shows the construction of natural and organizational world and makes the simple basis for further research and analysis.

Information and Living Things

Juan David Arango — 2010-08-25

What is the origin of everything we see around us? What is that which is called life or the fact that there is complex matter “organized” in an improbable physical state and that it perceives its environment in non-physical manner. Rocks can grasp their environment in a physical way and transfer energy from themselves to their environment. This complex organized matter grasps another “world”, as it grasps the environment in an “informational” way, and acquires an awareness of its environment, neither physical nor material, that aids the management of its improbable physical state. This awareness is called information. Is this informational ability, which allows the complex organized matter to “process” and adapt to its surroundings, what we call life? Many examples in nature support the idea that the ability to “process” and adapt to surroundings is exclusive to those beings called “living.” Let’s affirm life exists. Let’s also affirm that organized matter, with its informational ability, perceives something non-physical: information. This holds that apart from the physical world, for living beings, there exists a world of information. This world is not matter and exists differently for each one of these living beings. This way (informational ability) of each living thing, creates a compilation of perceptions, particular truth, which is unique to and only exists in the mind of each living being. The material world, which is comprised of everything that exists, is called general truth, or universe. This general truth limits our informational world and reminds us that to maintain the improbable physical state, optimal use of information is necessary. So matter is universal, its interpretations: multiple. There is at least one for each particular truth. A particular truth is formed by unique perceptions, which for exposure to other living beings require a specific process: communication. Perceptions of the general truth are complex and humans have generated important concepts (amount, time, color, shape) or tools (language) that allow us to share these perceptions in seemingly universal ways. Communication facilitates the formation of the conventional truth, the truth of groups of living beings that shared and validated their particular truths. Therefore, the world of information has a conventional truth too, made up of perceptions shared through groups of living beings Each perception in a particular truth contains multiple elements. Each element is a datum (Word, red, round, few, day) which is represented or substituted in the particular truth and communicated, using codes and matter. To form the idea of what we perceive, information, we collect this data and obtain a perception within the conventional truth. This information, particular truth, unites with other information (if allowed) in the living being, usually biological (directing the behavior of the being), to determine a way to continue this complex matter’s (living being) existence in the material world, the general truth. The ability of this being to combine external and internal information to continue its improbable physical (and/or organized and/or chaotic) state called life, or to end it if so chosen, is the ultimate decision. The decision making process can be peripheral or remote. The peripheral is tactical. It deals with decisions concerning concrete topics, which happened or are likely to occur. The remote is strategic. It deals with decisions concerning abstract ideas, which have not happened and whose occurrence is uncertain. So, the origin of everything we see around us is our informational ability, a characteristic of living beings (from the informational standpoint, as another question involves the origin of matter itself.) And we can say that what we call life is the ability of complex matter to process information with its informational ability.

Know Thyself: How Anticipatory Systems Theory can Inform Medical Science and Psychology

Judith Rosen — 2010-08-26

Habit patterns: We all have them. This is a universal reality of human experience. We acquire them from two distinct sources-- The human mind generates countless habit patterns as does the human body. Sometimes the two work together to generate and/or reinforce each other's habit patterns, other times, they seem to work at cross purposes to each other. Good habits, bad habits... these habit patterns can take many different forms or manifest their presence in different ways such as set-points, over-use injuries, calluses, tendencies (like having "a sweet tooth"), having a hair-trigger temper, or cravings and aversions-- which can sometimes become full-blown addictions and phobias. Oscar Wilde's famous line, "I can resist anything except temptation!" (from Lady Windermere's Fan) illuminates everything from a weakness for pastries to a pyromaniac's compulsion to start fires. Temptation represents something about a pre-existing habit pattern. Another universal reality of human experience is that, all too often, our own habit patterns seem to be beyond our conscious ability to control. Why is that? And, what causes them?

Rights, Responsibilities and Resilience; or 'Auntie Phyllis and the Bloody Great Fork'

Ron Cottam — 2010-08-25

The evolution of human societies has been punctuated by a progressive multiplicity of declarations of the rights which more or less rigidly defined groups of humans, citizens or organisms could claim. The very idea of equilibrium in any dynamic environment depends on a balance between counteracting influences. The United Nations General Assembly’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 was itself an important step forward, but where is the Universal Declaration of Human Responsibilities?[1]

This question of equilibrium is fundamental to any concept of resilience, which although lacking a clear definition for human society as a whole does imply a sense of continuity or temporal sustainability. Sadly, although Spiritually-based movements have long focused on the advisability of pro/contra relational equilibria, Science has traditionally taken a view that the experimenter controls his or her subject, and that the relationship must of pragmatic and philosophic necessity be unidirectional. This imbalance did begin to break down during the twentieth century, with the introduction of quantum theory, but only within limited areas of investigation.

Arguably, a turning point in the drift of global human attention towards recognition of the importance of environmental equilibrium was Rachel Carson’s publication in 1962 of Silent Spring, but it is only comparatively recently that fear of global warming has really begun to exercise our intellect. Fascinatingly, if unsurprisingly, most discussion of this possibly imminent phenomenon focuses on ‘who is to blame’, rather than whether the alleged causes should be addressed independently of whether catastrophe will follow or not.

Science has journeyed onward in an unstated assumption that analysis and synthesis are symmetrical[2]. The long-held belief that it will ultimately be possible to establish a Theory of Everything from examination of the properties of elementary particles bears witness to this supposition; the macroscopic complexity of Nature indicates that such a belief is farcical.

Although the more exact sciences have begun to move out of their ‘comfort zone’ of near-equilibrium quasi-linearity by tackling chaos and less-than-deterministic systems, they have yet to meet up with biology coming in the other direction. Inorganic nature can be addressed reasonably successfully by either digital or analog techniques, but life establishes multi-scalar systems based on compromise between the two and on variable relationships between local scalar and global non-scalar characters. Until now this has had very little impact on Science in general, particularly in the present socio-commercial climate where analog is bad and digital is good.

The central issue for any overarching view of Nature, society and of their interaction is one of scale. How does, or should, an individual or group relate to local society in general or to planetary resilience? How do, or should, rights and responsibilities be integrated into a scheme which accepts the complexity of multi-scalar organisms and multi-scalar societies on a multi-scalar planet? This is, or should be, the central theme of any approach to resilience. But should it be a question which only concerns governance as a top-down ‘leave it to the politicians’ approach? Contextually identified concepts of top-down and bottom-up design or control abound in our surroundings, but neither of them can ever be efficiently viable on its own, nor can the two be simplistically integrated into a mono-rational system for which analysis and synthesis are asymmetrical.

Careful examination of naturally-generated ‘hierarchical’ systems[3] leads to a recognition that purely scale-local organization can never be sufficient to guarantee any form of resilience in the face of either external or internal perturbation, never mind guaranteeing a resilience which can sustain ‘health and happiness’ for a system’s constituent elements. Inter-scalar transit in a multi-scalar system depends on global properties, which themselves depend on local phenomena, whether for an individual or a society.

So, it seems that in addressing the resilience of our mono-rational multi-scalar societies, of multi-scalar organisms, on a multi-scalar planet, it would be reasonable to first think carefully about how multi-scalar natural systems operate. Will this be sufficient? No, although it will probably help somewhat. But maybe an important first step would be to address, in our own lives, and therefore at a very small scale, the balance between rights and responsibilities which will be necessary to support effectiveness of any future governance that, for all our sakes, targets resilient dynamic socio-planetary equilibrium. From small acorns do tall oak trees grow.

[1] The establishment of such a document has indeed been addressed, most recently by the InterAction Council of Former Heads of State and Government, but it remains, unfortunately, without any overt consequences.

[2] For an extensive consideration of this relationship in the context of living organisms see Robert Rosen’s 1991 book Life Itself: A Comprehensive Inquiry into the Nature, Origin, and Fabrication of Life.

[3] The reader should note that by ‘hierarchical’ we are looking towards systems which are neither uniquely top-down nor bottom-up in their organizational style.

Systems Thinking Research Rediscovered: Ludwig von Bertalanffy and the Society for General System's Research's Relevance in the 21st Century

Stephen Haines — 2010-07-16

This paper ties the roots of Systems Thinking to its crucial relevance for the future by reviewing the influence and work of the Society for General Systems Research (GSR). It is important to understand the history of Systems Thinking and its original definition that is the Foundation of ISSS. This definition is often lost to the detriment of many current practitioners who lack foundational theory. An understanding of the Systems Thinking Approach as the Core Technology of the Haines Centre addresses the recent failure of the economy and rejuvenates many professional, management with practical applications.

The father of Living Systems Thinking and founder of the Society for General Systems Research (later the ISSS) was Austrian Ludwig von Bertalanffy. When Bertalanffy helped formed the GSR in 1954, his goal was to find a unity of science for all complex living things on earth.

The result is Systems Thinking, both an old and new orientation to life. It is the “natural way the world works,” giving a simpler, yet holistic view of individuals, teams and organizations as they survive and thrive in today’s complex and dynamic global environment. The holistic outcome-oriented approach to Systems Thinking distinguishes it from other narrow and fragmented analytical approaches to life and work. While critical thinking is an important practice, Systems Thinking extends and revolutionizes it in a more extensive and practical way.

Four interrelated main concepts help clarify and simplify how we view our complex world. These concepts— or strands of DNA that compose Systems Thinking— provide a broader mental map to see, think, understand, diagnose and act more effectively.

1. The first DNA strand is the Seven Levels of Living Systems: cell, organ, organism, group, organization, society and supranational system. The paper will focus on the three levels that affect organizations— individuals, teams and organization— and their three levels of collision: one-on-one, team-to-team, and organization-to-environment.

2. The second concept is the Twelve Natural Laws of Living Systems on Earth. These laws, organized into internal and external strands of life— help to point out natural similarities in humans at all Seven Levels. They also aid in comparing Best Practices with traditional human and organization dynamics.

3. The third strand is the ABCs of the Systems Thinking framework. These five Phases provide a simple yet comprehensive approach to integrative and holistic Systems Thinking. The application of these concepts is Strategic Thinking, a “backward thinking” approach that starts with the desired future, then works backwards to develop plans, strategies and actions to “close the gap” and reach desired outcomes.

4. The fourth DNA strand is The Rollercoaster of Change™, the natural and historical reaction to any desired change. This individual and physiological reaction to change is normal and highly predictable. By anticipating natural reactions, a Systems Thinking approach prepares practitioners for every hurdle they might face in implementation.

With the recent failure of the economy, there has never been a better time to return to the basics. This paper focuses on returning to fundamentals that are often forgotten, in order to replace the cycle of failure with a cycle of success. By returning to the roots of Systems Thinking, practitioners can examine and build on past successes, launching their own cycles of success in whatever ISSS sub-group they join.

Accosting the Governance Challenge

Javier Livas

None, see full paper.

Disequilibrium, Development, and Resilience Through Adult Life

Pamela Buckle Henning — 2010-07-15

In the field of mental health, resilience is understood as a psychological characteristic intimately entwined with the experience of disequilibrium. Originally, the resilience literature focused on children. But psychological development can continue beyond childhood. Recently, psychologists have begun to examine the resilience that arises – or doesn’t – through the vicissitudes of adult life as well. Psychologically, a human being can be considered a complex system of drives, conflicts, capacities, hopes, etc. The human life span can be conceptualized as repeated experiences of stability and disequilibrium for a person’s psychological system. From that stability and disequilibrium come the emergence of new abilities and worldviews. One possible outcome of the experience of repeated psychological disequilibrium inherent to adult life is the development of psychological resilience. This paper examines the affective experience of psychological development through adult life, and it what it means to be actively receptive to development in a way that optimizes the growth of resilience throughout adulthood. This article aims to make several contributions to the systems sciences. First, it brings psychology back into conversation with the systems community after an absence, in ISSS at least, of many years. Second, systems theorists have paid little attention to the affective experience of disequilibrium – a recognized systems process – in a human system like an adult person. Third, to the mental health community this paper seeks to communicate that perhaps much of the suffering and negative affect people experience through adulthood can be reframed from psychopathology to developmental transition – to disequilibrium, and the vulnerability and challenges that go with it.

The Biocybernetic Approach as a Basis for Planning and Governance

Gabriele Rosa Maria Harrer — 2010-08-25

The last decades, with societies and economies mostly focussing on quantitative growth and at the same time wasting natural resources with linear production processes, are now culminating in a critical situation for our social, ecological and economical systems.

Regardless that general consciousness about the interdependencies in our interconnected global world, caused mainly by the world wide web and effects of globalization, and also the knowledge about ecological contexts have grown, the use of this knowledge in our reality - in politics, governance, economy, education - is still missing. It seems that something constrains fundamentally the necessary change in our modes of governance and planning.

Until now, generations of scientists, politicians, organizations and individuals have been dealing with interdisciplinary questions, with the nature of complex systems, with models of complex problems and their possible solution - an actual example is climate research and the huge international climate conferences.

But we have to recognize, if we want to see it or not, that real systemic and integrated solutions in order to govern our society towards resilient technical, economical and social developments are despite this big efforts not consequently designed or implemented.

The German biocybernetician, leading ecologist and bestseller author Prof. Frederic Vester explains in his lifework the possible reasons: to achieve real change and transformation of our behaviour and governance towards the design of resilient systems to safeguard the only basis of all human existence, which is nature, it is necessary to understand the interconnections and the complexity of the highly complex systems and their likewise high dynamics and rate of change of our environment.

Like many cyberneticians and system researchers before him, Vester analyzed on the basis of his interdisciplinary research on cells, on brains, on ecosystems, on economies and human-created systems of all kind, how these functioning systems are able to work with such great efficiency.

These systems have a few similar and typical patterns in common, which he described as "Eight Biocybernetic Rules", and which can be used as an orientation model for successful and resilient systems: only nature with its feedback processes, independency of quantitative growth, function orientation, self organization, self regulation, adaptation, homeostasis, symbiosis, recycling and biological design gives us the only valid example of a resilient system.

But what we need for a real implementation of these basic rules is a shift from our traditional, mainly linear, causal-effect thinking towards a new thinking what Vester characterized with the expression "interconnected thinking". This means to think in relations, in feedback cycles, in patterns, in networks, in systems. Only this new way of thinking guides towards a real understanding of our complex world. And only the real understanding of the complexity and cybernetic behaviour of these systems can cause the long lasting and effective necessary change in the behaviour of the acting persons and organizations.

To make these findings of his scientific and didactic research easily understandable and applicable in the daily practice in education but also in the concrete planning and management processes Vester developed various media and tools.

TRIPLE TASK AND THE PHILOSOPHERS STONE: DISCOVERING A METHODOLOGY FOR SYSTEMIC AND REFLECTIVE PARTICIPATION

Simon George Bell — 2010-07-15

The European Union Framework Package 7 project POINT (Policy Influence of Indicators) is exploring the use of indicators in several domains (most specifically sustainable development) in order to see how their value and ultimate usefulness can be maximised. One key aspect of POINT is to assess the ways in which groups and communities work to gain greatest use of information. Using an innovative methodology called „Triple Task‟, the authors are applying a three cornered approach in order to gain an understanding as to how groups work, how they assesses themselves and how they appear to function from an external perspective.
In this paper, the three stages of Triple Task are described and explored. Task One is effectively an adapted „soft systems‟ approach, encouraging a group to work together on problem identification and action planning. Task 2 is a reflective, „outside in‟, external review of group dynamics which makes use of the „BECM‟ matrix for group systemic assessment first developed by the Systems Group at the UK Open University. Task 3 is an „inside-out‟ self-reflective group analysis applying the well-known SYMLOG method. By use of a tri-analysis involving both qualitative and quantitative approaches, the authors show how during Triple Task managed events a „story‟ emerges of group learning and development and, how a potential diagnostic tool for educing purposeful group behaviour has emerged. The research is in its early stages, but following the analysis of numerous groups from a range of sectors from across the European Union the authors are gaining clarity over what features are most consistent between purposeful group behaviour and group makeup. This is leading towards the development of a „Triple Task‟ heuristic device for measuring and even predicting the systemic and reflective capacities of specific groups and communities and this could in turn result in means for improving participative effectiveness in a wide range of social engagements.

Ontological Support for Multiparadigm Multimethodologies: Isomorphic Process–Structures and the Critical Moment

Todd David Bowers — 2010-07-15

Because it still lacks adequate theory needed to ground its multiparadigm multimethodologies, critical systems practice has been derisively called “theoretically-contradictory eclecticism”. This paper is an introduction to and overview of the author’s forthcoming Ph.D. dissertation which offers a new framework for research in critical systems thinking and proposes a new approach for the practice of critical systemic intervention. To underpin this framework an ontology of process–structure isomorphies is designed as a metaphysical interface through an abstraction called the critical moment to each of the conventional paradigms of critical systems thinking (functionalist, interpretivist, emancipatory and postmodern). The ontology is realised by a new epistemology (its raison d'être) that respects paradigm incommensurability and yet exploits all the advantages to be had from a multiparadigmatic perspectivity. The new methodology, (wherein each of the paradigmatic approaches is critically ‘deployed’) then operationalises and completes the new framework. This new approach calls for and directs the systemist’s critically reflexive, axiologically transparent, multiparadigmatic appreciation of, and multimethodological engagement with, the problem situation and flux. The philosophy necessarily lays out the framework’s foundational motives, rationale, intents and purposes and acts as a guide for its use. The principal advantage of this new approach is derived from its critically-grounded multiparadigmatic perspectivity and the consequent leveraging of the full gamut of existing systemic methodologies and best practices.

Enacting Wholeness-Praxis Communities for Transforming Global Unsustainability with Collective Wholeness Consciousness

Ming-Fen Li — 2010-08-26

I. Background－The Planet as a generative network In the past decade, more and more organizations across the governmental and nongovernmental sectors come to realize that they must come together to face the imminent challenges-crises in order to maintain a livable and sustainable earth. This global consciousness, once being well recognized, could guide organizations to find new approaches to organizational transformation. In the past few years, Senge and his colleagues (Scharmer, Sue & Jaworski, 2004) have been working to cultivate a collective consciousness of global sustainability, aiming at fostering a new social technology of ‘presencing.’ Indeed, organizations across the 3 sectors have to collaborate with one another in order to create possibilities in the complicated ‘problem maze’ for resolving unending problems and emerging crisis. Organizational leaders’ wholeness awareness and awakened global consciousness undoubtedly would help nurture the public’s collective consciousness of human’s shared wholeness. Moreover, it is encouraging to observe that not only do more organizations across the 3 sectors endeavor in building sustainable culture with wholeness perspectives, innumerous divergent learning communities are also undertaking the grass-root movement of wholeness praxis. Therefore, in this paper, the authors will highlight the emerging wholeness spirit embodied in the practice of many small but rigorous learning communities, and explicate how the wholeness praxis communities might interact and evolve with other communities. II. Research Questions and Methodology It is revealing that the learning communities taking the holistic approach tend to embrace wholeness paradigm of organizational learning and transformation. Such a new paradigm of wholeness praxis is grounded in the community leaders’ perspectives of wholeness wellness. It is essential to explore how the community leaders’ lives are transformed with their wholeness praxis. The research aims at exploring the community leaders’ professional practice and life transformation, and how such transformation guides them to create new possibilities and opportunities. It is expected that with more and more learning communities transcending from their bounded world view and being transformed into wholeness praxis communities, it is more likely that we might create a positive and negentropic global force to prevent our environment and ecology from being further exploited. There are three main research questions to be inquired in depth, which are listed below: 1. How might learning communities transform into wholeness praxis communities and how the community leaders’ lives are transformed? 2. How do the wholeness praxis communities interact with other communities to realize their vision and mission, and become self-generative and self-organized communities? 3. How do such self-generative, self-organized communities cultivate the public’s wholeness consciousness for global sustainability? In this study, the authors integrate three approaches for research design and data collection. They are whole systems design and wholeness dialogue design of the world café, models integration and application, and textual analysis, which serve for wholeness praxis theory construction and revision. They also designed two tools for guiding the collective dialogue in the world café and in-depth interviews. One is the life transformation model and the other is holistic dialogue model. The participants of this research are community leaders and their learners from 12 divergent learning communities with various practice of wholeness. III. Research findings and results The results of this study reveal that leaders of the emerging “wholeness praxis communities” not only experience deep life transformation, but also wholeheartedly committee themselves to creating supporting and regenerative network for their wholeness practice and their learners’ wholeness experiential learning. With the cultivation of wholeness spirit, they could relate to as many organizations as possible in order to co-create collective transformation for realizing a sustainability world. Moreover, such wholeness praxis communities are generative and regenerative in nature, which emerge from the spirit of co-relating, co-suffering, co-sensing, co-presencing and co-creating. In brief, the primary findings of this study include: 1. The wholeness images, wholeness mindfulness, wholeness enlightenment and wholeness praxis (e.g. learning design) of the community leaders. 2. The essence of the emerging wholeness praxis communities and their critical roles in building a global sustainable culture. 3. The levels of wholeness consciousness cultivated in the wholeness praxis communities in this study. 4. The wholeness dynamics to be enacted among the wholeness praxis communities and other communities, such as communities of practice, communities of meaning construction, and communities of spiritual awakening for building a global sustainable culture. It is expected that this contemplative and philosophical reconceptualization of organizational transformation and community praxis would bring forth more inspiring and intellectual discussions about the emerging wholeness-praxis organizations and communities in the contemporary age. If more and more communities or organizations could transform from knowledge learning and skill development to wholeness learning and praxis, the many ecological, global, technological, and ethical challenges we are facing would serve to illuminate our reflective dialogue and enlighten our collective thinking. Moreover, collaboration within the wholeness praxis communities and with other generative communities would be likely to shape a new culture for global sustainability.

LEADERSHIP OF NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS IN THE AGED CARE SECTOR IN AUSTRALIA

Shankar Sankaran — 2010-08-25

This paper will describe an organizational change program being envisaged to be carried out in two non-profit organizations in Australia that are providing health and community care. A pilot project was carried out to secure a research grant from the Australian Federal Government to carry out a three-year research project to strengthen leadership in non-profit organizations providing aged care. The paper will summarize the findings from the pilot project which used systems thinking approaches such as scenario planning. It will also explain an action research approach being adopted to test the leadership framework (developed through the pilot project and confirmed through the main project) in real environments. The research is expected to contribute to theory and practice of leadership in the not-for-profit organizations serving the aged care sector in Australia which is a national priority to be addressed.

Systemic Insights into the Management of Ecosystem Services in the Marine Environment

Jonathan P Atkins — 2010-07-16

This paper centres on the application of The Ecosystem Approach in the management of the marine environment, involving the identification of multi-stakeholder needs and uses of ecosystem services. The Ecosystem Approach provides ‘a strategy for the integrated management of land, water and living resources that promotes conservation and sustainable use in an equitable way’, while ecosystem services are ‘the conditions and processes through which natural ecosystems, and the species that make them up, sustain and fulfil human life’. Ever increasing and diverse use of the marine environment is leading to human-induced changes in marine-life, making necessary the development of a marine policy formation process that recognises and takes into consideration the full range of stakeholders and results in policy that addresses current, multiple, interacting uses (e.g. the EU’s Maritime Policy and Marine Strategy Framework Directive). Taking a systemic approach, incorporating an understanding of marine ecosystem structure and functioning, we identify the diversity of stakeholders and their uses of the marine environment within the framework of ecosystem services (production, regulation, cultural and over-arching support services). Informed by the DPSIR (Drivers – Pressures - State Change – Impact - Response) approach - a framework for assessing the causes, consequences and responses to change – we assess the outcomes of competing human uses and emerging pressures on the marine environment, the complexity of decision making in this area, and provide a process for informing choices in conflict resolution involving a diversity of stakeholders. Case studies include the management of (i) marine aggregates extraction in UK waters and (ii) coastal biodiversity at Flamborough Head, UK.

Associations for the Reciprocal and Mutual Sharing of Advantages and DisAdvantages

Pierre Bricage — 2010-08-26

To survive the living systems must to eat and not to be eaten. But, soon or late, every one is eaten http://tinyurl.com/surviepbafscet. The law of the strongest is not-at-all the best ! The only way to escape from the struggle is to enter into an Association for the Reciprocal and Mutual Sharing of Advantages and DisAdvantages (ARMSADA). A lichen which is both an organism and an ecosystem, a cell which is also an ecosystem and an endosyncenosis (ceno: to meet and fuse, syn: into a system, endo: with a new internal structural and functional organisation), both are ARMSADAs. Every ARMSADA merges when the partners do lose simultaneously the capacity to kill the other one(s). In the new Whole, all that is an advantage for a partner is a disadvantage for the other one(s) http://tinyurl.com/pbsustdev. The ôparcenersô are fused together ôfor the best and for the worstö. The benefits are only for their Wholeness which expresses new ôabilitiesö http://tinyurl.com/andesymbiosis. The synthesis of the myelin, in the case of the neurone, emerges from the ôunity through diversityô between a population of Schwann's cells and a giant cellular body. The nitrogen fixation of the legumes' nodes emerges from the fusion of a population of Monera with -and within- an organism. The eukaryotic cell has emerged from the help of a RNA virus from a microbial mat of Monera http://tinyurl.com/pbcellorigin. In their new endophysiotope (endo: internal, tope: space, physio: of functioning), the ôparcenersô are absolutely dependant from each others. But, through the iteration of the process of new ARMSADAs' emerging, the new -more and more complex- ôsystem-of-systemsö is, more and more, independent of its ecoexotope (exo: external, tope: space, eco: of inhabitation) http://tinyurl.com/phylotagmotaphology. The endophysiotope of a i level of organisation is the ecoexotope of previous i-n levels. So the Whole is also less and more than the sum of its parts: because of the semi-autonomy of the parceners, simultaneously abilities of the previous levels are lost and new are gained http://tinyurl.com/anlea05pau. There is never advantages without disadvantages. To survive is to turn disadvantages into advantages and to avoid advantages turning into disadvantages. The systemic disfunctioning of its ARMSADA explains the apoptosis of the cell. That is the result of the death of one endangered internal partner (the monere parts: the population of mitochondria or the nucleus) which results into the death of the endosyncenosis. Cancer also is a breaking of the cell's ARMSADA http://tinyurl.com/pbcancerlisboa. Cells that should have to die, because of external dangers, ôthanksö to the escape of internal dormant viruses do not. Through this metamorphosis -http://tinyurl.com/pbmeta1- their new endophysiotope survives but their previous ecoexotope, the organism, is altered and endangered. Into an ARMSADA each partner can survive only if the other ones survive first. Man is not an exception http://tinyurl.com/WHYman

Group Development: A Complex Adaptive Systems Perspective

Mary C Edson — 2010-07-16

Version:1.0 StartHTML:0000000149 EndHTML:0000001360 StartFragment:0000000199 EndFragment:0000001326 StartSelection:0000000199 EndSelection:0000001326 A substantial number of group development models have used sequential or phasic paradigms to create an understanding of group dynamics under normal conditions. Few GD models have used systemic perspectives to explore group dynamics in the face of adversity. This essay compared GD models with an ecological model of complex adaptive cycles to explore group resilience using the four principles of complex adaptive systems (CAS) – self-organization, hierarchy, emergence, and learning.

The comparison was based upon a historical literature review of several theories of GD, CAS, and group resilience. The rationale for this comparison was to bridge a gap in understanding between existing GD models and team resilience using lessons learned from CAS in ecology. The application of a model of complex adaptive cycles informed existing GD models through the four principles of CAS by revealing similarities, differences, and inflection points that provide potential to areas for further research.

Conscious Purpose in 2010: Bateson's Prescient Warning

Phillip V Guddemi — 2010-07-16

In 1968 Gregory Bateson hosted a conference on “the effects of conscious purpose on human adaptation.” In his conference paper he warned that human conscious purpose distorts perception in a way which obscures the systemic (“cybernetic”) nature of both self and environment. The ensuing years have paid little attention to his analysis of both observer and environment as cybernetic systems whose systemic natures are dangerously opaque to human purposive thought. But his analysis is sounder than ever on the basis of scientific developments of the last forty years. Recent adaptive systems formulations in ecological theory have underscored how ecological systems, because of their systems nature, can be vulnerable to the unintended consequences of human actions. Modern neuroscience has also delineated many of the limitations of conscious thinking Bateson warned us against. In fact, new work on the cerebral hemispheres has pointed to epistemological biases, characteristic of the left hemisphere in particular, which fit Bateson’s portrait of the biases of conscious purpose. It seems that Bateson’s forty-two year old warning was prescient and relevant to our predicament today.

A Complex Adaptive Systems Approach for the Green Growth

Hyuk Kihl Kwon — 2010-08-25

As we know, one of the most interesting themes at 21^st century is the environmental problems. Also, so many people interested sustainable development and the economic growth. Both of them adhere closely. They are related with environmental sustainability. With a line of connection, “Green Growth” is more interesting theme for Asia-Pacific region people. The Asia-Pacific region has 61 per cent of the world’s population and it covers 40 per cent of the Earth’s land area. Facing Second Millenniums Era, dramatic economic growth has facilitated poverty alleviation and social progress in many parts of the region. But, increasing demands for food, water, shelter, sanitation, energy, health services and economic and human security, all these added pressures make big issues. How are they satisfied with their increasing demands? How meet they the difficult global challenges before them, while simultaneously improving people’s lives and conserving their natural resources? As a result, the Governments in the Asia-Pacific region have unanimously agreed to respond to these challenges through the promising path of environmentally sustainable economic growth, as “Green Growth”

I’d like to research the Asia-Pacific countries’ efforts for environmentally sustainable economic growth, as “Green Growth” by Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS).

CAS is dynamic systems able to adapt in and evolve with a changing environment. It is important to realize that there is no separation between a system and its environment in the idea that a system always adapts to a changing environment. Rather, the concept to be examined is that of a system closely linked with all other related systems making up an ecosystem. Within such a context, change needs to be seen in terms of co-evolution with all other related systems, rather than as adaptation to a separate and distinct environment. Also, I intend to add software for achieving the Green Growth as Asia-Pacific region people wanted.

A System That Works: Building a Decentralized Global Political Economy using the Viable System Model

Jon Li — 2010-08-25

System That Works:

Building a decentralized Global Political Economy using the Viable System Model

A political economy that enhances personal freedom requires effective but limited regulation. The Viable System Model by Stafford Beer offers a way to analyze an organization’s communication problems, maximize resource use, minimize waste, and adapt to a changing environment by clarifying what to regulate. Jon Walker’s “VSM Quick Guide” and Allenna Leonard’s “Personal VSM” ground the reader. VSM is applied to a community of 65,000 people in Davis, California, USA, in a way that could be used in other places around the world, to help identify strategies to better meet human needs, enhance the local economy, reduce environmental damage, and encourage natural healing processes. Given the recursive nature of the VSM, this method could be used at every level from person to family/neighborhood/village/community/district/region/state/nation/continent/planet, emphasizing the system in focus. “National Government: disseminated regulation in real time, or ‘How to run a country’” by Stafford Beer describes how to construct “quantified flow charts” to identify which statistics to measure daily as regulation at a particular level of recursion.

CLOSING THE LOOP:A SYSTEMS THINKING LED SUSTAINABLE SANITATION PROJECT IN AUSTRALIA

Shankar Sankaran — 2010-07-16

This paper will explain a research project being carried out in Sydney, Australia at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) highlighting the systems thinking principles and action research methodology being adopted in this project. UTS is set to participate in an Australia-first research project, led by the Institute of Sustainable Futures (ISF), exploring the use of innovative urine diverting toilets in an institutional setting. A UTS Challenge Grant (an internal grant scheme to promote innovative collaborative research) has been awarded to the project which will enable safe nutrient capture and reuse from urine diverting toilets installed on campus for a trial period. The Challenge Grant has some enthusiastic industry partners including the local water utility Sydney Water; the sanitaryware manufacturer CaromaDorf; the Nursery and Garden Industry Association; government partners (NSW Department of Health, and City of Sydney) and the UTS Facilities Management Unit. Researchers from the University of Western Sydney and University of New South Wales in Australia as well as Linkoping University in Sweden are collaborators in this research.

INNOVATION THROUGH KNOWLEDGE SCIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT SUPPORTED BY SOFT SYSTEMS METHODOLOGIES

Elvira Avalos — 2010-08-25

Knowledge Science (KS) and Knowledge Management (KM) have become more important in the last decade. An authentic revolution has occurred in this field. Many studies and surveys were conducted among doctoral and post-doctoral researchers who were studying these subjects to define the Knowledge Science content : creativity, systematic application of knowledge, human science and methods of knowledge transfer, knowledge utilization and knowledge creation. It has been hard to define the content of Knowledge Management as an interdisciplinary field. Several different definitions have been proposed. In spite of that, it is well known that Knowledge Management focuses on organizing general management to achieve its mission, improve its competitive advantage and develop organizational competences through that knowledge. Several models have been proposed which cover a lot of factors, entities, functions, events and support. Factors for considering all the needed variables, entities for answering what does KM deal with, functions for defining how to implement KM, events for studying main situations and support to enable us with the available tools. Creativity and innovation are keys to obtain results. The available models should be analyzed, from the simplest to the most sophisticated, by means of a systems analysis methodology. When a model for improving an specific innovation system is applied it is convenient to select and utilize a soft system methodology (SSM) to promote the change process. In this paper several KM models are analyzed and one additional model, coherent, integral and applicable in most common problems is proposed. Besides that the paper focuses on discussing the relationships between Knowledge Management, creativity, innovation and technological development. Several partial problems and solutions are considered in this KM study: 1. Organization of knowledge data and information, 2. Utilization of this knowledge in internal processes, 3. New knowledge creation and finally, 4. Integration of new knowledge in the organization.

Mechanism and Medievalism in Contemporary Social Theory: Systems Suggestions for Transformation

Barbara Hanson — 2010-07-15

This paper examines the possibilities for the transformation of social theory via basic systems epistemology. I argue that social theory has lagged behind theoretical development in other realms of scholarship and thinking in world cultures in part because of its implicit reliance on dialectic or oppositional epistemology that is an outgrowth of mechanism. Social theoretical activity of the past 50 years has oft criticized conceptions of modernity, science, objectivity, and reason as artifacts of Europe between the 1500s and 1700s. However, these critiques have failed to address how these ideas emerged in the context of dominant monotheistic religion in the Medieval or Middle Ages in formative Europe. Consequently social theory bears the cast of Medieval scholarly practices to the current day. This argument appears by looking at the context of the 400s-1400s in the territories of what later became Europe and suggests the relevance of relational units for social theory.

Systems of Belief More than Reality in Socio-economic Evolution

Brian John Hilton — 2010-08-25

Abstract

Systems of Belief More than Reality in Socio-economic Evolution

This paper examines the interaction between two versions of human reality, the perceived one and the evidentially unobserved one. Choice is made on the basis of how we perceive reality and this is not necessarily co-incident with what we might accept as reality if our rationality were truly unbounded by our ignorance. Many things we purchase, consume, cover come to own etc have a subjective value far in access of their objective value. That is nowhere more evident in stock markets.

Here the value of a share is what people believe it to be worth rather than any objectively measurable means of valuing it. The physical assets and current realisable assets of a corporation can be far below the market value puts on its shares in the stock market. This depends as much on the worth of the IPR the company is seen to own, the brands it owns, the perceived competence or not of its senior leadership, even fashion as much as it is on its measurable assets.

This is most evident with respect to money which only has value if we believe it does. In recent history it is no longer backed by a real commodity gold but by government debt and its deposit levels but as all good banking students know the bank keeps only a small amount of cash to allow those normally wishing to realise their deposits supplied. If confidence in the bank is lost and all its depositors come at the same time to realise their deposits, a run on the bank, it is impossible for nay bank to satisfy its creditors and it must collapse. Banking and money more than anything else depend on people’s belief in value not actual realisable value. As long as belief can be maintained value can be maintained. When confidence collapses value collapses so given the value we get out of our social belief in the value of money we all work hard to maintain general confidence in such value for without it all is lost.

All the above holds true in social, political and cultural systems belief is most everything most of the time and if we cannot sustain it that it supports crumbles to dust.

Belief is so powerfully useful consider the converse of the above. The sustainment and endorsement of each other’s beliefs and of all beliefs the value and significance of different parts of knowledge that drive our modern social technological system is pivotal. It seems if we as human being can envisage something it comes to be. In my life space travel, colour movies, flat-screen televisions computers, mobile phones global TV stations were all impossible now they are our everyday lives.

Fundamental to our knowledge in the 20^th Century is a dilemma as yet unresolved. Light is corpuscular and light is a wave form. Two inconveniently inconsistent beliefs which we have resolved short term, in the absence of a General Theory of Relativity though candidates do now exist, by managing to believe inconsistently in both of them at the same time as it suited our convenience.

Where lies truth knowledge and evolution in an age where value is more and more determined by belief. The material, production and logistic cost of a Nike shoe selling for $150 is around $10 $70 goes to the retailer for the ambiance of his store and the remaining $70 goes to the person that conceived the design and marketing campaign that created its value.

In an age of triple bottom line accounting what are the implications of this as in a sense knowledge creation and distribution is virtually costless and consumes hardly any real physical resources at all only the food to sustain the creators and thinkers so employed.

SYSTEMIC DESIGN FOR THE RECYCLING OF SOLID AND LIQUID ORGANIC WASTE AND THE HYDROPONIC GROWTH OF ORGANIC FOOD: A NATURAL CYCLE OF LIFE

Ignacio E Peon-Escalante — 2010-08-25

We propose a systemic design for the total recycling process of solid and liquid organic waste, its anaerobic and aerobic treatment, and the production of organic food through the use of hydroponics under a controlled environment. In Mexico City, as in many other cities in the world, waste management is a growing problem, solid and liquid, organic and inorganic. One half of solid waste in Mexico City is organic. The city government also has considerable difficulties with the disposal of waste. Another relevant issue is the availability of water for Mexico City’s, 20 million inhabitants. At the Instituto Politecnico Nacional (IPN), a large and influential public university in Mexico, a technical research project has been designed to provide a systemic solution for these important needs.

In nature, there is a Cycle of Life in each of the biotic parts of an ecosystem there is a synergetic relationship between biotic and non-biotic systems. When a living being dies, its organic waste becomes a favorable substrate for decomposers, in the organic waste, living beings obtain water and nutrients for their growth. The main composition of living beings is water. We can observe how ecosystems work, and use an ecosystemic metaphor for a systemic design of a recycling process.

A systemic socio-technical solution is being developed under the conceptual guideline of the ecosystemic metaphor through a participative action-research process to design an integral solution to the problems of waste, water and food production. For almost thirty years we have been working on this type of solutions alongside rural and urban communities, the next step is to optimize the recycling and construction process with an action-research systemic project on its technological, economic, social and environmental dimensions.

Psychological Panarchy: Steps to an Ecology of Thought

Will Varey — 2010-07-16

ABSTRACT Since its origination, researchers in the field of ecology have been faced with complex questions of considerable complexity. To consider an entity within its habitat involves recurring problems of definition; of the entity, the boundary of the inquiry and the criterion for observation. The increasing sophistication of systems theory in the construction of ecosystem models provided new ways of studying ecologies as processes, independent of the botanical organisms they contain. Extensions of hierarchy theory allowed multiple scalar levels of systemic interactions to be observed. The development of panarchy theory has now provided a cyclical perspective on complex ecologies in multiple spatio-temporal spans. Yet in all the advancements of our observations of complex ecological systems, we have advanced only slightly in our observation of the observer. Recent research into developmental psychology suggests that psychosystems, like ecosystems, are not unimodal and continuously distributed. Patterns of thought may also form complex hierarchies appropriate to the environments of existence. Panarchy principles have proven useful in providing metaphors for the complexity of socio-political and socio-cultural dynamics. The governing dynamics of human thought are now being seen as crucial for the resilience, sustainability and liveability of our future societies. The potential exists for a more detailed construction of a theory of panarchy for human psychology to provide an explanation of the role of thought in understanding human and ecological systems. This paper considers parallels between recent findings in developmental psychology and developments in the panarchy research into complex ecologies to assess the viability of the application of panarchy theory to the ecology of human thought. Five distinctive features of a panarchy inquiry are considered with reference to the viability of their application to the psychological dynamics operating in evolutionary human social systems. The paper concludes that a theory of psychological panarchy is viable, and necessary, if roles of the observer and the observed are to be understood so as to progress the study of the resiliency of complex human societies.

Rainfall Use to Improve the Sustainability of the Hydraulic System in the Valley of Mexico

Isaias José Badillo — 2010-08-25

This paper is a complementary part of previous papers dealing with water issues in México City and its suburbs. Specifically addresses the system of rain water collecting, as there is still plenty of rainwater volumes which has features to satisfies the needs of the city. After a brief description of the hydrological system characteristics of the valley in order to give an idea of the potential of the sustainability of the rain water resources, it is proposed a set of short and long range actions to retain larger volumes of rain water: a) Construction of underground and surfaces tanks and / or semi-underground storages, b) Construction of an underground and distribution ring storage tank, c) Construction of dams, d) Construction of wells for adsorption, e) Massive cobbled of secondary streets, f) Storage of rainwater in houses, g) Massive reforestation of originally forested areas and construction of new forests, h) Protection of soil with litter i) Construction of a special rain water sewage.

SECURE COMMUNICATIONS: CHAOTIC SYNCHRONIZATION ON RÖSSLER CIRCUIT

Ricardo Cisneros — 2010-08-25

In this paper is presented the analysis of Rössler’s chaotic oscillator third order, analyzed with the Kirchhoff theory, moreover had been demonstrated that two chaotic systems that are seemingly random, it can matched on one trajectory, using two nonlinear dynamics electronics circuits, in this case rössler circuit’s (on transmitter and receiver), that gives rise to send information using chaotic signals. i.e. the signal is masked, providing information encryption at hardware level; the simulation, graphics, and other results are showing using the multisim software.

STRUCTURAL EQUATION MODEL FOR THE MULTIDIMENSIONAL MEASUREMENT OF THE POVERTY IN MEXICO

Pedro Flores-Jimenez — 2010-07-16

This paper postulate that the poverty in Mexico can be determined analyzing different hypothetical constructs, just like the official measurements, that carry out several organisms of the Federal Government's, to effect of obtain an unique measurement. It postulate that the measurements of the levels of alimentary poverty, of capacities, of patrimony, the index of social backwardness, that obtains the Social Developmental Secretariat, they can integrate with other socioeconomic measurements such as the Marginalization index, that obtains the National Council of Population. Given the subjectivity of the different hypothetical constructs, as poverty, social backwardness and marginalization, the only form of measuring them is indirectly, by using methods that use variables that they can be measured directly. For the integration of the diverse official measurements proposes a method of multivariate analysis known as a Structural Equation Model. It develops a complete model of structural regression, compound by two sub models: the Measurement and the Structure models; which used i variables observed to define j variables latent hypothetical, both dependent and independent, to determinate an integrated measure of the poverty.

Different Types of Misperception regarding Benevolence

Shutaro Kawabe — 2010-08-25

.  This paper introduces misperception to bilateral decision situations with benevolent players (Bergstrom, 1999) based on hypergame framework (Bennett, 1979). In Bergstrom (1999), a benevolent player not only considers the opponent’s private subutility but also his benevolence towards her. Accordingly, we analyze two cases in which the player misperceives only the opponent’s private subutility and only the opponent’s benevolence respectively. An interesting result we obtained is that misperception of the opponent’s benevolence only has the unit change effect, such that in many applications the effect of opponent’s benevolence may be ignored

TOWARDS A HOLISTIC APPROACH FOR MODELING FINANCIAL VOLATILITY

Oswaldo Morales-Matamoros — 2010-07-16

Due to the more global economic system, financial markets impact to society and family throughout the world and causing new global crisis because of the higher and faster volatility of financial prices. This paper proposes a system view to set the basis for modeling the dynamics of global financial market with a holistic system view, in order to achieve a global sustainable development.

A cybernetic approach to hurricane hazard management on O’ahu, Hawai‘i

Anja Reissberg — 2010-07-16

This dissertation was set out to reveal deficiencies in hurricane hazard management on the island of O’ahu, Hawai‘i. The hurricane risk for a strong hit or near miss on O’ahu lies at about 1-3%. This probability seems low, but risk is mathematically constituted by the probability of an event times the magnitude of the consequences of the event. Consequently, the severity of the impacts needs to be considered. As the vulnerability analysis showed, those impacts would be catastrophic. Compared to the damage extent of Hurricane Katrina still vivid in the memories of many, O’ahu faces a much more vulnerable situation due to its isolation, high population density and fragile infrastructure. In human terms, the biggest difference is the infeasibility of evacuation of the island’s population of almost one mio. people, which would be highly vulnerable due to the failure of 80% of the island’s infrastructure. Honolulu International Airport would be unavailable for an extended time and the extensive damage to harbor facilities and smaller inland airports would limit the island’s resource access to a great extent. Overall, all critical infrastructure including energy, transportation, communications, food, sanitation and water distribution and emergency services would be severely impacted. Given the picture of great potential problems, there is a need for a way to maintain a society’s internal stability and reduce the vulnerability in face of such an external threat. Cybernetics in general and the VSM in particular, seemed to offer potential solutions. The objectives of this dissertation were (1) to investigate if hurricane hazard management in Hawai‘i can be improved by the VSM looking both at the structure and the processes; and (2) to evaluate the VSM’s applicability to disaster management and the insights for Geography and hazard management research. The VSM revealed that all system elements were in place, but the balance, quality and importance of some need urgent adjustments. A major structural drawback was the hierarchical structure of the National Incident Management System, even though it had cybernetically sound aspects such as a redundant system structure and a maximum of seven System 1 elements. System 2 was evident on paper, but overall it was an unpracticed system element. System 3* (audits) was failing through all Levels of Recursion. System 4 (intelligence) was evolving, but very weak at the time of investigation. System 5 (policy) was strong given the subject matter. Overall, the application of the VSM to hurricane hazard management confirmed the model’s usefulness. It is specifically capable of dealing adequately with the discontinuous temporal character of a ‘hibernating’ system such as a disaster organization. Besides application problems such as the abstractness of its language and concepts, it was concluded that after the big effort in the beginning shortens with more experience, the model reveals its excellent diagnostic capabilities. The VSM is analogous to a treasure map: You can run around an island and find the treasure by chance. This way, one can know about the treasure, but take forever to find it. The VSM, in contrary, leads you right to it. The insights could maybe be found out without the VSM, but it would take a longer time to reach those insights, one would need a variety of other approaches to do so and therefore need a variety of experts that speak the same meta-language. This is the great advantage of a VSM application: it can integrate different fields of knowledge and fits therefore into the field of Geography. It is capable to grasps the full complexity of the very interdisciplinary field of disaster management. This shows why the cybernetic meta-language and abstract concepts are necessary, highly useful and worth learning.