The Paradigm Shift of Systems Theory I. The Perspective of Systems Theory and its Relationship to the Traditional Mainstream Sciences, and its Approach to Mental Illness “Systems theory” is the name given to both a broad perspective and a large body of knowledge which has formed through the original efforts of many men and women in the last century, all of whom were working under the impulses of an important epistemological paradigm shift. That shift- the implications of which are too numerous and transformative to state or explain adequately in one place- was from the causal/linear and reductionist perspective that had largely dominated scientific thinking in their time, to an interactional perspective that explored reality in important new ways. From the perspective of the traditional sciences, the paradigm shift of systems theory was and is both radical and subversive. A Radical Shift Running for Cover To these pained souls, responses can be given. The Myth of Mental Illness But where is the problem? II.
Systems thinking Impression of systems thinking about society[1] A system is composed of interrelated parts or components (structures) that cooperate in processes (behavior). Natural systems include biological entities, ocean currents, the climate, the solar system and ecosystems. Designed systems include airplanes, software systems, technologies and machines of all kinds, government agencies and business systems. Systems Thinking has at least some roots in the General System Theory that was advanced by Ludwig von Bertalanffy in the 1940s and furthered by Ross Ashby in the 1950s. Systems thinking has been applied to problem solving, by viewing "problems" as parts of an overall system, rather than reacting to specific parts, outcomes or events and potentially contributing to further development of unintended consequences. Systems science thinking attempts to illustrate how small catalytic events that are separated by distance and time can be the cause of significant changes in complex systems.
systemdynamics.de Knowledge Management Yes, knowledge management is the hottest subject of the day. The question is: what is this activity called knowledge management, and why is it so important to each and every one of us? The following writings, articles, and links offer some emerging perspectives in response to these questions. As you read on, you can determine whether it all makes any sense or not. Content Developing a Context Like water, this rising tide of data can be viewed as an abundant, vital and necessary resource. Before attempting to address the question of knowledge management, it's probably appropriate to develop some perspective regarding this stuff called knowledge, which there seems to be such a desire to manage, really is. A collection of data is not information. The idea is that information, knowledge, and wisdom are more than simply collections. We begin with data, which is just a meaningless point in space and time, without reference to either space or time. An Example A Continuum Extending the Concept
Critical Thinking Course Description: Critical Thinking is an introductory course in the principles of good reasoning. It covers pretty much the same subject as what is usually taught in practical logic, informal reasoning or the study of argumentation. This means that the main focus of the course lies in arguments, their nature, their use and their import. However, there are two major differences. The above features make Critical Thinking at once less formal and more dynamic than Logic. The present course is designed to serve as a methodical preparation for more effective reasoning and improved cognitive skills. The course includes the following areas of study: Introductory: Concepts, Propositions. Course Texts: The course is based on these textbooks and their incorporated or accompanying materials. Format: This course combines lectures, interpretive exercises in the assigned texts and practical logical exercises, classroom discussions, pop quizzes, tests, mind-teasers and exams. Objectives: Requirements:
BBC Systems Practice - Resources Copyrighted image Credit: The Open University Open2.net fades away... For ten years, give or take, Open2.net was the online home of Open University and BBC programming. Over the last few months, though, we've been moving into OpenLearn, creating one home for all The Open University's free learning content. It means we share a home with the Open University's iTunesU and YouTube channels, and much more besides. You can use the navigation at the top of this page to explore what we have on offer. Most of the content from Open2.net has been brought across; if you've landed here after typing or searching for an Open2.net URL then you're probably looking for something that fitted into one of these categories: Open2 forums We still want you to join in, comment and share your views. Open2 blogs All the blog content from Open2 is here on OpenLearn - it might be that you're trying to find a specific URL for the content that isn't being recognised by OpenLearn. Other Open2 pages
Thinking with systems—Part 1 | Beyond this Brief Anomaly This week’s post is the first in a three-part introduction to the formal language of energy, as a foundation for subsequent discussion about just what it is that the energy concept deals with. My aim is to cover some essential ideas here—where they come from, how they relate to one another—in sufficient detail for later inquiry into the higher-level relationships between energy and societal futures. A central purpose of the approach I’m advocating is to maintain a connection between our understanding and use of energy-related concepts, and day-to-day experience of our physical world. It’s my contention that we might then be better placed to appreciate and respond to the societal dilemmas we’re confronted with through clear eyes—as free as possible from the fog of confused conceptions. In last week’s post, I introduced the energy concept as the capacity to do work or transfer heat. In the most straightforward terms, what it is, is a system. An introduction to systems
Opinion: Biodiversity Impacts Humanity Increasing evidence suggests that loss of Earth’s biological diversity will compromise our planet’s ability to provide the goods and services societies need to prosper. A biosphere designed for the 1967 World Expedition on St Helen's Island in Montreal, QuebecWIKIMEDIA, RENE EHRHARDTRecall the biosphere experiments from the 1990s, the most famous of which was perhaps Biosphere II. Philanthropist Ed Bass provided $200 million to construct the largest completely enclosed ecosystem ever created. Biologists and engineers spent 4 years designing and landscaping Biosphere II to have all of the systems needed to sustain life: agriculture for food production, rainforests to regulate the artificial atmosphere, even a mini-ocean to control temperature. Whether one views Biosphere II as a monumental failure or magnificent learning experience, it was a sobering reminder that we still don’t have even a basic understanding of how to design a biological system that can sustain human life. So what?
Adapting to a New Economy IN HIS 2006 BOOK on evolutionary economics, The Origin of Wealth, McKinsey Global Institute Fellow Eric Beinhocker suggests that new ways of thinking could take economic policy beyond the simplistic paradigm of left versus right. Harnessing the unpredictable complexities of evolutionary selection to spur economic growth and social well-being should be the goal. “We may not be able to predict or direct economic evolution,” Beinhocker writes, “but we can design our institutions and societies to be better or worse evolvers.” An evolution-informed policy would not merely let the free market sort out the strong and profitable from the weak and bankrupt, as Milton Friedman (who used the natural selection analogy in his own essay “The Methodology of Positive Economics”) would have had it. In biology, Hodgson reminds us, evolution does not produce objectively “better” species, but merely species effectively adapted to their current environment. “At the moment, we’re a ways from that.
Master of Business Administration (MBA) You are viewing Australian and NZ students' course information. Change to view international students' course information. Overview Early graduation options You may be able to graduate sooner with: Ranked in the top three nationally by the Australian Financial Review BOSS MBA Ranking in 2013. Details The program will teach you to challenge conventions and go beyond established pathways, and equip you to lead and manage decisively in a complex business world. MBA brochure, (PDF file, 404 KB) Units Download course structures and unit outlines for Master of Business Administration (MBA) The MBA program is made up four components that build on each other to provide you with an integrated and multi disciplinary curriculum to equip you to take on the challenges and opportunities of a complex business environment. Each MBA unit of six credit points is delivered in a seven-week module (six weeks teaching with final assessment in week seven). 1. 2. 3. Entrepreneurship and Innovation 4. Entry requirements
Layered-Emergent-Dynamics Exemplar 3 Layered Emergent Dynamics Perceptual Processes which enable Apparent Motion may be a Basis for the Perception of Layers of Moving Forms Contents Instructions Basic Information about this dynamic system (Layered Moires) The Interactive Interface for this dynamic system: Extracting Patterns Emerging in Time Begin Here: Press Play. In the E42 simulation programs, the speed a system runs is jointly determined by the speed of your computer and the amount of delay you choose to place between frames; together these determine the number of frames will be painted on your screen each second. So the DELAY between frames is a crucial adjustment. On this page, we will focus on the perceptual dynamics apparent in the neighborhood of 35 fps. The image at the left shows an example of output from the dynamic system when the system is stopped. After you adjust your speed to 35-37 fps: Press Play and look at the output panel of the interface. Layered Emergent Dynamic Patterns. Where and When. Top
Rich pictures Rich Pictures are a simple, but surprisingly powerful, tool for addressing complex problems with diverse stakeholders. It can support process improvement especially in the kind of situation where it is difficult even to get agreement/understanding of what the problem actually is let alone begin to identify ways of solving it. It recognises the significance of emotions, perceptions and misconceptions in a way that formal process maps do not and allows these to be expressed in a non-confrontational manner. This short animation by The Open University gives a good introduction by providing a Rich Picture about Rich Pictures. The University of Greenwich used Rich Pictures very effectively in reviewing its course design and delivery processes and the example below, entitled ‘Computer Says No’ highlights some perceptual issues e.g. computer systems powered by a tortoise and HEFCE/QAA in submarines beneath the real world.
Information Systems Foundations: Constructing and Criticising Table of Contents Preliminary Pages Information systems foundations I. Foundations of information systems theory and research 1. Towards an understanding of theory Introduction The lingering death of positivism A ‘scientific’ perspective Interpretivism and constructivism A typology of theory for information systems Concluding remarks 2. Introduction Information systems: fading into the background ‘Information systems as a reference discipline’ – Baskerville and Myers A problem of visibility The value of cultural capital Theory as symbolic capital Finding a site for grand information systems theory Existing portfolio-level theory Toward a structural theory of information systems Conclusions and recommendations 3. 4. Introduction Qualitative research perspective Grounded theory Personal construct theory Narrative inquiry Conclusions II. 5. 6. 7. Introduction Success at the local scale If logical databases are the solution, what is the problem? 8. 9. 10. 11. III. 12. 13. 14. 15. References
Coevolving Innovations | Reconciling Perspectives in Futures Research and Systems Thinking The postgraduate course on Philosophical, Methodological and Pragmatic Approaches to Scientific Futures Research was offered by the Finnish Futures Academy at the University of Turku at the end of November 2012. I had never taken a course on scientific futures research before. I had never been to Turku before. Since I was scheduled to be Finland in mid-November, this presented an opportunity to get expert knowledge from leaders in future studies. I registered for the course. In the typical style of Finnish intensive courses, a long list of articles was prescribed in advance. The philosophy of Finnish school of scientific futures is based much in critical realism (via Alan Musgrave) through Wendell Bell (honoured in an August 2011 issue of Futures, edited by Paul Dragos Aligica). The first day of the course was scheduled for student presentations. By the end of the class, I came to have an understanding of the way that scientific futures research is conducted. References