Guide to the Systems Engineering Body of Knowledge (Sebok) Version 1.3
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System Archetypes As a Learning Aid Within a Tourism Business Planning Software Tool
System Archetypes as a Learning Aid Within a Tourism Business Planning Software Tool G. Michael McGrath Centre for Hospitality and Tourism Research, Victoria University, Melbourne Email: [email protected] ABSTRACT Various studies have identified a need for improved business planning among Small-to-Medium Tourism Enterprise (SMTE) operators. The tourism sector is characterized by complexity, rapid change and interactions between many competing and cooperating sub-systems. System dynamics (SD) has proven itself to be an excellent discipline for capturing and modelling precisely this type of domain. In this paper, we report on an SD-based Tourism Enterprise Planning Simulator (TEPS) and its use as a learning aid within a business planning context. Particular emphasis is focussed on system archetypes. Keywords: tourism, business planning software, system dynamics. 1. Introduction In a recent study conducted for the Australian Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Research Centre (STCRC), improved business planning was identified as one of the most pressing needs of Small-to- Medium Tourism Enterprise (SMTE) operators (McGrath, 2005). A further significant problem confronting these businesses was coping with rapid change: including technological change, major changes in the external business environment, and changes that are having substantial impacts at every point of the tourism supply chain (and at every level – from international to regional and local levels). As a result of these findings, the STCRC provided funding and support for a follow-up research project aimed at producing a Tourism Enterprise Planning Simulator (TEPS). Distinguishing features of TEPS are: • Extensive use is made of system dynamics (SD) modelling technologies and tools (for capturing and simulating key aspects of change). -
What Can Architecture Learn from Ecological Systems?
Interweaving Architecture and Ecology – A Theoretical Perspective Or: What can architecture learn from ecological systems? Batel Dinur Abstract This paper is part of an on-going research which attempts to reveal whether an analogy between ecology and architecture can benefit architectural design and if so, then in what ways. The analogy is done through an interpretation of three ecological principles which define the organization of living systems and then attempts to reveal how these three ecological principles may be implemented in architecture. The paper firstly describes the problem at hand and the need for a new model for architecture which may be better informed by the study of ecological systems. It then elaborates on the definition of the three ecological principles (fluctuations, stratification, and interdependence) which were chosen for investigation because they define the organization of living systems and therefore may be relevant as a basis for an analogy between ecology and architecture. The paper then presents brief examples of the current and possible further realization of these ecological principles in architecture. Keywords: ecology, architecture, living systems’ organization, process, fluctuations, stratification, interdependence. Introduction In this paper I will try to illuminate how an ecological understanding of systems may contribute to architectural design. An ‘ecological understanding of systems’ means to understand how the components of a living system function together and make the system what it is. My question is whether a better understanding of these living processes may move architecture away from a perceived obsession with the static object, and into a more dynamic system? My argument is that a truly environmental architecture cannot be reached through the refinement of the static object alone, but must address complex interactions, and that these might be best informed through a study of ecology. -
Thinking by Ian Bradbury
Downloaded from the Curious Cat Management Improvement Library: http://www.curiouscat.net/library/ So, what's System[s] Thinking by Ian Bradbury System[s] thinking is an area that has attracted quite a lot of attention in recent years. This brief article seeks to introduce the first of two key ideas in system[s] thinking, relate it to popular writings on the subject and illustrate the concept. (the second part, originally published as a second article, is included below) Interdependence Ludwig von Bertalanffy said that in dealing with complexes of elements, three different kinds of distinction may be made: 1) According to their number, 2) According to their species and 3) According to the relations of elements. 1. vs. 2. vs. 3. vs. In cases 1 and 2, the complex may be understood as the sum of elements considered in isolation. In case 3, not only the elements, but also the relationships between them need to be known for the complex to be understood. Characteristics of the first kind are called summative, of the second kind constitutive. Complexes that are constitutive in nature are what is meant by the old phrase "The whole is more than the sum of the parts." An example of cases 1 and 2 might be the value of the change in your pocket. The value of the change taken altogether is obtained by simply summing up the values of the individual coins taken separately. An example of case 3, used frequently by Russell Ackoff to illustrate a constitutive complex, is a car [or truck if preferred]. -
Information Systems Foundations Theory, Representation and Reality
Information Systems Foundations Theory, Representation and Reality Information Systems Foundations Theory, Representation and Reality Dennis N. Hart and Shirley D. Gregor (Editors) Workshop Chair Shirley D. Gregor ANU Program Chairs Dennis N. Hart ANU Shirley D. Gregor ANU Program Committee Bob Colomb University of Queensland Walter Fernandez ANU Steven Fraser ANU Sigi Goode ANU Peter Green University of Queensland Robert Johnston University of Melbourne Sumit Lodhia ANU Mike Metcalfe University of South Australia Graham Pervan Curtin University of Technology Michael Rosemann Queensland University of Technology Graeme Shanks University of Melbourne Tim Turner Australian Defence Force Academy Leoni Warne Defence Science and Technology Organisation David Wilson University of Technology, Sydney Published by ANU E Press The Australian National University Canberra ACT 0200, Australia Email: [email protected] This title is also available online at: http://epress.anu.edu.au/info_systems02_citation.html National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry Information systems foundations : theory, representation and reality Bibliography. ISBN 9781921313134 (pbk.) ISBN 9781921313141 (online) 1. Management information systems–Congresses. 2. Information resources management–Congresses. 658.4038 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. Cover design by Brendon McKinley with logo by Michael Gregor Authors’ photographs on back cover: ANU Photography Printed by University Printing Services, ANU This edition © 2007 ANU E Press Table of Contents Preface vii The Papers ix Theory Designing for Mutability in Information Systems Artifacts, Shirley Gregor and Juhani Iivari 3 The Eect of the Application Domain in IS Problem Solving: A Theoretical Analysis, Iris Vessey 25 Towards a Unied Theory of Fit: Task, Technology and Individual, Michael J. -
Success in Acquisition: Using Archetypes to Beat the Odds
Success in Acquisition: Using Archetypes to Beat the Odds William E. Novak Linda Levine September 2010 TECHNICAL REPORT CMU/SEI-2010-TR-016 ESC-TR-2010-016 Acquisition Support Program Unlimited distribution subject to the copyright. http://www.sei.cmu.edu This report was prepared for the SEI Administrative Agent ESC/XPK 5 Eglin Street Hanscom AFB, MA 01731-2100 The ideas and findings in this report should not be construed as an official DoD position. It is published in the interest of scientific and technical information exchange. This work is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense. The Software Engineering Institute is a federally funded research and development center sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense. Copyright 2010 Carnegie Mellon University. NO WARRANTY THIS CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY AND SOFTWARE ENGINEERING INSTITUTE MATERIAL IS FURNISHED ON AN “AS-IS” BASIS. CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY MAKES NO WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, AS TO ANY MATTER INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, WARRANTY OF FITNESS FOR PURPOSE OR MERCHANTABILITY, EXCLUSIVITY, OR RESULTS OBTAINED FROM USE OF THE MATERIAL. CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY DOES NOT MAKE ANY WARRANTY OF ANY KIND WITH RESPECT TO FREEDOM FROM PATENT, TRADEMARK, OR COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT. Use of any trademarks in this report is not intended in any way to infringe on the rights of the trademark holder. Internal use. Permission to reproduce this document and to prepare derivative works from this document for inter- nal use is granted, provided the copyright and “No Warranty” statements are included with all reproductions and derivative works. External use. -
Chapter XIII Modeling with System Archetypes: a Case Study
Chapter XIII Modeling with System Archetypes: A Case Study Mahendran Maliapen IGate Consulting, Canada ABSTRACT This chapter examines the application of system archetypes as a systems development methodology to create simulation models. Rapid organizational change and need to adapt to new business models limits the lifespan of both the databases and software applications. With the information representa- tion permitted by archetypes, diagnostic analysis and can help to evolve generic classes and models for representing the real world. Archetypes do not describe any one problem specifically. They describe families of problems generically. Their value comes from the insights they offer into the dynamic inter- action of complex systems. The case of a healthcare system is discussed here. As part of a suite of tools, they are extremely valuable in developing broad understandings about the hospital and its environment, and contribute more effectively to understanding problems. They are highly effective tools for gaining insight into patterns of strategic behavior, themselves reflective of the underlying structure of the system being studied. Diagnostically, archetypes help hospital managers recognize patterns of behavior that are already present in their organizations. They serve as the means for gaining insight into the underlying systems structures from which the archetypal behavior emerges. In the casemix model of the hospital, the investigation team discovered that some of the phenomena as described by these generic archetypes could be represented. The application of system archetypes to the strategic business analysis of the hos- pital case reveals that it is possible to identify loop holes in management’s strategic thinking processes and it is possible to defy these fallacies during policy implementation as illustrated by the results of the archetype simulation model. -
Embedding Learning Aids in System Archetypes
Embedding Learning Aids in System Archetypes Veerendra K Rai * and Dong-Hwan Kim+ * Systems Research Laboratory, Tata Consultancy Services 54B, Hadapsar Industrial Estate, Pune- 411 013, India, [email protected] + Chung –Ang University, School of Public Affairs, Kyunggi-Do, Ansung-Si, Naeri, 456-756, South Korea, [email protected] Abstract: This paper revisits the systems archetypes proposed in The Fifth Discipline. Authors believe there exists a framework, which explains how these archetypes arise. Besides, the framework helps integrate the archetypes and infer principles of organizational learning. It takes the system archetypes as problem archetypes and endeavors to suggest solution by embedding simple learning aids in the archetypes. Authors believe problem in the systems do not arise due to the failure of a single paramount decision-maker. More often than not the problems are manifestations of cumulative and compound failures of all players in the system. Since system dynamics does not account for the behavior of individual actors in the system and it accounts for the individual behavior only by aggregation the only way it can hope to improve the behavior of individual actors is by taking system thinking to their doorsteps. Key words: System archetypes, organizational learning, learning principles, 1. Introduction The old model, “the top thinks and local acts” must now give way to integrating thinking and acting at all levels, thus remarked Peter Senge in the article ‘Leader’s New Work’ (Senge, 1990). Entire universe participates in any given event and thus entire universe is the cause of the event (Maharaj, 1973). However, we must place a boundary to carve out our system in focus in order to understand and solve a ‘problem’ whatever it means. -
A Systems Engineering Framework for Bioeconomic Transitions in a Sustainable Development Goal Context
sustainability Article A Systems Engineering Framework for Bioeconomic Transitions in a Sustainable Development Goal Context Erika Palmer 1,* , Robert Burton 1 and Cecilia Haskins 2 1 Ruralis—Institute for Rural and Regional Research, N-7049 Trondheim, Norway; [email protected] 2 Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7491 Trondheim, Norway; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected] Received: 3 July 2020; Accepted: 13 August 2020; Published: 17 August 2020 Abstract: To address sustainable development goals (SDGs), national and international strategies have been increasingly interested in the bioeconomy. SDGs have been criticized for lacking stakeholder perspectives and agency, and for requiring too little of business. There is also a lack of both systematic and systemic frameworks for the strategic planning of bioeconomy transitions. Using a systems engineering approach, we seek to address this with a process framework to bridge bioeconomy transitions by addressing SDGs. In this methodology paper, we develop a systems archetype mapping framework for sustainable bioeconomy transitions, called MPAST: Mapping Problem Archetypes to Solutions for Transitions. Using this framework with sector-specific stakeholder data facilitates the establishment of the start (problem state) and end (solution state) to understand and analyze sectorial transitions to the bioeconomy. We apply the MPAST framework to the case of a Norwegian agricultural bioeconomy transition, using data from a survey of the Norwegian agricultural sector on transitioning to a bioeconomy. The results of using this framework illustrate how visual mapping methods can be combined as a process, which we then discuss in the context of SDG implementation. -
Systems Thinking in the Healthcare Professions: a Guide for Educators and Clinicians Margaret M
Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library, The George Washington University Health Sciences Research Commons Teaching and Learning Tools Educational Resources 3-30-2019 Systems Thinking in the Healthcare Professions: A Guide for Educators and Clinicians Margaret M. Plack, PT, DPT, EdD George Washington University Ellen F. Goldman, EdD, MBA, George Washington University Andrea Richards Scott, EdD, MBA George Washington University Shelley B. Brundage, PhD, CCC-SLP George Washington University Follow this and additional works at: https://hsrc.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/ educational_resources_teaching Part of the Education Commons, and the Medical Education Commons Recommended Citation Plack, M. M., Goldman, E. F., Scott, A. R., & Brundage, S. B. (2019). Systems thinking in the healthcare professions: A guide for educators and clinicians. Washington, DC: The George Washington University. This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Educational Resources at Health Sciences Research Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Teaching and Learning Tools by an authorized administrator of Health Sciences Research Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Systems Thinking in the Healthcare Professions A GUIDE FOR EDUCATORS AND CLINICIANS Margaret M. Plack, PT, DPT, EdD, Ellen F. Goldman, EdD, MBA, Andrea Richards Scott, EdD, MBA, and Shelley B. Brundage, PhD, CCC-SLP March 30, 2019 Copyright © 2019, The George Washington University. This monograph is freely available for individual use but cannot be reproduced without permission of the authors. Contact information: Ellen F. Goldman, EdD, MBA, [email protected]. Suggested citation: Plack, M. M., Goldman, E. F., Scott, A. R., & Brundage, S. B. (2019). Systems thinking in the healthcare professions: A guide for educators and clinicians. -
What Is Systems Theory?
What is Systems Theory? Systems theory is an interdisciplinary theory about the nature of complex systems in nature, society, and science, and is a framework by which one can investigate and/or describe any group of objects that work together to produce some result. This could be a single organism, any organization or society, or any electro-mechanical or informational artifact. As a technical and general academic area of study it predominantly refers to the science of systems that resulted from Bertalanffy's General System Theory (GST), among others, in initiating what became a project of systems research and practice. Systems theoretical approaches were later appropriated in other fields, such as in the structural functionalist sociology of Talcott Parsons and Niklas Luhmann . Contents - 1 Overview - 2 History - 3 Developments in system theories - 3.1 General systems research and systems inquiry - 3.2 Cybernetics - 3.3 Complex adaptive systems - 4 Applications of system theories - 4.1 Living systems theory - 4.2 Organizational theory - 4.3 Software and computing - 4.4 Sociology and Sociocybernetics - 4.5 System dynamics - 4.6 Systems engineering - 4.7 Systems psychology - 5 See also - 6 References - 7 Further reading - 8 External links - 9 Organisations // Overview 1 / 20 What is Systems Theory? Margaret Mead was an influential figure in systems theory. Contemporary ideas from systems theory have grown with diversified areas, exemplified by the work of Béla H. Bánáthy, ecological systems with Howard T. Odum, Eugene Odum and Fritj of Capra , organizational theory and management with individuals such as Peter Senge , interdisciplinary study with areas like Human Resource Development from the work of Richard A. -
What IS Systems Science?
What is Systems Science? Systems Science constitutes a somewhat fuzzily defined academic domain, that touches virtually all traditional disciplines, from mathematics, technology and biology to philosophy and the social sciences. It is more specifically related to the recently developing "sciences of complexity", including AI, neural networks, dynamical systems, chaos, and complex adaptive systems. Systems science argues that however complex or diverse the world that we experience, we will always find different types of organization in it, and such organization can be described by concepts and principles which are independent from the specific domain at which we are looking. Hence, if we would uncover those general laws, we would be able to analyze and solve problems in any domain, pertaining to any type of system. The systems approach distinguishes itself from the more traditional analytic approach by emphasizing the interactions and connectedness of the different components of a system. Although the systems approach in principle considers all types of systems, it in practices focuses on the more complex, adaptive, self-regulating systems which we might call "cybernetic". Many of the concepts used by system scientists come from the closely related approach of cybernetics: information, control, feedback, communication... In its present incarnation of "second- order cybernetics", its emphasis is on how observers construct models of the systems with which they interact*. Systems theory studies organization independent of the substrate in which it is embodied and is focused on the structure of systems and their models. ... from Principia Cybernetica Web http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/ * This interaction demands the study of uncertainty, complexity, knowledge discovery, informatioin, decision making, formal concept analysis, dynamics and evolution. -
Living Cognitive Society: Adigital'world of Views
Living Cognitive Society: a `digital' World of Views Viktoras Veitas [email protected] David Weinbaum (Weaver) [email protected] July 3, 2018 Abstract The current social reality is characterized by all-encompassing change, which disrupts existing social structures at all levels. Yet the prevailing view of society is based on the ontological primacy of stable hierarchical structures, which is no longer adequate. We propose a conceptual framework for thinking about a dynami- cally changing social system: the Living Cognitive Society. Importantly, we show how it follows from a much broader philosophical framework, guided by the theory of individuation, which emphasizes the importance of relationships and interactive processes in the evolution of a system. The framework addresses society as a living cognitive system { an ecology of interacting social subsystems { each of which is also a living cognitive system. We argue that this approach can help us to conceive sustainable social systems that will thrive in the circumstances of accel- erating change. The Living Cognitive Society is explained in terms of its fluid structure, dynamics and the mechanisms at work. We then discuss the disruptive effects of Information and Communication Technologies on the mechanisms at work. We conclude by delineating a major topic for future research { dis- tributed social governance { which focuses on processes of coordination rather than on stable structures within global society. Keywords: cognitive system, living society, information and communica- tion technologies, future social governance, individuation, cognitive develop- arXiv:1602.08388v1 [cs.CY] 26 Oct 2015 ment. 1 Introduction Today's society and life in general are characterized by all-encompassing fast change and movement.