The Social Engagement of Social Science a Series in Three Volumes

The Social Engagement of Social Science A series in three volumes

Volume I: The Socio-Psychological Perspective Volume II: The Socio-Technical Perspective Volume III: The Socio-Ecological Perspective

The University of Pennsylvania Press joins the Editors in expressing their thanks to the Ecology of Work Conferences and to the STS Round Table for their generosity in supporting the production of these volumes and to the Busch Center for underwriting the publication. The Social Engagement of Social Science

A Tavistock Anthology Edited by Eric Trist, Fred Emery, and Hugh Murray

Assistant Editor: Beulah Trist

Volume III: The Socio-Ecological Perspective

PENN

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

Published by University of Pennsylvania Press Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104

Permission is acknowledged to reprint portions and excerpts from published materials: Russell Ackoff, Redesigning the Future (New York: Wiley, 1974). Dorwin Cartwright and Frank Harary, "A Graph-Theoretic Approach to the Investigation of System Environment Relationships." Journal ofMathematical Sociology 5 (1977): 87-1 I I. Fred Emery, Futures We Are In (Leiden: Martinus Nijhoff, 1977). Fred Emery, "Methodological Premises of Social Forecasting," Annals ofthe American Academy ofPolitical and Social Science 412 (1974): 97-115. Fred Emery, "Policy: Appearance and Reality," A Systems-Based Approach to Policymaking, ed. Kenyon B. de Greene (Boston: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1993). Fred Emery, "Some Observations on Workplace Reform: The Australian Experience," International Journal of Employment Studies 2, 2 (1994): 327-42. Fred Emery and Merrelyn Emery, A Choice ofFutures (Leiden: Martinus Nijhoff, 1976). P.G. Herbst, Alternatives to Hierarchies (Leiden: Martinus Nijhoff, 1976). Joseph McCann and John Selsky, "Hyperturbulence and the Emergence of Type-5 Environments," Academy of Management Review 9 (1984): 460-71. E. Trist, "The Environment and System-Response Capability," Futures 12, 2 (1979), by permission of Butterworth Heinemann. E. Trist, "Quality of Working Life and Community Development: Some Reflections on the Jamestown Experience," Journal ofApplied Behavioral Science 22 (1986): 223-37, by permission of Sage Publications.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data The Social engagement of social science. Includes bibliographical references and indexes. Contents: v. 1. The socio-psychological perspective-v. 2. the socio-technical perspective- v. 3. the socio-ecological perspective. 1. Social psychology. 2. Social psychiatry. I. Tavistock Institute of Human Relations. II. Trist, E. L. III. Emery, Fred. IV. Murray, Hugh, Dr. HM251.s67124 1990 302 89-28856 ISBN 0-8122-8912-6 (v. 1) ISBN 0-8122-8193-4 (v. 2) ISBN 0-8122-8194-2 (v. 3) These volumes are dedicated to DR. A.T. MACBETH WILSON Founder Member and Chairman (1948- 1958) Tavistock Institute ofHuman Relations and to ERIC LANSDOWN TRIST Founder Member and Chairman (1958- 1966) who spent his last years in their preparation.

The increasing turbulence present in the current world environment has drawn attention to the incapacity of existing social institutions to produce the response capability necessary for human survival. A new response capability leading to both personal and social transformation seems to be required. This will need to be based on the primacy of symbiotic and collaborative, as compared with individualistic and competitive, relations. -Eric Trist This page intentionally left blank