Systemic Thinking and Practice Toward Facilitating Inclusive Education: Reflections on a Case of Co-Generated Knowledge and Action in South Africa

This article offers our reflections around a case of facilitating systemic thinking and practice in which the first author of the article (Tlale) interacted with research participants/participant researchers with the intention of strengthening systemic thought and action toward fostering inclusive education in the setting (a rural school in the Eastern Cape in South Africa). We reflect upon the process and also how our engagement was perceived by participants, as expressed in feedback received from them. We point to how Tlale introduced the idea of systemic thinking (to teachers, school management team, school governing body, and a district officer for the district) as tied to the possibility of acting to generate transformation toward a more inclusive educational context for the benefit of the learners at the school in question, thus acting as a systemic mediator on their behalf.     

How Systemic Inquiry Releases Citizen Knowledge to Reform Schools: Community Scorecard Case Studies

Despite the relevance of systemic practice for repairing broken public systems, documented instances where it empowers marginalised groups en masse to be action researchers are rare. Public school systems that fail to educate millions of pupils are ripe for systemic inquiry. Using evidence, this article identifies conditions under which such inquiry fosters school system accountability and increases pupil learning. By tracing the emergence of a type of community scorecard practice called Citizen Voice and Action (CV&A), it explains how and why marginalised groups use CV&A’s systems-enhanced participatory research to engage with and reform unresponsive public systems. It also shows how soft systems thinking and further action research enhanced scorecard methodology. Brief case studies of CV&A use in Ugandan primary schools illustrate and explain how communities reform schools by using CV&A to systematically foster accountability. Discussion identifies how processes free them to create and use systemic knowledge. This theorising helps explain conditions under which systemic inquiry into school and other public systems is being generalised and scaled up.     

Effect of Supervision on Stress and Burnout in School Counsellors: A Case of Action Research

School counsellors are permanently in action, the success of which depends on their systemic approach to their action. Due to the difficulty, complexity and scope of their work, school counsellors are often under a lot of stress, which may eventually develop into occupational burnout. Thus, it is very important that school counsellors can use appropriate i.e. systemic, i.e. requisitely holistic ways of coping with stress and occupational burnout. Recently, after many years, supervision has been gaining importance as an action in the form of professional help to school counsellors to enable them to cope effectively with stress and to prevent occupational burnout. The primary purpose of the reported-about study is to determine how supervision, in accordance with the relational family model, affects the perception of stress and occupational burnout. The sample included 30 school counsellors in Slovenia. They were divided into an experimental group (with the presence of supervision) and a control group (without supervision). Results show a positive effect of supervision, in accordance with the relational family model, on the school counsellors’ perception of stress, since stress decreased after supervisory meetings, while the school counsellors’ perception of their professional burnout after supervisory meetings did not change significantly.     

Application of Teleonic Principles in the Search for Systemic Causes of Accidents in Anesthesia

Safety of patients in anesthesia has always been one of the major concerns of the anesthetist. It is clear from studies of safety in general that many accidents and critical incidents occur as the result of latent systemic failures to which a great number of factors contribute (Reason, 1990). An ideal way to approach this problem would be within a systemic framework, such as teleonics, developed by Járos and his co-workers (Cloete, 1999; Járos and Cloete, 1987, 1993). In this framework the events and procedures in anesthesia are considered to be part of a very complex network of process systems (teleons). It is postulated that teleonic uncertainty (telentropy) in this complex network is a factor that might lead to accidents. In a previous paper presented to the World Congress at Toronto in 2000, the principles of teleonics were described in a mathematico symbolic way (Horváth et al., 2000). This paper contains selected examples of application of these principles to the identification of possible systemic causes of accidents in anesthesia.     

基于CoES模型的我国金融系统性风险度量

为了更加准确地度量金融系统性风险,预防灾难性金融风险事件发生,本文基于尾部损失的均值提出了一个新的度量系统性风险的方法——CoES模型,相对于传统的CoVaR模型来说,该方法更关注尾部损失的均值而不仅仅是单一分位点上的期望损失,能够更加准确地捕捉系统性风险,为金融系统监管提供更为有效的信息.最后,本文将该方法用于度量2007-2016年间共21个金融机构对我国金融市场系统性风险的贡献.研究结果发现:1)CoVaR模型可能低估了金融机构的系统性风险;2)当银行行业受到冲击时,其对整个金融系统造成的风险最大,其次是保险,房地产和多元金融行业;3)在银行行业中,对系统性风险贡献最大的当属工商银行和中国银行,应对其进行重点监管;4)相对于银行和房地产行业,保险行业和多元金融行业自身的VaR值较高,但对金融系统性风险的贡献较低,因此应注意对其自身风险的管理.     

Measuring the Performance of a Research Strategic Plan System Using the Soft Systems Methodology’s Three ‘Es’ and the Viable System Model’s Indices of Achievement

We explore problems involving the measurement of the performance of a system. We outline two systemic approaches that have come from different epistemological positions: one from the interpretivist paradigm (soft systems methodology) and the other from the cybernetic paradigm (viable systems model). These two systemic methodologies that have tackled problems involving performance measurement are considered and discussed: (a) Checkland’s systems ideas of ‘managing and controlling’ a system throughout a set of three measures of performance: efficacy, efficiency and effectiveness; and (b) Beer’s concepts of Actuality, Capability, Potentiality of the firm and his claims that the performance of a system needs to be quantifiable and resumed on ‘pure’ numbers which should reflect the survivability of the firm. A parallel is drawn between the two approaches concluding that although the paradigms underpinning them are in some way different, the practicalities of these approaches to control, measure and improve the performance of a system are very similar. A case involving the measurement of a proposed research strategic plan for a Manchester Metropolitan University Business School’s department is used to illustrate the systemic approaches.     

基于条件蒙特卡罗方法的信用违约互换合约定价

多标的资产违约相关性结构的度量及其联合违约时间的模拟是信用违约互换合约定价的关键.Copula函数和蒙特卡罗模拟是解决此关键问题的有力工具,被广泛应用于信用衍生品定价.本文基于因子t-copula模型,结合条件蒙特卡罗模拟,构建了计算第7n次信用违约互换合约的条件蒙特卡罗算法.该算法能够捕捉多标的资产违约的尾部相关性,更准确地度量标的资产组合的违约风险及提高违约事件的模拟效率.数值结果表明,在考虑尾部相关性的情形下,采用重要抽样技术的JK算法和改进的JK算法是不稳定的,不能达到减方差的目的;而本文新构建的定价算法更稳定,在高斯copula和t-copula模型下,都能够有效减小估计量的方差,提高信用违约互换合约的定价精度和可靠性.     

Arts,Culture and Science and Their Relationships

The context of this analysis is the golden years of the decade of the 1960s that served as a backdrop for consolidating capitalism and the globalized world. The aim is to analyze, understand and establish possible connections between the arts in general and the world in which modern society operates. This is a theoretical essay anchored in theoretical assumptions of sociology, arts and the culture of the globalized world and built on the practical experience of these researchers. We use the interpretative approach and technique of hermeneutic phenomenology to give meaning to historical events and the cultural and artistic implications of these events in the rise of science and technology. A systemic examination supports the relationship between art, culture, science and technology. The evidence shows that artistic and cultural issues are essential to make sense of life in society and in the absence of such basis, the world would be meaningless and humans would lose a sense of direction. It can be concluded that the arts are becoming increasingly relevant as the virtual world becomes large-scale and truly global, and that the development of science and technology benefits from the rise of the cultural and artistic world of today. Finally, the correspondence between the artistic and cultural world and the current scientific and technological development confirms the emergence of a globalized, digitalised (virtual) knowledge society.     

岔巴沟流域分布式产流产沙的计算机模拟

建立了基于场次洪水的分布式流域产流产沙模型,该模型能够模拟出流域在不同土地利用类型下的径流和产输沙的时空过程,模型能反映下垫面因子空间分布不均和人类活动对流域产流产沙的影响,进而为流域内水土保持措施配置提供技术支撑和科学依据.经岔巴沟流域实测资料验证,计算值与实测值符合良好,基本反映了流域产汇流及侵蚀产输沙的物理过程.     

Student, Curricular and Public Agency Needs: A Focus on Competency Achievement

This paper presents a framework that addresses a public child welfare agency??s need for a highly trained child welfare workforce with specialized competencies, situating these competencies within the human services educational profession??s accreditation standards, while simultaneously meeting the learning needs of professionals returning to school for additional graduate training. The framework integrates three disparate literatures. The first that frames employees returning to a university setting for additional education and training as a human resources benefit. The second body of literature that addresses the annual review of employee performance via employment assessment systems. And the final body that examines parallel organizational processes related to the development of a product, in our case, a professional with a graduate degree. The framework, developed using a soft system methodology approach, and evaluated by means of an electronic portfolio, integrates these three bodies of literature and allows for the real time curricular and agency assessment of competency achievement. While using a professional graduate training program as an exemplar, implications for broader systemic practice are discussed.     

我国银行体系的系统性关联度分析:基于不对称CoVaR

根据系统性关联度的定义,使用不对称CoVaR方法,对我国单个银行与银行体系之间的系统性关联度和任意两个银行间的系统性关联度进行了测算.研究结果表明,我国银行体系的系统性关联度存在不对称性,使用不对称CoVaR方法重新估算我国银行体系的系统性关联度能为我国系统重要性银行的甄别和银行间系统性风险溢出的评估提供依据.进一步地,探讨出上述两种系统性关联度的主要影响因素为银行自身的特征变量,如贷款总额,股本,留存收益等.基于此,为我国银行业监管者提升银行风险监管水平和银行管理者制定准确的风险控制体系提供有益帮助.     

核电厂激发事故初因的人因事件分析

描述了B类人因事件的定义和分类,建立了B类人因事件分析基本程序和方法,该方法已在国内某核电厂最近的HRA分析中得到应用.文中还对1993-2002年WANO940件运行事件和国内某核电厂运行事件进行了B类人因事件统计分析和发生原因分析,并据此提出了预防和减少B类人因事件的措施.     

网络群体事件信息传播的演化博弈分析

以政府部门处理网络群体事件信息传播为背景,建立了政府部门和网民在信息传播过程中的演化博弈模型,对不同规模网络群体事件下政府应采取的应对措施进行了复制动态分析和仿真分析研究。研究结果表明,对参与网络信息传播的人数较多、爆发时间已经较长的大规模网络群体事件,政府部门应及时、公开、透明地予以处理;对参与人数较少、距离爆发时间较短的小规模群体事件可以适当地采取屏蔽手段。政府部门要实现对有害社会秩序的网络群体事件的有效控制,应该建立有效的网络群体事件预警机制,把握处理信息传播的时机。     

Systemic Cognition During the Sub-Prime Crisis: Lessons and Research Implications

This paper uses the example of the global financial crisis (GFC) of 2008?C2009 to demonstrate how patterns of systemic cognition influenced outcomes during the crisis. This paper focuses on systemic patterns that emerged during the sub-prime crisis. By reviewing systemic patterns and reflecting on the assumptions of actors it is believed that further insight for research potential could be revealed. I argue that patterns of systemic ??cognition?? that emerge during complex social events can be captured and reflected on. This provides useful insight into the interpretative structures of messy problems that in turn reveals previously undiscovered systemic thinking. The paper uses this illustration of the GFC to structure a debate about future research possibilities.     

Stochastic systems arising from Markov modulated empirical measures

This work is devoted to stochastic systems arising from empirical measures of random sequences (termed primary sequences) that are modulated by another Markov chain. The Markov chain is used to model random discrete events that are not represented in the primary sequences. One novel feature is that in lieu of the usual scaling in empirical measure sequences, the authors consider scaling in both space and time, which leads to new limit results. Under broad conditions, it is shown that a scaled sequence of the empirical measure converges weakly to a number of Brownian bridges modulated by a continuous-time Markov chain. Ramifications and special cases are also considered.     

The Relationship of ‘Systems Thinking’ to Action Research

This article investigates the relationship of systems thinking to action research by reviewing the main developments in systems thinking and relating these to action research. There are two main lines of thought in systems thinking that lead to wholly different conceptions about action research. The first (systems thinking) advocates thinking about real social systems that it assumes exist in the world. The second (systemic thinking) supposes only that the social construction of the world is systemic. Greater emphasis is placed on systemic thinking consistent with its greater importance to contemporary action research. The article concludes that systemic thinking when taken to its practical conclusion from a critical perspective offers to action research a somewhat unique liberating praxis. Concern that any liberating praxis could remain hollow is addressed through a certain kind of ‘spiritual’ awareness that is suggested by wholeness.     

The Holistic Sense of Prison Phenomena in Venezuela. III. The Unity of the Research

In this paper the underlying systemic unity of the research reported in the two previous articles is sought. The research journey is examined in order to draw lessons concerning our systemic practice. In addition, an effort is made to relate Interpretive Systemology to some strands of systems, management and action research sciences. In so doing, we expect to draw some links that could be established between interpretive systemologists and the community of researchers who compose the select audience of SPAR.     

多粒度犹豫模糊语言信息下的群推荐方法

针对群推荐系统的偏好信息来自不同的网络平台,被推荐项目具有多粒度性、犹豫模糊性和多属性等问题.本文首先定义了多粒度犹豫模糊语言术语集的概念,定义了多粒度犹豫模糊语言术语集的广义距离公式、广义豪斯多夫距离公式和广义混合距离公式;其次,考虑被推荐项目属性的权值问题,定义了相应的广义加权距离公式距离、广义加权豪斯多夫距离公式和广义混合加权距离公式等.研究了这些公式的性质,讨论了公式之间的关系;最后,将这些距离公式结合满意度公式用于群体推荐问题,并进一步分析了公式的参数对满意度及电影排序的影响情况.     

Film Use to Promote Understanding in Change and Diffusion of Innovation

The paper explores cinematic films as a pedagogical tool to promote critical thinking and student discussions in a doctoral-level learning, design, and technology seminar course at a major U.S. research university. These discussions focused on systemic change and systemic thinking concepts. The authors offer evidence from the literature that supports films’ power as a visual metaphor and neurocognitive stimulator to promote development of new perspectives in graduate students on case studies through articulation, reflection, and explanation of their thought processes on change and diffusion of innovation. There are theoretical, political, social, and technological issues that create tensions during any systemic change effort. The goal of using film in this seminar is to equip students with the requisite skills, theoretical frameworks, and interpersonal experiences needed to address these issues within organizations and communities. The change expected from systemic thinking is for students to think more deeply about the interconnectedness of systems and the importance of bottom-up change efforts that consider the perspective of all stakeholders.     

The Third Track of the Open-Systems-Thinking School: An Application of Domain Theory to New Zealand Ports

The Open-Systems Thinking (OST) school identified with Emery and Trist is situated as an important but underutilized approach in systems thinking. The main features of OST are described, including four "tracks" along which OST has developed. The third track, which focuses on interorganizational domains, is considered in detail. It is then applied to a case concerning the complex social dynamics of and in port domains in New Zealand. This exercise enables us to illuminate some lacunae in previous representations of the port domain research, to assess OST's third track regarding its relevance for systemic practice, and to help to bring OST to the table with other systems approaches that are all vying for the attention of researchers, practicing managers, students, and consultants.