Systemic Intervention: Philosophy, Methodology, and PracticeThis book aims to rethink systemic intervention to enhance its relevance for supporting social change in the 21st century. It offers a new systems philosophy and methodology, focusing upon the fundamental importance of exploring value and boundary judgements as part of the intervention process. It includes four detailed examples of the practice of systemic intervention. |
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Contents
Systems Thinking for the 21st Century | 1 |
11 From Mechanism to Systems Thinking | 2 |
12 From Observation to Intervention | 4 |
13 From Theories of Eventhing to Theoretical Pluralism | 5 |
14 Tfie Structure and Contents of this Book | 7 |
15 Practical Consequences for Life in the 21st Century | 10 |
151 Interconnectedness | 11 |
152 Scepticism about ValueNeutral Science | 12 |
915 A Key Implication of Third Wave Thinking | 214 |
916 Conclusion | 215 |
Mixing Methods | 217 |
101 The System of Systems Methodologies | 218 |
1011 Total Systems Intervention | 222 |
1012 Philosophical Underpinnings | 223 |
1013 Summary | 224 |
102 The Creative Design of Methods | 225 |
753 The Politics of Social Exclusion | 14 |
16 Conclusion | 16 |
Philosophy | 19 |
Why Philosophy? | 21 |
21 Two Grounds for Exploring Philosophy | 22 |
22 Terminology | 23 |
24 Kellys Personal Construct Theory | 26 |
25 Habermass Three Worlds | 27 |
26 Tfie Need for Philosophy | 28 |
27 Ttie Strategic Reason for Engaging with Philosophy | 29 |
28 The Importance of Philosophical Argument | 30 |
29 Conclusion | 32 |
The Systems Idea | 33 |
31 The Meaning of Systems Philosophy | 34 |
32 The Boundary Concept | 36 |
Mechanism Reductionism and SubjectlObject Dualism | 39 |
34 The Struggle against SubjectObject Dualism | 43 |
35 General Systems Theory | 45 |
351 Critique of General Systems Theory | 46 |
36 The Theory of Mind | 48 |
361 Critique of the Theory of Mind | 51 |
37 The Theory of Autopoiesis | 53 |
371 Critique of the Theory of Autopoiesis | 57 |
38 Interpretive Systemology | 59 |
381 Critique of Interpretive Systemology | 63 |
39 Conclusion | 67 |
Process Philosophy | 69 |
42 The Linguistic Turn | 70 |
43 A Linguistic Turn in Systems Thinking | 71 |
44 The Theory of Three Worlds | 73 |
45 A Critique of the Linguistic Turn | 75 |
46 The Origins of Knowledge | 76 |
47 From Content to Process Philosophy | 78 |
48 Defining Knowledge | 81 |
49 Sentient Beings | 82 |
491 Shorthand Expressions of Boundary Judgements | 85 |
411 The Importance of Time | 87 |
412 The Indeterminacy of Process | 88 |
413 Some Consequences of Process Philosophy for Speaking about Reality | 89 |
4131 Realism | 90 |
4133 Social Constructionism | 91 |
4135 From Realism to Process | 92 |
4136 From Idealism to Process | 93 |
4137 From Social Constructionism to Process | 95 |
414 Conclusion | 98 |
Methodology | 101 |
Why Methodology? | 103 |
51 Why Methodology? | 104 |
52 Method and Methodology | 105 |
53 The Argument against Philosophical Purism | 106 |
54 Tlie Spectre of Instrumental Rationality | 109 |
55 Arguments against the Atheoretical Use of Methods | 110 |
56 Conclusion | 112 |
Systemic Intervention | 113 |
61 Observation versus Intervention | 115 |
611 Observation as the Basis of Science | 116 |
612 Intervention as the Basis of Action Research | 117 |
613 Summary of the Distinction between Observation and Intervention | 120 |
63 The Impossibility of Independent Observation | 123 |
64 Observation as Intervention | 125 |
65 Systemic Intervention | 128 |
66 Towards a Methodology for Systemic Intervention | 129 |
67 Conclusion | 132 |
Boundary Critique | 135 |
71 The Bounded Nature of Improvement | 137 |
72 Critical Systems Heuristics | 138 |
721 Key Differences between Churchman and Ulrich | 142 |
731 Is there a Need for a Sociological Theory? | 146 |
732 Making Critical Boundary Judgements | 148 |
733 Key Differences between Churchman Wrick and Myself | 149 |
74 Elaborating the Theory of Boundary Critique | 152 |
741 Modelling the Overlapping Concerns of Stakeholder Groups | 153 |
742 A Key Difference between Yolles and Myself | 155 |
75 Conclusion | 156 |
Theoretical Pluralism | 159 |
SI Beyond the Cumulative View of Knowledge | 160 |
82 Theory in Action | 161 |
83 Choice between Theories | 162 |
84 Standards and Principles for Choice | 166 |
85 Conclusion | 168 |
Methodological Pluralism | 171 |
92 The Value of Learning from Other Methodologies | 173 |
93 The Value of a Plurality of Methods | 174 |
94 A History of Methodologies and Methods | 176 |
95 What is History? | 177 |
96 Scientific Methods | 179 |
97 Applied Science | 182 |
972 The Human Relations Movement | 183 |
973 Operational Research | 184 |
974 Action Research and Action Learning | 185 |
98 Psychoanalysis | 186 |
99 The First Wave of Systems Thinking | 187 |
991 SocioTechnical Systems Thinking | 188 |
992 Systemic Family Therapy | 189 |
993 Systemic Operational Research | 190 |
910 The Second Wave of Systems Thinking | 191 |
9102 Some Management Systems Methods from the Second Wave | 193 |
9103 Dialogical Family Therapy | 197 |
9111 Participative Action Research113 | 198 |
9112 Problem Structuring Methods in OR | 200 |
912 The Third Wave of Systems Thinking | 202 |
9121 Critiques of the Second Wave of Systems Thinking | 203 |
9122 The Birth of Critical Systems Thinking | 204 |
9123 Revisioning Critical Systems Thinking | 206 |
9124 The Third Wave of Family Therapy | 210 |
913 Power Issues and Action Research | 211 |
914 Multimethodology | 213 |
1021 The Role of Intuition | 227 |
1022 The Pivotal Role of the Intervener | 228 |
103 Practising the Creative Design of Methods | 230 |
1031 Purposes | 231 |
1033 Theories | 232 |
1034 Ideologies | 233 |
1035 Practical Results | 236 |
104 Writing Up Interventions | 237 |
1051 Limitations of the System of Systems Methodologies | 238 |
1052 Challenging the Philosophy behind the System of Systems Methodologies | 239 |
306 Conclusion | 241 |
Learning about Methodology and Methods | 243 |
331 The Philosophical Problem | 244 |
113 The Psychological Problem | 245 |
114 Proposed Solutions | 246 |
1142 Towards a New Paradigm | 247 |
7143 Paradigm Incommensurability | 249 |
1144 Critically Appreciating Alien Paradigms | 251 |
1145 Virtual Paradigms | 252 |
115 A Model of Learning | 253 |
1151 Continuity and Discontinuity | 254 |
1152 Philosophical Reflections | 260 |
1153 Reflections on Practice | 261 |
1154 Reflections on Theory | 262 |
H55 Espoused Methodology and Methodology in Use | 264 |
116 Reflections on the Three Challenges | 266 |
1163 Dealing with the Cultural Problem | 267 |
117 Conclusion | 268 |
Practice | 269 |
Why Practice? | 271 |
122 Why Practice? | 272 |
124 The Arguments against Pure Methodology | 274 |
125 Conclusion | 276 |
Community Operational Research | 279 |
131 The Origins of Community OR | 281 |
132 Motivations for Involvement in Community OR | 282 |
133 The Breadth of Community OR Practice | 283 |
134 The Community Operational Researcher as an Agent | 285 |
135 Conclusion | 288 |
Developing Housing Services for Older People | 289 |
142 The Initial Remit of the Intervention | 290 |
Identifying Problems | 291 |
144 Designing the Methods for the Second Phase | 294 |
Designing Improvements | 297 |
1451 Designing Organisational Delivery | 301 |
146 The Design of Methods | 304 |
147 Conclusion | 306 |
Planning for Disaster | 309 |
151 Choosing Methods from Just One Source | 310 |
154 Boundary Critique | 311 |
155 Choosing Soft Systems Methodology | 313 |
156 Soft Systems Methodology | 316 |
157 The Process of Application | 319 |
1572 Producing Rich Pictures | 320 |
1573 Identifying Relevant Systems | 321 |
1574 Exploring the Relevant Systems | 322 |
1575 Whole System Modelling | 323 |
1576 Conceptual Modelling | 325 |
1577 Creating an Action Plan | 326 |
158 Learning Outcomes | 327 |
159 Feedback on the Intervention | 330 |
1510 Conclusion | 331 |
Planning and Evaluating Diversion from Custody for Mentally Disordered Offenders | 333 |
161 Diversion from Custody | 334 |
162 The Project | 335 |
163 Negotiating the Remit | 337 |
164 Some Preliminary Boundary Critique | 341 |
165 The TeamBuilding | 342 |
166 The Operational Planning | 345 |
1661 Outputs from the Soft Systems Methodology | 346 |
167 Designing the Evaluation Methods | 347 |
168 Quantitative Methods | 348 |
169 Qualitative Methods | 351 |
1693 Shadowing | 353 |
1695 Documentary Research | 354 |
1631 The Strategic Planning | 355 |
16111 Critical Systems Heuristics | 357 |
16113 The Workshops | 358 |
1612 Findings | 361 |
16122 Results of Final Interventions | 362 |
16123 The Management Structure | 363 |
1613 Outcomes | 364 |
1614 Conclusion | 365 |
Developing Services with Young People Under 16 Missing from Home or Care | 367 |
172 First Contacts | 369 |
173 Our Initial Proposal | 370 |
174 An Overview of the Intervention | 371 |
175 Establishing the Ground Rules | 372 |
Identifying Key Issues | 373 |
1761 Designing the Interviews | 374 |
1762 Conducting the Interviews | 376 |
Evolving Stakeholder Goals | 378 |
1772 Conducting the Workshops | 382 |
1774 The Young Peoples Workshop | 385 |
1775 The Second MultiAgency Workshop | 387 |
Action Planning | 389 |
1781 The Final MultiAgency Workshop | 393 |
Dissemination | 395 |
1711 Conclusion | 396 |
Looking to the Future | 397 |
181 Further Issues to be Addressed | 398 |
1812 The Politics of Systemic Intervention | 399 |
182 Start from Where You Are | 401 |
403 | |
427 | |
435 | |
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Systemic Intervention: Philosophy, Methodology, and Practice Gerald Midgley No preview available - 2012 |
Common terms and phrases
action research agencies agents analysis argue argument assumptions autopoiesis Bateson Bertalanffy boundary critique boundary judgements Brocklesby Chapter Checkland choice Churchman context creative design Critical Systems Heuristics Critical Systems Thinking debate defined design of methods discussion evaluation example explore family therapy Flood and Jackson focus Fuenmayor Habermas human ideas identified individual Interactive interviews involved issues knowledge generating system language learning marginalisation Maturana methodological pluralism methodologies and methods Midgley Mingers moral multi-agency Multimethodology observation Operational Research organisation paradigm participants Participatory Action Research planning possible process philosophy Project proposed purposes questions reality recursive form reflection relationships relevant systems scientific second wave situation Socio-Technical Systems Soft Systems Methodology staff team stakeholders steering group subject/object dualism System of Systems systemic intervention Systems Practice systems theory talk theoretical pluralism Ulrich understanding University of Hull users variety Viable System Model workshop young