Notes on Chapter 10 - Systems Practice

Pg 243

Users of systemic inquiry must be capable of:

1. Understanding situations in context (now and past)
2. Appreciating multiple stakeholders and perspectives
3. Addressing and clarifying questions of purpose
4. Distinguishing between how & why
5. Facilitating action which is purposeful and systematically desirable / culturally feasible
6. Orchestrate understanding - co-evolutionary dynamics
7. Institutionalising use of approach

Pg 244

Systemic inquiry is a meta-platform for project or program management

Pg 245

Churchman defined inquiry as an activity which produces knowledge

Churchman recognised the central role of the practitioner in any process of inquiry

Pg 246

Systemic inquiry = device for enabling systems practice that acknowledges and addresses uncertainty.

Pg 248

Critical activity in conducting a systemic inquiry

1. Make sense of...
2. Tease out... accomodations
3. Define possible actions

Pg 249

Social learning is one or more of the following processes:

1. Convergence of goals, criteria and knowledge leading to awareness of mutual expectations
2. Co-creation of knowledge which provides insight into the history of and the means required to transform a situation
3. Change in behaviour resulting from understanding gained through doing
4. Emergent property of the process of transforming a situation

I want to create a social learning culture across MD&D plan - but I don't know how to do this in a virtual environment... has anyone ever achieved this?

Pg 255

Workshop design

Part 1 Expose differences in understanding amongst participants

Part 2 Define the nature of the issues (reflection on part 1)

Part 3 Activity models to enable participants to gain a more systemic understanding

Part 4 Proposals for next steps and review of learning / evaluation

Pg 257/8

Persyst was a collaboration between personnel and the systems department at OU... carried out virtually.

"Ironically, the act of mainstreaming commissioned persyst to the margins"

I wonder why?