Search

This paper explores the sustainability field from a complex system governance (CSG) perspective. In general, sustainability suggests maintenance at a specific rate or level. It is also frequently held as maintaining ecological balance to negate the depletion of natural resources. CSG offers sustainability a theoretically grounded, model based, and methodologically sound approach to better inform sustainability design, execution, and development for complex systems. CSG examines sustainability as an outcome‐based product resulting from effective governance of an underlying system which produces sustainability. Thus, sustainability is proposed as a ‘systems engineered product’, whose design, execution, and development will be favored by CSG systems engineering. Following an introduction, two primary objectives are pursued. First, systems theory is used to provide an alternative view of sustainability. Second, a perspective of sustainability is developed through the paradigm of the emerging CSG field. The paper closes with the contributions, opportunities, and challenges for deployment of CSG for enhanced development, transition, and maintenance of sustainable systems.

Our research examined the efficiency impacts on project and engineering governance of widespread reporting of increased complexity in these domains, using diverse researchers with focused literature review and consultation at a combined industry and academic symposium on project governance. Our research confirmed that collaboration in project communities is often hindered, especially project management and systems engineering practice. Project communities need to develop a work culture that fosters collaboration, reduce conflict, and limits duplication of work. While project management and systems engineering approaches are complementary, they are often practiced separately. Overlays are likely inefficient and unlikely to persist without resolving the underpinning cultural differences enforced by governance weaknesses - in short, inelegant solutions. Our research identifies seven key Systems Theory propositions for governance to efficiently pathologise tension points that inhibit performance. A case study is used to illustrate our proposed, more elegant approach to project governance. We conclude by outlining future research themes.

Organizations and practitioners must contend with systems that operate in complex problem domains characterized by increasing complexity, ambiguity, uncertainty, and emergence. Systems thinking (ST) has been suggested as a framework of thought, based in holistic understanding of systems, to aid in dealing with increasingly complex systems and their problems. The primary contribution of the paper is examination of both individual capacity and corresponding organizational competence related to ST as a response to more effectively navigate the complex problem domain facing practitioners and organizations. Following a short introduction, we have organized the paper to explore four primary areas. First, we examine the nature of the complex problem domain confronting organizations and practitioners. Second, we suggest individual capacity and organizational competence as two essential areas necessary for ST to offer a response to more effectively navigate the complex problem domain. Third, we present an in depth examination of individual capacity for ST. Fourth, we develop a perspective of organizational competencies in relation to engaging ST. The paper concludes with a discussion of the challenges and implications for further development and application of ST.

Complex system governance (CSG) is an emerging field with potential to enhance capabilities for design, execution and evolution of complex systems. CSG offers a theoretically grounded, model informed and methodologically driven approach to more effectively deal with complex systems and their problems. However, initial CSG applications have identified multiple impediments to systemic intervention to deploy this new and novel field. In this paper we discuss a strategy to effectively deploy systemic intervention in support of CSG. Four primary objectives are pursued, including: 1) identification of three major forms of systemic intervention for complex systems in general; 2) presentation of a dynamic and tailored approach (CSG-Entry) to improve prospects for introductory systemic intervention for CSG; 3) results from an initial application of CSG-entry in a field setting; 4) suggestion of lessons learned from initial applications of CSG-Entry in relationship to systemic intervention. Two more methods that can be combined with CSG-Entry to generate sufficient information for planning a comprehensive systemic intervention. The paper concludes with examination of future development directions for systemic intervention to advance CSG performance.

The complex nature of the system of systems engineering (SoSE) field and problems it addresses amplifies the need for effective enquiry. Enquiry serves to invoke higher level thinking that can better ground exploration of SoSE problems. Effective enquiry for SoSE practice is an essential first act in any SoSE endeavour and serves to frame all that follows. This paper explores three approaches to enquiry that can support more rigorous formulation of SoSE endeavours. First, paradox is introduced through a series of apparent contradictions for complex systems. The 'resolution' of these paradoxes invites thinking (enquiry) at a more systemic level, providing insights not achievable from more traditional modes of thinking. Second, we examine the field of critical thinking as a vehicle to invoke more rigorous thinking about complex issues in SoSE. Finally, critical systems enquiry is introduced through a set of eight critical questions to invoke deeper exploration for SoSE-based efforts. The invitation of these three different, but interrelated, enquiry streams provides a guide to elevate thinking for SoSE practitioners hoping to avoid 'thinking failures'. The paper concludes by suggesting challenges for practitioners, researchers, and the evolving SoSE field concerning development, incorporation, and prospects for more advanced systems-based enquiry.

Systems of Systems (SoS) require organisational components to have staff with abilities appropriate to the challenges within SoS. Large organisations frequently use competency models as a tool to ensure that their staff have the proper skills to deal with these challenges. Competency models have been used for 40 years to select, train, promote or separate employees. While competency models represent an improvement on their primary predecessor, intelligence tests, weaknesses have been noted in the literature and challenges have been made to improve them. Most improvement efforts have been evolutionary adjustments or insertion of more elements. This research presents a completely new way to create, assess or transform a competency model. This framework can be used to design, assess or transform an existing competency model. This paper represents a significant expansion of a conference paper presented at SOSE 2014 in Adelaide, South Australia in June 2014.

Complex system governance (CSG) is an emerging field focused on purposeful development of control, communication, coordination, and integration functions necessary to produce and sustain desirable levels of system performance. In this paper, we develop a CSG reference model. Following an introduction to the CSG field, the paper focuses on three primary objectives to support development of a reference model. First, the conceptual foundations and role of the CSG reference model are established. These conceptual foundations rest in systems theory and management cybernetics and establish the essential philosophical and theoretical underpinnings. Second, we introduce the reference model by first discussing the nature, role, and utility for the model. We then expound each of the nine integrated functions of the model. Third, we conclude the paper by suggesting implications for the model and emerging directions with respect to research and practice. In addition, the position of the reference model in the emerging CSG field as well as related fields (e.g., system of systems engineering) is suggested.

The broad set of propositions identified in systems literature (circa 1900–2000s) provides an adequate, largely comprehensive subset of the complete set of all systems theory propositions. Discoverers' induction can then be applied to integrate common ideas among propositions in order to produce a set of generalised laws (axioms). A proposal for a systems theory construct resting on an axiomatic set supported by unified systems theory propositions was presented by Adams et al. (2014). This paper refines the work of Adams et al. using discoverer's induction and further describes the axioms provided and their role in complex systems.

As currently used, systems theoryis lacking a universally agreed upon definition. The purpose of this paper is to offer a resolution by articulating a formal definition of systems theory. This definition is presented as a unified group of specific propositions which are brought together by way of an axiom set to form a system construct: systems theory. This construct affords systems practitioners and theoreticians with a prescriptive set of axioms by which a system must operate; conversely, any set of entities identified as a system may be characterized by this set of axioms. Given its multidisciplinary theoretical foundation and discipline‐agnostic framework, systems theory, as it is presented here, is posited as a general approach to understanding system behavior. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Eng 17:

The problems stemming from increasing complexity continue to confound our capabilities to deal with systems. In response, many large organisations seek to integrate their existing systems to work together to accomplish capabilities that cannot be achieved by the constituent systems. The integration of these systems is often referred to as a system of systems (SoS). While much has been written about SoS and their associated phenomena, we have not found sufficient exploration to answer some of our most basic questions: where did this concept came from? And when, or has, the peak of the SoS development movement been reached? To answer these questions, this paper has constructed a histogram analysis to trace the history of SoS from 1926–2011. Five hundred different sources have been included in the analysis in an attempt to give a glimpse into the development of the SoS field through the frequency of publications.

The purpose of this paper is to explore an emerging paradigm and implications for complex system governance. Although ‘governance’ has been taken as a ‘good thing’, we seek more rigorous development of governance as a multidisciplinary construct. Following an introduction to the complex system problem domain three primary objectives are pursued. First, three fields, governance, management cybernetics, and systems theory are examined for contributions to the emerging complex system governance field. Second, an emerging paradigm for complex system governance is developed. This developmental paradigm establishes a preliminary basis for complex system governance. Third, a set of implications for research and development is suggested to accelerate advancement of the complex system governance field. Emphasis is placed on the potential that this field offers for practitioners who must deal with the increasingly complex systems and their constituent problems. The paper concludes with research challenges to push the emerging field forward.

Stakeholders exist at the centre of all systems problems and are the principal contributors to the solution of these problems. We provide an approach for classifying stakeholders and determining an appropriate level of action to take with respect to these stakeholders that combines the power, legitimacy and urgency typology with a stakeholder attitude classification schema. The newly developed stakeholder strategy is a matrix that combines stakeholder attitude and classification. This matrix serves as a guide for the application of resources in support of stakeholder involvement. This technique provides systems practitioners with a means to deal with stakeholders effectively.

System of systems engineering (SoSE) is a relatively new field of study as compared to other engineering disciplines and is often viewed as a mere extension of systems engineering, a relatively young discipline itself. As with all new disciplines, education in the emerging field is an important element of its development, or in some cases, its failure to develop. Education includes the domain within which the field of study exists and the requisite foundation for the associated body of knowledge. This paper reports on a tailored training programme in SoSE that has been designed to help provide a step-function increase in knowledge, skills, and abilities for the emerging workforce that work with systems of systems.

Despite recognition that religion plays an important role in Scottish and that Scotland has long been different from England in matters involving religion, there remains a dearth of relevant research on this subject. For example, only in recent years, with the works of Mitchell (1992) and Curtice and Seawright (1995), has there been a qualified look at least at one aspect of this relationship, the association between religion and politics. This paper will bring both of these subjects together by considering the religious and political undercurrents that for many people have come to characterise Scottish football. A characterisation that is particularly evident in the case of the two major clubs in Scotland: Glasgow Rangers and Celtic.

The article presents information on investing in the cryptocurrency market. Topics include the bitcoins blockchain system along with hard fork SegWit2x affecting the cryptocurrencies market, the reason for the correction in the bitcoin market, and the author suggesting a deeper study of the bitcoin market before investing in it.