Applications of Systems Thinking and Soft Operations Research in Managing Complexity
Applications of Systems Thinking and Soft Operations Research in Managing Complexity

Author: Anthony J. Masys

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2015-09-14

Total Pages: 320

ISBN-13: 3319211064

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This book captures current trends and developments in the field of systems thinking and soft operations research which can be applied to solve today's problems of dynamic complexity and interdependency. Such ‘wicked problems’ and messes are seemingly intractable problems characterized as value-laden, ambiguous, and unstable, that resist being tamed by classical problem solving. Actions and interventions associated with this complex problem space can have highly unpredictable and unintended consequences. Examples of such complex problems include health care reform, global climate change, transnational serious and organized crime, terrorism, homeland security, human security, disaster management, and humanitarian aid. Moving towards the development of solutions to these complex problem spaces depends on the lens we use to examine them and how we frame the problem. It will be shown that systems thinking and soft operations research has had great success in contributing to the management of complexity.

Asia-Pacific Security Challenges
Asia-Pacific Security Challenges

Author: Anthony J. Masys

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2017-09-25

Total Pages: 310

ISBN-13: 331961729X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This edited book examines the contemporary regional security concerns in the Asia-Pacific recognizing the ‘Butterfly effect’, the concept that small causes can have large effects: ‘the flap of a butterfly’s wings can cause a typhoon halfway around the world’. For many Asia-Pacific states, domestic security challenges are at least as important as external security considerations. Recent events (both natural disasters and man-made disasters) have pointed to the inherent physical, economic, social and political vulnerabilities that exist in the region. Both black swan events and persistent threats to security characterize the challenges within the Asia-Pacific region. Transnational security challenges such as global climate change, environmental degradation, pandemics, energy security, supply chain security, resource scarcity, terrorism and organized crime are shaping the security landscape regionally and globally. The significance of emerging transnational security challenges in the Asia-Pacific Region impact globally and conversely, security developments in those other regions affect the Asia-Pacific region.

Systems Thinking
Systems Thinking

Author: Cliff Whitcomb

Publisher: MDPI

Published: 2021-01-20

Total Pages: 222

ISBN-13: 303936796X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This Systems Thinking Special Issue contains 12 papers on the nature of systems thinking as it applies to systems engineering, systems science, system dynamics, and related fields. Systems thinking can be broadly considered the activity of thinking applied in a systems context, forming a basis for fundamental approaches to several systems disciplines, including systems engineering, systems science, and system dynamics. Although these are somewhat distinct fields, they are bound by common approaches in regard to systems. Whereas systems engineering seeks to apply a multidisciplinary, holistic approach to the development of systems, systems science seeks to understand the basics related to systems of all kinds, from natural to man-made, and system dynamics seeks to understand system structures in order to influence its dynamics. Man-made systems have become more ubiquitous and complex. The study of systems, both natural and engineered, presents new challenges and opportunities to understand emergent, dynamic behaviors that inform the process of sense-making based on systems thinking.

From Silos to Network: A New Kind of Science for Management
From Silos to Network: A New Kind of Science for Management

Author: Domenico Lepore

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2023-11-02

Total Pages: 107

ISBN-13: 3031402286

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This book provides the conceptual framework and a comprehensive guide to the principles, methods and tools for managing organizations. The authors introduce “New Knowledge” by presenting a methodology, 'The Decalogue’, that portrays a genuinely systemic approach for managing complexity in organizations and Value Chains through focusing on the management of a leverage point called constraint (Theory of Constraints) and the understanding of variation (Theory of Profound Knowledge). This systemic approach leverages the intrinsic process and project-based nature of the work of organizations. Functional hierarchy is replaced by a network-like structure, driven by the goal of the system and governed by a new design of the organization called “Network of Projects”. The transition towards the Network of Projects requires a cognitive shift in the way we view and put to good use human talent and ingenuity as well as a powerful algorithm to orchestrate and synchronize individual competencies. The authors discuss at length this algorithm, how the Theory of Constraints helps in the cognitive challenges of this shift and also how technology can be used fruitfully to assist with the operational implications. The target audience for this book is made up of leaders and managers of organizations as well as researchers and practitioners in the field of management and organizational design.

Systems Thinking for Instructional Designers
Systems Thinking for Instructional Designers

Author: M. Aaron Bond

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2021-12-30

Total Pages: 255

ISBN-13: 1000513424

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Systems Thinking for Instructional Designers offers real-world cases that highlight how designers foster continuous improvement and manage change efforts across organizational contexts. Using a systems thinking approach, each case describes a holistic process that examines how a set of interdependent elements can be analyzed and coordinated to influence change. Instructional designers, faculty, program directors, digital learning leaders, and other development specialists will learn how systems thinking can solve authentic, real-world challenges. The book’s rich narratives cover both successes and failures of meaningful growth, paradigm shifts, and large-scale problem-solving in a variety of settings, including education and industry.

Engineering Emergence
Engineering Emergence

Author: Larry B. Rainey

Publisher: CRC Press

Published: 2018-09-03

Total Pages: 548

ISBN-13: 1351694855

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This book examines the nature of emergence in context of man-made (i.e. engineered) systems, in general, and system of systems engineering applications, specifically. It investigates emergence to interrogate or explore the domain space from a modeling and simulation perspective to facilitate understanding, detection, classification, prediction, control, and visualization of the phenomenon. Written by leading international experts, the text is the first to address emergence from an engineering perspective. "System engineering has a long and proud tradition of establishing the integrative view of systems. The field, however, has not always embraced and assimilated well the lessons and implications from research on complex adaptive systems. As the editors’ note, there have been no texts on Engineering Emergence: Principles and Applications. It is therefore especially useful to have this new, edited book that pulls together so many of the key elements, ranging from the theoretical to the practical, and tapping into advances in methods, tools, and ways to study system complexity. Drs. Rainey and Jamshidi are to be congratulated both for their vision of the book and their success in recruiting contributors with so much to say. Most notable, however, is that this is a book with engineering at its core. It uses modeling and simulation as the language in which to express principles and insights in ways that include tight thinking and rigor despite dealing with notably untidy and often surprising phenomena." — Paul K. Davis, RAND and Frederick S. Pardee RAND Graduate School The first chapter is an introduction and overview to the text. The book provides 12 chapters that have a theoretical foundation for this subject. Includes 7 specific example chapters of how various modeling and simulation paradigms/techniques can be used to investigate emergence in an engineering context to facilitate understanding, detection, classification, prediction, control and visualization of emergent behavior. The final chapter offers lessons learned and the proposed way-ahead for this discipline.

Complex System Governance
Complex System Governance

Author: Charles B. Keating

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2022-04-18

Total Pages: 592

ISBN-13: 3030938522

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This book explores Complex System Governance (CSG)—an emerging field concerned with the design, execution, and evolution of essential functions necessary to ensure continued viability of a system. The book focuses on three primary development areas to better understand and utilize current developments CSG. First, the conceptual foundations for CSG are developed, from systems theory, management cybernetics, and governance. Second, a set of critical CSG topics are examined from conceptual as well as practice perspectives. Third, several development and application issues are discussed. Ultimately, CSG is positioned as an emerging field with strong theoretical grounding and significant implications for improving practices and performance to better address complex systems and their problems.

Sensemaking for Security
Sensemaking for Security

Author: Anthony J. Masys

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2021-05-31

Total Pages: 283

ISBN-13: 3030719987

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This book presents sensemaking strategies to support security planning and design. Threats to security are becoming complex and multifaceted and increasingly challenging traditional notions of security. The security landscape is characterized as ‘messes’ and ‘wicked problems’ that proliferate in this age of complexity. Designing security solutions in the face of interconnectedness, volatility and uncertainty, we run the risk of providing the right answer to the wrong problem thereby resulting in unintended consequences. Sensemaking is the activity that enables us to turn the ongoing complexity of the world into a “situation that is comprehended explicitly in words and that serves as a springboard into action” (Weick, Sutcliffe, Obstfeld, 2005). It is about creating an emerging picture of our world through data collection, analysis, action, and reflection. The importance of sensemaking to security is that it enables us to plan, design and act when the world as we knew it seems to have shifted. Leveraging the relevant theoretical grounding and thought leadership in sensemaking, key examples are provided, thereby illustrating how sensemaking strategies can support security planning and design. This is a critical analytical and leadership requirement in this age of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity that characterizes the security landscape. This book is useful for academics, graduate students in global security, and government and security planning practitioners.

Disaster Forensics
Disaster Forensics

Author: Anthony J. Masys

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2016-09-03

Total Pages: 418

ISBN-13: 3319418491

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This book aims to uncover the root causes of natural and man-made disasters by going beyond the typical reports and case studies conducted post-disaster. It opens the black box of disasters by presenting ‘forensic analysis approaches’ to disasters, thereby revealing the complex causality that characterizes them and explaining how and why hazards do, or do not, become disasters. This yields ‘systemic’ strategies for managing disasters. Recently the global threat landscape has seen the emergence of high impact, low probability events. Events like Hurricane Katrina, the Great Japan Earthquake and tsunami, Hurricane Sandy, Super Typhoon Haiyan, global terrorist activities have become the new norm. Extreme events challenge our understanding regarding the interdependencies and complexity of the disaster aetiology and are often referred to as Black Swans. Between 2002 and 2011, there were 4130 disasters recorded that resulted from natural hazards around the world. In these, 1,117,527 people perished and a minimum of US$1,195 billion in losses were reported. In the year 2011 alone, 302 disasters claimed 29,782 lives; affected 206 million people and inflicted damages worth a minimum of estimated US$366 billion.

Dynamic Simulation and Virtual Reality in Hydrology and Water Resources Management
Dynamic Simulation and Virtual Reality in Hydrology and Water Resources Management

Author: Ramesh S.V. Teegavarapu

Publisher: CRC Press

Published: 2021-07-27

Total Pages: 199

ISBN-13: 1000414272

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Dynamic Simulation and Virtual Reality in Hydrology and Water Resources Management focuses on the understanding, use, and application of system dynamics simulation and virtual reality approaches for modeling the spatial and temporal behavior of natural and managed hydro-environmental systems. The book discusses concepts of systems thinking and system dynamics approach, and it furthers understanding of the dynamic behavior of natural and engineering systems using feedbacks and dynamic simulation. Numerous examples of models built using different system dynamics simulation modeling environments are provided. It also introduces concepts related to computer animation and virtual reality–based immersive modeling. Applications of systems dynamics, simulation with animation, and virtual reality approaches for modeling and management of hydro-environmental systems are illustrated through case studies. This text is ideal for water resources professionals, graduate students, hydrologic modelers, and engineers who are interested in systems thinking, dynamic simulation, and virtual reality modeling approaches. It will serve as a valuable reference for engineering professionals who model, manage, and operate hydrosystems. Engineering educators will find the book immensely useful to enhance the learning experiences of students. Dr. Ramesh S. V. Teegavarapu is a professor at Florida Atlantic University with expertise in modeling water resources and environmental systems, hydroinformatics, and climate change. Dr. Chandramouli V. Chandramouli is a professor at Purdue University Northwest. His expertise is in water resources and environmental modeling integrating artificial intelligence techniques.