Processes Of Change In Systems Research Articles

Art and Science of ‘Escape’

As authors we draw from our experience of hosting two virtual design and imagination labs, where we took a deep dive into the evolution of our economic system with a diverse group, and had a profound collective experience imagining possible alternatives that promote wellbeing and flourishing of people and planet. These labs were convened by the David Suzuki Foundation in Turtle Island/Canada during the pandemic. In each Lab, approximately 60 participants were invited from across government, First Nations communities, civil society, academia, and activism. Both the process of inviting, and the lab design and process, were carefully curated with an intention to bring different world views and perspectives to take a deep dive into re-imagining our economic system. As pracademics and systems change practitioners, we reflect on what is required to make visible the underlying conditions (including worldviews, myths, and metaphors) that keep our current systems in place, and what might be needed to free ourselves to imagine alternatives. We refer to this liberation as ‘escape’ and propose six elements of ‘escape’ for transformation. The process of unlearning and releasing ourselves from unhelpful limiting assumptions and worldviews applies to those ‘facilitating’ these processes of systemic change, as much as it applies to those participating in the labs. This form of collective practice requires constant vigilance, as no single methodology of framework is fit for purpose. We reflect on what this kind of methodological pluralism invites and offers, as we bring together different ways of knowing and different knowledge systems, and re-imagine alternatives that recognise the limitations and impact of our current economic system on people and planet.

대만의 대학 입학제도 변천과정 분석과 시사점

[Purpose]The purpose of this study is to identify the characteristics and direction of Taiwan's education system and to derive implications by analyzing the change process of the university admission system and changes in university admission policy after 2022.
 [Methods] In order to understand the characteristics and direction of Taiwan's education system and the historical process of change in the university admission system, we analyzed related literature and data and conducted a historical review of major policy changes in university admission. We analyzed the latest policy documents and press releases on Taiwan's university admission system after 2022 to identify new directions and policy changes, and reviewed the changed educational environment. Through this, implications were derived.
 [Results] The main findings of the study are, first, that Taiwan's university admissions system was initially traditional and test-based, but over time it has changed to respect student diversity. Second, since 2022, Taiwan has reorganized its university admissions system to emphasize diversity and reduce the burden of admissions, and promoted fair competition and educational innovation by diversifying admission opportunities and evaluation methods. Third, although the university admissions systems of Taiwan and South Korea differ in various evaluation methods and changes in the admissions system, in recent years, both countries have made efforts to strengthen diversity and fairness.
 [Conclusion] In both Taiwan and Korea, efforts are being made to strengthen diversity and fairness in the university admissions system. Areas in which the two countries can learn from each other include the introduction of various evaluation methods and policies that focus on student participation, and ways to exchange and develop each other's strengths should be sought.

Filtration effect of Cordyceps chanhua mycoderm on bacteria and its transport function on nitrogen.

During the natural growth of Cordyceps chanhua, it will form a mycoderm structure specialized from hyphae. We found that the bacterial membrane of C. chanhua not only filters environmental bacteria but also absorbs and transports nitrogen elements inside and outside the body of C. chanhua. These findings are of great significance for understanding the stable mechanism of the internal microbial community maintained by C. chanhua and how C. chanhua maintains its own nutritional balance. In addition, this study also enriched our understanding of the differences in bacterial community composition and related bacterial community functions of C. chanhua at different growth stages, which is of great value for understanding the environmental adaptation mechanism, the element distribution network, and the changing process of symbiotic microbial system after Cordyceps fungi infected the host. At the same time, it can also provide a theoretical basis for some important ecological imitation cultivation technology of Cordyceps fungi.

Payment Tutoring System Reengineering Using Business Process Reengineering

The payment system at the Smartindo Tutoring Institute. Although it has used a web-based system that is integrated with the academic system, the existing system has not been able to run properly. So, it is forced to make adjustments in the business processes of payment section. System changes are carried out using the BPR (Business Process Reengineering) method so that the system change process can be in accordance with the needs and is able to transform conventional systems into digital systems by reducing unnecessary steps. The aim of this research is to produce a new payment system based on process optimization using the BPR method. There are 4 stages of BPR that will be carried out in this research including identify processes, review update analyze as-is, design to-be, test & implement to-be. The results of these system changes resulted in a new system that showed a better level of throughput efficiency. The old system has been identified only has a throughput efficiency value of 48.39%. After analyzing and making changes to the process, the new system produces a better level of efficiency, reaching 100%. The results of better efficiency cannot be separated from the success in reducing the stages that are considered no longer needed in the workflow of the new payment system.

Self-governing organizations and culture: addressing condominium law developments in China

PurposeThis paper aims to unfold the intricate relations between private law design, the structure of organizations for collective action and cultural values and orientations that practically guide interpersonal interactions in Chinese society.Design/methodology/approachDrawing upon the Hofstede Insights National Culture survey (The Culture Compass) data and some judicial rulings in China, this paper examines the legislative development and judicial approach to settle condominium disputes to explain and address the cultural orientation for future legal reform. This paper examines how the law reflects and responds to the cultural and social variations/interactions among the stakeholders, namely, local government, developers, homeowner associations, condo owners and property management agents.FindingsCulture plays a significant role in shaping how condominiums are governed in China. This analysis can highlight the role of cultural factors that influence the success or failure of condominium governance and suggest ways in which governance structures can be adapted to reflect the legal culture of the community better. The emphasis on social harmony, respect for authority, relationships and networks and knowledge and expertise all contribute to a unique approach to condominium governance that reflects the values and priorities of Chinese society.Originality/valueWhile much has been written on the importance of property rights to economic development, relatively little seems to be understood about processes of change in complex property systems, particularly in China, a socialist-transforming country. Specifically, there is a lack of reliable knowledge about the intricate relations between the structure of organizations for collective action and cultural orientations that practically guide interpersonal interactions in Chinese society. The question at the heart of this research relates to the condominium rules most suitable for an emerging Chinese private property market.

Enriching the educational psychologist’s researcher identity and role in collaborative research: A cultural-historical activity theory perspective

Aims and rationaleWithin the profession of educational psychology (EP), debates on the extent of EP research activity in the UK continue. Indeed, there may be a disconnection between the spectrum of EP research activity, its publication and its acknowledgement in academic and policy output. However, the focus of this article is not to elaborate upon this further but rather to consider the educational psychologist’s research identity. Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) as an analytical and theoretical framework has been explored in EP practice (Leadbetter, 2017) but is instead presented here for the enrichment of EP research identity and skills, and to develop a more nuanced understanding of collaborative research.FindingsThe complexity of the nature of enquiry that underpins EP practice and systemic change processes is complimentary to the socio-cultural and historical factors in national EP practice.ConclusionsFurthermore, to bridge disconnects between academic and practitioner research, it is proposed that EP research identity can also be enhanced by locating this in the academic discourse of inter-disciplinary and collaborative research.

Making the sustainability hotspot analysis more participatory—experiences from field research in Zambia

Food value chains constitute a core element of food systems. Along any value chain, several bottlenecks, and obstacles negatively affect the sustainability of the entire chain. Therefore, the identification and assessment of such sustainability hotspots is a vital step in the process towards higher levels of sustainability. Over the past few decades food value chains have been supported as part of development cooperation to help alleviate poverty and ensure food and nutrition security. However, so far, a suitable methodology to assess aspects of sustainability along such food value chains was not available. Therefore, we have adapted the sustainability hotspot analysis, originally developed by the Wuppertal Institute, and enhanced it with a participatory approach, thereby making it suitable for application in the context of development cooperation. In this paper, we present a step-by-step overview of the entire assessment process by using examples from its application in Zambia’s dairy and groundnut value chains. The developed methodology allows, through participatory means, the identification and assessment of sustainability aspects by stakeholders themselves, with the validation and amplification of assessment results by locally-based value chain experts. We demonstrate that results from this participatory hotspot analysis are aligned with the principles of agroecology promoted by the FAO, and are geared towards supporting transformative food system change processes. Our key findings from the application of the participatory hotspot analysis showed that sustainability hotspots occur in the social, economic, and ecological dimensions of sustainability along both value chains. It also became clear that hotspots are frequently interconnected, requiring a holistic approach based on a solid understanding of strong sustainability when designing solutions. We conclude that our participatory hotspot analysis provides a user-friendly methodology that generates action-oriented recommendations, and provides an ideal starting point in the development process for co-learning and co-creation of knowledge aimed at generating sustainability-enhancing innovations. The application of the participatory hotspot analysis reveals information on aspects that threaten the sustainability of value chains from a stakeholder perspective. Knowledge of these perspectives is essential, especially for development practitioners tasked with designing implementation strategies to improve the sustainability of value chains.

Megaprojects as niches of sociotechnical transitions: The case of digitalization in UK construction

Transitions are processes of systemic change where niches peripheral to a sociotechnical regime accumulate momentum, scale up and eventually transform its core. In contrast to this dominant narrative in transitions research, infrastructure systems exhibit the reverse process as change propagates from the regime core to its periphery. We explore this under-researched process in the case of digitalization in UK construction. We analyse six UK megaprojects that span more than 30 years as a single longitudinal embedded case, and show how the adoption of digital technologies driven by regime incumbents, seeds the processes of technology adaptation, aggregation, and system transformation. The adoption of digital technologies by incumbents is necessary to cope with megaproject scale and scope. Their adaptation to technology instigates organizational level change that starts at the regime core, accumulates with each project and makes these changes ripple across the industry and transform it.

Anticipation dialogs in Vermont's system of mental healthcare: Sustaining the growth of a dialogic practice culture.

Open dialog is both a therapeutic approach and a way of organizing the system of mental healthcare that has been evolving in Finland since the 1980s. In Vermont, over the last decade, there has been an organic statewide effort to begin to integrate dialogic principles into the public system of mental healthcare. Because of the organic nature of these initiatives, there have not been coordinated systemic changes to support dialogic practices. To learn what visions participants in dialogically informed practice contexts have for the future as well as what structural innovations would support these visions anticipation dialogs were offered at three dialogically informed community mental health centers and one public psychiatric. The anticipation dialog was developed in Finland during the late 1980s to aid stuck professional and social networks in finding ways to move forward looking back from an imagined positive future. Twenty-seven multidisciplinary staff members and one service recipient participated in the dialogs. The authors conducted a multi-step process of thematic discourse analysis of all 4 anticipation dialogs. Findings underscore dilemmas entailed in growing a dialogic practice system, including the toll systemic uncertainty takes on workers in the system and the simultaneous pull to offer some amount of open-endedness to the system change process in the spirit of inclusiveness, mutual trust, democracy, and reducing hierarchy. Other key findings influencing sustainability of dialogic practices in community mental health include integrating dialogic work into roles rather than adding them to existing responsibilities. Our experiences indicate that anticipation dialogs may be a way of conducting systemic research that contributes to the forward momentum of system innovation. Offering a greater length of time for organizational anticipation dialogs would be valuable, as would centering the voices of clients and their networks.

대통령선거제도의 연혁적 변천과 특성에 관한 연구

Depending on whether it is a presidential system or a parliamentary system, there may be differences in the electoral system. However, it is clear that the ultimate purpose of elections is the realization of democracy.
 Therefore, democracy can be said to depend on the electoral system, and the election of public officials based on the correct electoral system is very important.
 Among these public office elections, the presidential election in particular is more important than other elections.
 For this reason, this study, which examines the historical change process of the presidential election system and the peculiarities of the times, is very meaningful.
 As a result, the early presidential system was changed to a parliamentary system of government, and then the parliamentary system of government was changed to a presidential system. In addition, the presidential system also repeated the indirect and direct election systems.
 For this reason, the will of the person in power played an important role, which can be seen as a violation of democracy.
 In the process of changing the presidential election system several times, the age of those who can vote has been reduced from 21 to 18, political conflict between regions has increased, and the election day has been set on Wednesday. And the election deposit was reduced from 500 million won to 300 million won.
 I hope that moreresearch on the electoral system will lead to more democratic elections.

A Framework Proposal for Plan Evaluation in the Context of Turkish Planning System

This study aims to propose a framework for plan evaluation in the context of Turkish planning system’s structural characteristics. Within the scope of the study, main planning evaluation approaches (conformance-based and performance-based) were examined, and prominent evaluation methods were analyzed in detail. Then, type of planning systems and the major breaking points in changing process of planning system in Turkey are summarized. With reference to these issues, a filtered framework that can be used for plan evaluation in Turkey has been suggested. In this research, it has been concluded that the plan evaluation can be realized in three main dimensions and some sub-criteria: conformity (plan and output accordance, plan effects, relevance), rationality (internal coherence, external coherence, participation, cooperation and coordination), utilisation (guidance or direction). Although it provides an applicable framework, the suggestion does not offer a method that can be applied one-to-one for each plan. Under the rapidly changing conditions in our country, the evaluation criterion should be reconfigured in line with the features of relevant plan. It is foreseen that a basic monitoring mechanism can be created for planning institution by using the framework in this study. Also, it will provide self-evaluation opportunities for planning authorities. In this way, we believe that the success level of plans and planning system will increase. Evaluation of plan is an important research area in the international literature in terms of both qualitative and quantitative elements to be analyzed together. However, it is not yet included in Turkish planning literature. Therefore, this study is valuable as it highlights a new research area by pointing to an important gap in the national planning literature. It is thought that this study has original contributions to both theory and practice and will establish a functional bridge between them.

Bezpieczeństwo społeczne Polaków na początku XXI wieku

Social security is recognised as one of the most important challenges of the XXI-th century. Social security includes social protection for the ones in need and community security for social groups. It is the safeguarding tool for combat with social threats in sense of intensification of negative phenomena and events, in effect of which existential values as well as interests of the nation and state are being disrupted; often there are negative consequences of political system change processes. Social security guarantees the protection of individuals in case of reduction of salaries, sickness, maternity, unemployment, disability, old age and death, it provides health care and assures protection to the families with children. The State as the highest form of social organization is primarily responsible for social security. This is the State, by creating the conditions for work and education, health protection and retirement guarantees, that should protect the public against the threats, assure the possibility to meet individual needs and realization of life aspirations of its citizens. The main threats of the Poles in the XXI-th century are as follows: functioning of Polish families, poverty and social exclusion, old age, globalization processes and membership in European Union.

Social tipping points everywhere?—Patterns and risks of overuse

AbstractThe last few years have witnessed an explosion of interest in the concept of social tipping points (STPs), understood as nonlinear processes of transformative change in social systems. A growing body of interdisciplinary scholarship has been focusing in particular on social tipping related to climate change. In contrast with tipping point studies in the natural sciences–for example climate tipping points and ecological regime shifts–STPs are often conceptualized as desirable, offering potential solutions to pressing problems. Drawing on a well‐established definition for tipping points, and a qualitative review of articles that explicitly treat social tipping points as potential solutions to climate change, this article identifies four deleterious patterns in the application of the STP concept in this recent wave of research on nonlinear social change: (i) premature labeling, (ii) not defining system boundaries and scales of analysis, (iii) not providing evidence for all characteristics of tipping processes, and (iv) not making use of existing social theories of change. Jointly, these patterns create a trend of overusing the concept. Recognizing and avoiding these patterns of “seeing the world through tipping point glasses” is important for the quality of scientific knowledge generated in this young field of inquiry and for future science‐policy interactions related to climate change. Future research should seek to identify empirical evidence for STPs while remaining open to the possibility that many social change processes are not instances of tipping, or that certain systems might not be prone to nonlinear change.This article is categorized under: Climate, History, Society, Culture > Ideas and Knowledge Perceptions, Behavior, and Communication of Climate Change > Behavior Change and Responses The Social Status of Climate Change Knowledge > Sociology/Anthropology of Climate Knowledge

Middle-Late Jurassic chronology and source-to-sink system of the Sikeshu section in the southern margin of the Junggar Basin, Xinjiang

With the improvement of isotopic testing technology, high-precision dating methods such as SHRIMP or LA-ICP-MS of detrital zircon have been used to analyze and infer the formation age of sedimentary basins, the source of detrital materials, and the tectonic background of the formation and widely used. The LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb dating method was used to study the detrital zircon in the Middle-Late Jurassic sandstone in the Sikeshu section of the southern margin of the Junggar Basin, Xinjiang. The results show that the detrital zircon ages are mainly 270~447Ma,240~440Ma,245~432Ma, and 286~360Ma. There are also several ancient zircon ages, mainly 945~1080Ma. Combined with zircon mineralogical characteristics, CL images, Th/U ratio, sandstone petrographic characteristics, and regional chronological data, the primary provenance of the Middle-Late Jurassic sandstone is mainly from the Yilinghabilga Mountains in the North Tianshan, and Carboniferous-Permian volcanic rocks, pyroclastic rocks and Carboniferous granites exposed in the Borokonu Mountains of the Central Tianshan Mountains. By comparing the age changes between the four sampling points, the change process of the North Tianshan-Middle Tianshan source-sink system is obtained. From west to east, the upper Devonian glutamate, the Middle Devonian carbonate, and the large granite bodies of the Carboniferous series constituted the early watershed. From the middle to late period of the Toutunhe Formation to the Xishanyao Formation, from east to west, the Cambrian and Silurian carbonate rocks and the large granites and other rocks formed the late water line.

Understanding how systemic change happens -marketisation and de-marketisation

This paper discusses possible conceptual foundations of formal models of endogenous change processes, understood here as movements between market and non-market transactions at the level of the national economy. It links but does not merge movements of resources with shifts in the pattern of transaction types. In focussing on transaction types, it deploys insights from Commons, Coase, and Godelier, to discuss how framing transaction types as the fundamental 'thing to be explained' points to the value of choices about how activity may best be organised, which requires a general concept, which can be found in Commons' 'going concern', applicable to transactions focussing on markets or not. It entails the possibility of institutional change and shifts in the location of economic resources without formal policy change. It suggests that the main requirement for such change processes are dualistic incentive patterns that operate upon institutional choice and/or development, which derive at root from experienced contrasts between the realities of existing and normatively privileged systems, and others, normatively initially deemed inferior, that offer key actors greater economic efficiency. Moves of institutional activity from one to the other are thus conceptually processes of endogenous systemic change. System in this sense is thus viewed as a coexistence of alternatives. The motivation comes directly from consideration of two very different historical moments: endogenously driven shifts 'from plan to market' in countries attempting central planning, and contemporary pressures in market economies from areas of the economy, such as services, where joint production and/or own consumption imply irremediable market failure and so non-market based economic institutions offer greater economic efficiency and may therefore attract both resources (factors of production) and investment in development of suitable transactions and their organisation.

Action research for energy system transformation

ABSTRACT Responding to the climate crisis requires a large-scale transformation of energy systems away from fossil fuels toward a more distributed, equitable, renewable-based society. The societal benefits of this transformation which could redistribute power, literally and figuratively, go well beyond decarbonization; a renewable society could also be a healthier, more economically just society. This study conceptualizes action researchers as key drivers of these systemic change processes. We argue that transforming and democratizing energy systems should be the focal point of action researcher’s efforts to address climate change. To advance this argument, the study draws on the systemic action research, energy democracy, and sustainability transitions literature and includes recommendations, examples, and practical suggestions for conducting energy-related action research. This study’s findings will be useful to researchers interested in engaging the climate crisis by building transformative capacity in the context of local and regional energy systems.

A participatory approach to tracking system transformation in clusters and innovation ecosystems—Evolving practice in Sweden’s Vinnväxt programme

Abstract For decades, cluster initiatives and funding programmes have been used as instruments of industrial and innovation policy—addressing system failures by strengthening linkages among actors, fostering innovation, and developing more effective innovation systems. More recently, a growing segment of these initiatives are also focused on driving system-level transformation and contributing to broader societal benefits. This segment is characterized by larger-scale and longer-term strategic efforts involving a variety of stakeholders across different parts of society, aimed at contributing to addressing societal challenges. These characteristics are shared with the emerging frame of transformative innovation policy, which highlights the importance of embedded practices of learning and reflexivity to enable continuous monitoring of progress and inform and adapt the direction of systemic change processes—requiring new approaches to governance and evaluation. Despite deep experience with implementing cluster programmes and other systemic innovation policy instruments, practitioners still struggle with monitoring and evaluation. Current approaches focus on evidencing strengthened innovation (and economic effects) on the level of firms and research actors, and fail to capture contributions on the level of the broader system. This article presents an evolving approach for tracking system transformation in clusters and collaborative innovation initiatives. Through an interactive, co-development process with initiatives in the Swedish Vinnväxt programme, this research proposes a definition and set of system effect categories for cluster initiatives. It tests a participatory approach for tracking their contribution to system-level change over time, providing an initial case on which to build and apply in other transformative innovation programmes.

A Methodological Approach to Designing a Theory: The Journey of the Four Zone Professional Learning Model

ABSTRACT The four zone professional learning model is a practical, comprehensive approach to striving toward equity through professional learning within gifted education programs. Grounded in equity literacy and funds of knowledge frameworks and based in best practices in culturally responsive gifted professional learning, the zones address the knowledge and skills necessary for proficient teachers of the gifted through the process of systemic change. The model was designed and developed over several years utilizing the plan-study-do-act action research model. This article discusses the methodological evolution of the model, the research and theoretical frameworks in which it is grounded, and future implications.

Elite Profile and Type of Institutional Transformation: Comparison of Russia and Slovenia

Abstract Russia and Slovenia are in many aspects very dissimilar countries. The process of systemic change in the post-communist period was also usually assessed differently. Slovenia is an example of successful transformation that resulted in consolidated democracy and effective market economy, while Russia is an example of flawed democratisation, resulting in authoritarian reversal and an oligarchic economy with a combination of state interference and domination of ‘olygarchs’. However, the global crisis revealed some severe structural weaknesses of the Slovenian model of transition that led to the development of a rather dysfunctional democracy and ‘crony-capitalism’ characterised by entanglement of political and business elite that is—at least in some aspects—rather similar to the situation in Russia. We claim that these similarities between the two countries are predominantly determined by the type of elite formation and configuration, i.e. a high level of elite reproduction and ideological hegemony of one political faction that led to development of institutional setting with a number of ‘extractive’ characteristics.

The impact of implementing a person-centred pain management intervention on resistance to change and organizational culture

BackgroundResistance to change and organizational culture are essential factors to consider in change management in health care settings. Implementation of structural change remains a challenge. There is a lack of studies providing information on the impact of implementation processes on the organization. The aim of this study was to describe the impact of implementing a systematic change process concerning postoperative person-centred pain management on resistance to change and organizational culture in an orthopaedic spine surgery unit.MethodsThe study was set in an orthopaedic spine surgery unit at a university hospital. Person-centred bundles of care for postoperative pain management of spine surgery patients were developed in co-creation by a multi-professional expert group and implemented throughout the care pathway. The intervention was underpinned by theories on organizational culture and inspired by principles of person-centred care. Quantitative data were collected using the Resistance to Change Scale and the Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument and analysed using descriptive statistics.ResultsThe findings showed a low resistance to change decreasing during the study. The organizational culture shifted from a result-oriented to a formalized and structured culture after the implementation. The culture preferred by the staff was team-oriented and participation-focused throughout the study. The discrepancy between the current and preferred cultures remained extensive over time.ConclusionIt is challenging to describe the influence of the development and implementation of a postoperative pain management program on organizational culture as well as in terms of resistance to change, in a complex health care setting. In the current study the unit was under organizational strain during the implementation. Albeit, the important discrepancy between the current and preferred organizational culture could imply that structural changes aren’t enough when implementing person-centred pain management structures and needs to be combined with relational aspects of change.