Peter Checkland on the origins of SSM
Here is Peter Checkland describing the origins of the Soft Systems Methodology.
SSM - Rich Pictures in Evaluation
Judy Oakden describes the use of Rich Pictures in SSM in evaluation.
New Book! A Guide to Systems Research
New book A Guide to Systems Research: Philosophy, Processes and Practice is available from Springer. Authors are M.C. Edson, P. Buckle Henning and S. Sankaran. Introductory 20% discount see below.
Stafford Beer VSM origins (video)
Stafford Beer describing the origins of the Viable Systems Model.
Call for abstracts ISSS 2016 India and USA
Final call for abstracts - ISSS 60th Annual Meeting and First Policy Summit - an East-West Systems Dialogue "Realizing Sustainable Futures" held jointly in Boulder, USA and Vadlamudi, India 25-29 July 2016.
New Book Think Crime!
New book Think Crime! by Paul Cozens describes a systems-based approach to designing environments to reduce crime.The book focuses on using practical understanding of the interplay of multiple interrelated systemic factors that shape motivation and opportunities for crime.
Systems Map of Obesity Factors
The UK Government Foresight Group at the Office for Science has published Tackling Obesities: Future Choices - Building the Obesity Systems Map This describes the building of a systems map of factors affecting obesity to help guide choices for future state level and local interventions to reduce levels of obesity in UK populations.
Bio: Alvaro J. Romera
I have been doing research in agricultural production systems for the last twenty years. This has included farm system modelling and running experimental farms and designing and operating field experiments. Since the year 2000 I have been mostly dedicated to farm system modelling activities, programming in Java, Excel-Visual Basic and Stella. Optimisation modelling has become an important part of my research in recent times, using GAMS for the models (farm and catchment modelling). I have been studying participatory research techniques, but mostly as personal interest.
System Thinking World Webinars
System Thinking World is offering systems thiinking webinars in 2016 run by Gene Bellinger.
System Dynamics of Tourism Ningaloo
An example of the use of System Dynamics in tourism planning is found in reports of research modelling the tourism and planning of the Ningaloo region. These models include substantial contextual factors and demonstrate how system dynamics can be used in creating designs and plans that would otherwise be viewed as wicked problems.
Systems Thinking - Linked-In Group
There is a new Systems Thinking Group on Linked-In that is the continuation of Systems Thinking World, which for many years was managed and developed by Gene Bellinger. It has the same members and contains the previous content.
Book: Differences by Ackoff
Book: DIFFERENCES that make a Difference by Russ Ackoff is now published by Triarchy Press. The simple philosophy behind Differences That Make a Difference is that complicated problems can often be avoided if you take a moment to define your terms at the outset. Ackoff's aim was to dissolve (not solve or resolve) some of the many disputes in professional and private life that he saw as the result of quite basic instances of miscommunication and misunderstanding.
IFSR Conversation
The next IFSR Conversation will be April 3 - 8, 2016 in Linz, Austria. Please suggest topics, and distribute this announcement to your colleagues. The announcement document (pdf) can be downloaded here.
Book - Strategic Foresight
New bookSTRATEGIC FORESIGHT - Learning from the Future by Patricia Lustig (Publisher Triarchy Press) is written for leaders in any organisation. Strategic Foresight offers a set of skills and tools used to explore potential futures, so that you can plan for and take advantage of them.
Webinar: Systems Philosophy and its Relevance to SE
The Systems Philosophy webinar by Dr David Rousseau on "Systems Philosophy and its Relevance to SE." (previously live on May 6th) is now available online. The presentation is 35 minutes long followed by 20 minutes of Q&A.
Read more: Webinar: Systems Philosophy and its Relevance to SE
ISCE survey
ISCE has created a survey for the Second Order Science event in Berlin (see http://secondorderscience.org) to help put the concepts into perspective. ISCE and ASC and IFSR encourage you to complete the survey and circulate the weblink
http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/1911906/Defining-Context-Dependence
ANZSYS Affiliated to IFSR
ANZSYS is now an affiliate of the International Federation of Systems Research (IFSR). IFSR is an established organisation with its own press and journal (Systems Research and Behavioural Science). The contact person for IFSR in ANZSYS is Victor MacGill (
Proceedings: Relating Systems Thinking and Design 2014 Symposium
The Relating Systems and Design 2014 proceedings are from a symposium organised by the Systemic Design Research Network, published by the Oslo School of Architecture and Design and edited by Birger Sevaldson and Peter Jones.
Read more: Proceedings: Relating Systems Thinking and Design 2014 Symposium
Book: Systems Concepts in Action
The book Systems Concepts In Action : A Practitioner's Toolkit by Richard Hummelbrunner and Bob Williams is focused on the practical use of systems ideas. It describes 19 commonly used systems approaches, complete with case studies, variations and discussion of each approach's pros and cons. Each chapter begins with a set of questions that the particular method addresses.
Ashby aphorism cards
Ross Ashby left a collection of cards with short pithy and often entertaining aphorisms or truth snippets. Fascinating and useful they give insight into Ross' thinking. The members of the Ashby Estate have collected them together into groups and transcribed them at:
DISCOUNT! Systems Thinking by Bill Hutchinson
Book Discount! Praxis Education is offering ANZSYS members and friends a 50% discount ($4.99) on the last of the original first edition copies of Systems Thinking and Associated Methodologies by Bill Hutchinson, one of the founders of ANZSYS. To buy use the coupon ANZSYS in the online bookshop at https://www.praxiseducation.com/index.php/product/10-systems-thinking-and-associated-methodologies-book
Soft Systems - Dr John Mackness
Video of Dr John Mackness discussing Soft Systems Methodology. John is a colleague of Peter Checkland
Complex Systems Society
The Complex Systems Society promotes complex systems research, advises on complex systems education, and the relationships between complex systems and society by linking complex systems scientists of different countries. CSS also contains the Complex Systems Registry.
Insight Maker Free Online Software
Insight Maker is a free online systems modelling software. The online software provides a variety of systems modelling tools and is particularly strong in Systems Dynamics and Agent-based modelling. The website also contains many useful sample models and simulations. The cost is your model/simulation is available to Insight Maker.
System Dynamics and Strategy
Book - complex systems & human evolution
New systems book 'Gonna Lay Down My Sword and Shield: A Complexity Perspective on Human Evolution from a Violent Past to a Compassionate Future' by Victor R. D. MacGill. Comment by Alexander Lazlo, President ISSS 'MacGill provides an accessible entrée for the thinking and caring person wishing to make sense of an increasingly complex and apparently chaotic world.'
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Join the ANZSYS system community now! It's FREE! Register your name and email address and we will send you interesting info about systems conferences, books, courses, methods, tools, events, special offers, free coffee. . . in fact anything that might be of interest to systems researchers and practitioners in Australia, New Zealand and this side of the universe.
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Been to a great systems conference? Write a review! Send photos! Reviews and photos of systems events will be published on the ANZSYS website.
Free eBook 'Disciplining Interdisciplinarity'
New book Disciplining Interdisciplinarity: Integration and Implementation Sciences for Researching Complex Real-World Problems by Prof Gabrielle Bammer and published by ANU E-Press and is now available free online at http://epress.anu.edu.au/titles/disciplining-interdisciplinarity.
Ackoff's 'The Cake'
New book: Ackoff's F/laws: The Cake by Russell L. Ackoff (with Herbert J. Addison). Russ Ackoff’s witty and subversive 122 F/laws of Management are widely respected and cover areas like hierarchy, teams, innovation, motivation and management. This book brings them together in a single source.