Systems Practice in Information Societies Book

List of Tables x

List of Figures xi

List of Permissions xii

Preface xiii

Acknowledgments xvii

1 Introduction 1

Objectives 1

The Information Society 1

Transformations 2

Engagement(s) 3

Unintended Consequences 4

Issues of Concern About the Information Society 4

Systems-thinking 5

Possibilities to Improve Systems-thinking Practice 7

The Purpose of this Book 7

The Structure of the Book 8

Chapter Summary 9

Key Messages 10

2 The Information Society 11

Objectives 11

Communication Technologies and Information Today 11

Origins of the Term 'Information' 12

Transformations 12

Engagement(s) 17

Unintended Consequences 20

Implications for Practice 22

Chapter Summary 22

Key Messages 24

3 Systems-thinking 25

Objectives 25

By Way of Introduction 25

Rationalism and the Loss of the 'Soul' 27

General Systems Theory (GST) 27

GST Taken Forward 31

Systems of Enquiry 39

Challenges to Systems-thinking 41

Chapter Summary 42

Key Messages 43

4 Applied Systems-thinking 44

Introduction 44

Objectives 45

Transformations via Systems Methodology Use 45

Supporting Transformations: Strategic Assumption Surface Testing (SAST) 46

Re-designing Transformations: Interactive Planning (IP) 49

Engaging with Transformations: Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) 52

Assumptions of Systems Methodologies 55

Dealing with the Unintended: Critical Systems-thinking 56

Critical Systems Heuristics (CSH) 57

Boundary Critique and Marginalization 59

Chapter Summary 61

Key Messages 62

5 The Idealist Pattern for Practice in the Information Society 64

Introduction 64

Objectives 65

Patterns 65

Three Recurrent Ways of Thinking Aboutthe Information Society 66

The Idealist Pattern of Practice 67

Systems Practice in the Idealist Pattern 70

Reflections from Practice 81

Chapter Summary 83

Key Messages 83

6 The Strategic Pattern for Practice in the Information Society 84

Introduction 84

Objectives 85

The Strategic Pattern 85

Revisiting Engagement(s) in the Information Society 86

Shaping up the Information Society: Groups and Their Concerns 87

Boundaries 89

Developing a Strategic Pattern 90

Engaging People: Information Systems Planning at Javeriana University 94

Reflections from Practice 104

Chapter Summary 107

Key Messages 107

7 The Power-based Pattern for Practice in the Information Society 109

Introduction 109

Objectives 110

From Practice to 'Who We Are' 110

The Unintended Consequences in the Information Society Revisited 111

A Power-based Pattern 112

Foucault's Work 114

The Power-based Pattern in Practice 118

Ethical Awareness: Acting 'Ethically' 122

Reflections from Practice 125

Chapter Summary 128

Key Messages 128

8 A Dynamic Practice Framework for Living and Working in the Information Society 130

Introduction 130

Dealing with Temporality in the Information Society 134

Chapter Summary 140

Key Messages 141

9 Conclusions 142

The Idealist Pattern Revisited 143

The Strategic Pattern Revisited 145

The Power-based Pattern Revisited 148

The Future: Educating-Practitioners 149

Notes 153

References 157

Index 160