BCSSS

International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics

2nd Edition, as published by Charles François 2004 Presented by the Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science Vienna for public access.

About

The International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics was first edited and published by the system scientist Charles François in 1997. The online version that is provided here was based on the 2nd edition in 2004. It was uploaded and gifted to the center by ASC president Michael Lissack in 2019; the BCSSS purchased the rights for the re-publication of this volume in 200?. In 2018, the original editor expressed his wish to pass on the stewardship over the maintenance and further development of the encyclopedia to the Bertalanffy Center. In the future, the BCSSS seeks to further develop the encyclopedia by open collaboration within the systems sciences. Until the center has found and been able to implement an adequate technical solution for this, the static website is made accessible for the benefit of public scholarship and education.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

MODELING (Interpretive Structural) 2)

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A methodology "used to enable the participant group to develop logical patterns (structures) of relationships among concepts produced by Nominal Group Technique" (J. WARFIELD, 1989, p.2).

The aim of this modeling technique is to limit as much as possible what WARFIELD calls "Underconceptualization" which includes remaining stuck in a too limited conceptual frame; rationalizing so-called "problems" (which are generally "human constructs not subject to observation "; and shrinking design by limiting it to restrictive contexts (p.9-10).

According to WARFIELD: "It is a powerful learning method, because it involves disciplined, detailed, examination of relationships among factors involved in the complex issue; accompanied by discussion and further clarification".

"The patterns produced by the use of this methodology can take any variety of forms. However a very common form of pattern that is produced is called a "problematique". This particular pattern shows how a set of problems all involved in the issue are interrelated to each other in an influence pattern. Specifically, such a pattern shows how a given problem may cause some other problems in the set to become worse. Problematiques typically contain "cycles"; i.e. subsets of problems such that each problem in the subset makes every other problem in the subset worse. Cycles represent (model) escalating situations that may only be susceptible of corrective action by working with all the members of the cycle as a group, rather than working individually and independently with problems, uninformed by their interaction" (1991, p.199).

MODELING (Interpretive structural)

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→ Interpretive structural modeling

Categories

  • 1) General information
  • 2) Methodology or model
  • 3) Epistemology, ontology and semantics
  • 4) Human sciences
  • 5) Discipline oriented

Publisher

Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science(2020).

To cite this page, please use the following information:

Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science (2020). Title of the entry. In Charles François (Ed.), International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics (2). Retrieved from www.systemspedia.org/[full/url]

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