Special Integration Groups -- Call for Papers -- Cancun 2005: The 49th Annual Meeting of the International Society for the Systems Sciences
Cancun, Mexico
July 1st - 5th 2005
SIG chairs are still being contacted for confirmation of their interests in hosting sessions at the Cancun meeting. An evolving list has been posted in a working area at http://projects.isss.org/Cancun2005SIGCallsForPapers on ProjectsISSS. Interested members of SIGs not listed below may choose to colloboratively craft a call on that page.
SIGs that have issued a call for papers include:
- Critical Systems Theory and Practice
- Evolutionary Development
- Hierarchy Theory
- Human Systems Inquiry
- Organisational Transformation and Social Change
- Systems Applications in Business and Industry
- Systems-Specific Technology
- Women and Children in Community Systems
Critical Systems Theory and Practice
The special integration group in Critical Systems invites contributions for participation in its paper sessions at the 2005 annual meeting of the ISSS. This is a multidisciplinary and challenging area that represents an alternative to understanding current human, social, and political issues, from a mainly managerial perspective.
Its scope goes beyond the boundaries of traditional management sciences. On the one hand, it involves a reflection on issues emerging from current systems thinking and practice from contemporary philosophy (e.g., post-structuralism, critical theory, postmodernism), and other social disciplines. On the other, it also includes research that although systemic in orientation is mainly grounded in those disciplines.
Our aim is to take advantage of the multidisciplinary background and theoretical approaches of the participants, to generate a meaningful dialogue to inspire future research.
As a Critical Systems group we expect to be creative and innovative. Therefore, although the submission of a formal abstract and paper is expected, we would like to organise the sessions in accordance to the participants' needs and expectations. Please let us know of any suggestions about the topics, discussions or any other proposals as soon as possible.
For more information please contact mailto:B.Acevedo@mgt.hull.ac.ukBeatriz Acevedo-Holgu�n, at University of Hull Business School, The University of Hull, Kingston-upon-Hull, HU6 7RX, United Kingdom.
Evolutionary Development
We cordially invite you to join us at the 49th annual meeting of the International Society for the Systems Sciences (ISSS). Specifically, we hope you will consider contributing a paper and/or poster for presentation in the Evolutionary Development SIG (Special Integration Group) that it is our pleasure to co-chair. This will be the seventh year of productive meetings as an intact line of inquiry, the first four under the name of the Evolutionary Learning Community SIG, and the last two as the ED SIG. We will continue to focus our efforts on issues of timely relevance to which ELCs may best be dedicated.
The 49th Conference and Annual Meeting of the ISSS will take place from 1-5 July 2005 in Cancun, Mexico. The theme of this year’s conference is: "The Potential Impacts of Systemics on Society," and will highlight the contributions of, and challenges for, Latin America in this regard. This theme provide an exciting platform to catalyze the collective explorations of the ED SIG.
Inquiry in the area of Evolutionary Development involves revision of development notions and strategies, from a systemic and evolutionary perspective, in order to integrate the often isolated areas of human, economic, social, and sustainable development. Doing more with less, promoting living simply and meaningfully, and creating a sustainable economy where present and future human needs can be met without compromising the natural environment are some of the concrete objectives of Evolutionary Development. Evolutionary Learning Communities, as learning environments where people can learn together about the interconnected nature of our world, the ecological impact of our individual and collective choices, and the joy of finding a meaningful way to contribute to the emergence of sustainable and evolutionary futures, are the social units where Evolutionary Development can be set in motion for the ongoing self-organization of human societies in syntony with the planetary life support systems upon which they depend.
We invite both theoretical analyses relating to the principles and constructs of Evolutionary Development as well as presentation of explorations and practical applications that foster Evolutionary Development. This SIG welcomes treatment of themes that include, but are not limited to, consideration of the following topic areas:
- Human, social, and natural capital
- Self-directed sustainable development
- Community empowerment and participatory/anticipatory democracy
- Socio-ecological competence and the evolution of consciousness
- Design of ELCs as evolutionary guidance systems
- Evolutionary Systems Design as praxis
- Syntony as an organizing force in societal evolution
The ED SIG will be run as follows: During the conference itself, no formal paper presentations will be made, even though acceptance of both abstracts and full papers and/or posters is required. In order to be congruent with the general theme of the conference and the specific focus of our inquiry, our sessions will be conducted as learning conversations. Participants will engage first in a generative conversation in which they will have the opportunity to share the core ideas of their work with each other. After the group has attained a basic collective cognitive map of the research and constructs represented in the room, we will to move into a strategic conversation to identify areas of synergy. Once common themes and directions have been identified, we will move into an evolutionary conversation to create new knowledge and insights, and propose further collaborations.
By way of background information in preparation for this event, we urge you to visit the historical webpages of the ELC SIG. Since the ED SIG is a descendent of the previous ELC SIG, the statements of goals, purpose, and history, as well as of topics, format, and focus all bear directly on the spirit of engagement in which the ED SIG will meet in Cancun. The URL to visit is as follows: http://isss.org/sigs/sig29elc.htm
Of course, if there is anything we can help clarify for you with respect to the above, please do get in touch with us.
For further information, please contact: Alexander & Kathia Laszlo - Co-Chairs, ISSS ED SIG U.S.A.: 810-A Quarry Road - The Presidio, San Francisco, CA 94123 Mexico: Cardenal 1310, San Andres - El Barrial, Santiago NL 67300 Tel/Fax: ++415/346.1547 (USA) Tel/Fax: ++81/82.66.81.86 (Mex) mailto:info@SyntonyQuest.org http://www.SyntonyQuest.org
Hierarchy Theory
The Hierarchy Theory SIG invites papers relating to the study of hierarchical structures and their relationships in theory and practice.
Hierarchy theory views systems as a set of ordered levels with a governing-governed relationship between the levels wherein the hierarchical levels are the sub-units of the whole system of interest. Further, the levels within the hierarchy are defined by the scale of observation chosen by the researcher (observer) and exploring this process of choice of scale is also of interest within the SIG.
Abstracts are invited from all fields of research whether natural or social systems, and research or practice. In addition, this year it would be interesting to hear from people willing to participate in discussion sessions on the principles and practice of hierarchy, and input is welcomed as to what form these sessions should take.
SIG Chair: Jennifer Wilby, 47 Southfield Road, Pocklington, York, YO42 2XE, UK. +44 (0)1759 302718; Email: isssjmw@dsl.pipex.com
Human Systems Inquiry
HUMAN SYSTEMS INQUIRY is a central emphasis in those Systems Sciences directly concerned with human beings. We invite you to contribute a paper relevant to systems inquiry that helps our annual event to actualize the conference theme. Any paper that can make that connection will be considered.
The purpose of the HSI SIG is to provide an arena for ISSS members to present, exchange information, learn, and discuss: 1) ideas and viewpoints concerning issues in systems methods and methodologies relevant to human beings and the human condition; 2) applications of systems ideas to systems practice in human contexts; 3) innovations in systems methodology; and 4) systemic case studies conducted in, with, or by human activity systems. Any one or more of these purposes may be related to the conference theme.
For consideration, submit your abstract of 300 words maximum that includes at least one sentence relating the paper overall directly to the conference theme, and at least one sentence that connects your paper to any one or more of the four SIG focus areas stated above.
For further information, please contact: Arne Collen at acollen@saybrook.edu Saybrook Graduate School
Organisational Transformation and Social Change
One interest of this SIG is seeing organisations as social communities, thereby allowing for a convergence between management systems/cybernetic theory and sociology. Another concerns the change imperative for autonomous organisations in a complex world (more on this can be found at: http://www.intellectbooks.com/journals/otsc.htm). Abstracts are therefore invited from all fields of organisational or social systems research and/or practice.
Professor Maurice Yolles, Liverpool John Moores University, 98 Mount Pleasant, Liverpool L3 5UZ, UK. Email: m.yolles@livjm.ac.uk, and David Ing <sabi@systemicbusiness.org>
Systems Applications in Business and Industry
Authors are welcomed to share their papers and wisdom on Systems Applications in Business and Industry in Singerian Inquiry sessions at the 2005 ISSS meeting in Cancun.
The SABI sessions at Cancun 2005 will follow the approach that proved successful at Asilomar 2004 and Crete 2003. The agenda not only allows each author to relate the research that he or she has recently conducted, but to also share in the development of new knowledge by drawing on the wisdom across all participants. A Singerian Inquiry, as described by C. West Churchman in The Design of Inquiring Systems, is a systemic approach that features both multiple perspectives, and the "sweeping in" of new knowledge. Authors and attendees at prior sessions have reported great satisfaction in this lightly structured, free flowing approach to conversation.
Prior to the meeting:
- Authors may discuss their ideas about potential contributions with the SIG chair, David Ing (mailto:sabi@systemicbusiness.org).
- Authors submit abstracts. Abstracts are posted on a web site for review by all. Preliminary discussions about clustering ideas into sessions are facilitated online through web forums/conferences.
- Authors submit final papers. Papers are clustered into session of three to five papers. Preliminary discussions about ideas are facilitated online through web forums/discussions.
At the conference:
- In each session, each author is permitted up to five minutes to present the key ideas of their papers. For the remainder of the 90-to-120 minute session, an open discussion on common themes and differences between the papers gradually reveals more details about each author's thinking. Non-authors are welcomed to ask clarifying questions and contribute additional ideas, later in the session.
- After the meeting, digests are posted on the Internet, and audio recordings may be available on CD-R. The artifacts from Crete 2003 are available at http://systemicbusiness.org/digests/sabi2003. (The 2004 artifacts are still under development).
- Authors who require more than five minutes to present their papers should not designate their papers for the SABI stream. The chairs of the streams on Organizational Transformation and Social Change, Human Systems Inquiry and Evolutionary Development aim to work together to appropriate place papers, and work through scheduling challenges.
Interested author may contact the SABI SIG Chair, David Ing (mailto:sabi@systemicbusiness.org) for more information.
When submitting an abstract, please ensure that it is flagged specifically for the SABI stream.
Systems-Specific Technology
The great scientific and practical potentials of General Systems Theory as well as Systems Sciences have not yet been fully realized. We are still mostly ruminating about the initial concepts of von Bertalanffy and have not yet progressed to the level of an exact and complete scientific theory with its own language, ontology, epistemology, methodologies, tools and technologies.
The purpose of the Systems-Specific Technology SIG is to be instrumental in the development and in the implementation of systems-specific technologies/tools sufficiently effective for scientific and pragmatic application in various domains and across the boundaries of different sciences. These technologies/tools are expected to push the limits of human perception, cognition, communication, and will transform today’s Systems Sciences to the level of the Exact Systems Science.
ISSS members are invited to contribute to the Systems-Specific Technology Session(s) to explore the following:
- Defining Systems-Specific Technologies/Tools
- Network Structures of Systems-Specific Relational Languages
- Concepts and Methodologies for Developing, Constructing, Testing and Validation of different types of Systems-Specific Technologies/Tools
- Systems-Specific Technologies/Tools: Established and Under Development
SIG Chair: Vadim I. Kvitash, M.D., Ph.D., 2299 Post Street, Suite 306, San Francisco, CA 94115, USA. E-mail: Kvitash@hotmail.com.
Women and Children in Community Systems
Papers are invited that identify themes and research interests which account for the perspectives, interests and needs of children and women in social systems. More than half of the world’s population is women. Children are the future. Both groups are affected by different systems constructs, with formal and informal needs to have representation in the community or social system in which they live. Papers that apply systems thinking and understanding to family systems, community systems and other social systems as related to the development of ‘service’ systems are always welcome. A special invitation is extended to those who would like to present papers on the sub themes of ‘integration and continuity’ as they apply to women and children in community systems. Papers are invited from anyone who is interested in developing scholarship focusing on this area of study.
For further information, please contact: Anne Nelson Chair, Women and Children in Community Systems 2442 N.W. Market St. #112 Seattle, WA 98107
