Distractions, reflections

Distractions, reflections

David Ing, at large … Sometimes, my mind wanders

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    • Beyond the Tavistock and S-cubed legacy
      While it’s important to appreciate the systems thinking foundations laid down by the Tavistock Institute and U. Pennsylvania Social Systems Science (S3, called S-cubed) program, practically all of the original researchers are no longer with us.  Luminaries who have passed include Eric L. Trist (-1993), Fred E. Emery (-1997), and Russell L. Ackoff (-2009).  This […]
    • Socio-Technical Systems, Service Systems Science
      In order to move forward, the Systems Changes Learning Circle has taken a step backwards to appreciate the scholarly work that has come before us.  This has included the Socio-Psychological Systems, Socio-Technical Systems and Socio-Ecological Systems perspective, from the postwar Tavistock Institute for Human Relations.  The deep dive on “Causal texture, contextualism, contextural” takes us […]
    • Causal Texture of the Environment
      For those who haven’t read the 1965 Emery and Trist article, its seems as though my colleague Doug McDavid was foresighted enough to blog a summary in 2016!  His words have always welcomed here, as Doug was a cofounder of this web site.  At the time of writing, the target audience for this piece was […]
    • Causal texture, contextualism, contextural
      In the famous 1965 Emery and Trist article, the terms “causal texture” and “contextual environment” haven’t been entirely clear to me.  With specific meanings in the systems thinking literature, looking up definitions in the dictionary generally isn’t helpful.  Diving into the history of the uses of the words provides some insight. 1. Causal texture 2. […]
    • Trist in Canada, Organizational Change, Action Learning
      Towards appreciating “action learning”, the history of open systems thinking and pioneering work in organization science, the influence of Action Learning Group — in the Faculty of Environment Studies founded in 1968 at York University (Toronto) — deserves to be resurfaced. 1. Trist in Canada 2. Environmental studies, and contextualism in organizational-change 3. Action learning, […]
    • Remembering Doug McDavid
      The news that Doug McDavid — my friend, colleague, and one of the original cofounders of the Coevolving Innovations web site in 2006 — had passed, first came through mutual IBM contacts.  More details subsequently showed up on LinkedIn from Mike McClintock. Doug left us on May 9, while working at his desk, likely in […]

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    • 1969, 1981 Emery, System Thinking: Selected Readings
      Social Systems Science graduate students in 1970s-1980s with #RussellAckoff, #EricTrist + #HasanOzbehkhan at U. Pennsylvania Wharton School were assigned the Penguin paperback #SystemsThinking reader edited by #FredEEmery, with updated editions evolving contents.
    • 1968 Buckley, “Modern Systems Research for the Behavioral Scientist: A Sourcebook”
      Resurfacing 1968 Buckley, “Modern Systems Research for the Behavioral Scientist: A Sourcebook” for interests in #SystemsThinking #SocioCybernetics #GeneralSystemsTheory #OrganizationScience . Republication in 2017 hardcopy may be more complete.
    • Wholism, reductionism (Francois, 2004)
      Proponents of #SystemsThinking often espouse holism to counter over-emphasis on reductionism. Reading some definitions from an encyclopedia positions one in the context of the other (François 2004).
    • It matters (word use)
      Saying “it doesn’t matter” or “it matters” is a common expression in everyday English. For scholarly work, I want to “keep using that word“, while ensuring it means what I want it to mean. The Oxford English Dictionary (third edition, March 2001) has three entries for “matter”. The first two entries for a noun. The […]
    • Systemic Change, Systematic Change, Systems Change (Reynolds, 2011)
      It's been challenging to find sources that specifically define two-word phrases -- i.e. "systemic change", "systematic change", "systems change" -- as opposed to loosely inferring reductively from one-word definitions in recombination. MartinReynolds @OpenUniversity clarifies uses of the phrases, with a critical eye into motives for choosing a specific label, as well as associated risks and […]
    • Environmental c.f. ecological (Francois, 2004; Allen, Giampietro Little 2003)
      The term "environmental" can be mixed up with "ecological", when the meanings are different. We can look at the encyclopedia definitions (François 2004), and then compare the two in terms of applied science (i.e. engineering with (#TimothyFHAllen @MarioGiampietro and #AmandaMLittle, 2003).

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  • moments. daviding.com

    Random selections from the past year
    Riverside neighbourhood -- Back home in Toronto, DY down with delayed Montezuma's revenge. Three of four sons also had symptoms around days 9 and 10 of our 11-day vacation. Pity for RDI recovering in Mexico City, flying back overnight. Minor jet lag for me, biked to Chinatown to stock up on groceries, temperature drop tomorrow with possible snow. (Riverside neighbourhood, Toronto, Ontario) 20191230
    Back home in Toronto, DY down with delayed Montezuma's revenge. Three of four sons also had symptoms around days 9 and 10 of our 11-day vacation. Pity for RDI recovering in Mexico City, flying back overnight. Minor jet lag for me, biked to Chinatown to stock up on groceries, temperature drop tomorrow with possible snow. (Riverside neighbourhood, Toronto, Ontario) 20191230
    Lakeview Park -- Bright Saturday day trip westbound, as opportunity for outdoor date with social distancing. Sunflowers were planted in rows, by developers as phytoremediators to purify the soil by absorbing toxins. Site of Lakeview Generating Station, demolished in 2007. (Lakeview Park, Lakefront Promenade, Mississauga, Ontario) 20200912
    Bright Saturday day trip westbound, as opportunity for outdoor date with social distancing. Sunflowers were planted in rows, by developers as phytoremediators to purify the soil by absorbing toxins. Site of Lakeview Generating Station, demolished in 2007. (Lakeview Park, Lakefront Promenade, Mississauga, Ontario) 20200912
    Concord CityPlace -- From Front Street West, Puente de Luz (Bridge of Light) pedestrian bridge spans north to south corresponding to Canada and Chile of sculptor #FranciscoGazitua. Installed in 2012, bicyclists and pedestrians can cross over to Canoe Landing Park and Concord CityPlace. Inspired by nature, skeletons and armatures are bridges. (Puente de Luz, Front Street West, Toronto, Ontario) 20200918
    From Front Street West, Puente de Luz (Bridge of Light) pedestrian bridge spans north to south corresponding to Canada and Chile of sculptor #FranciscoGazitua. Installed in 2012, bicyclists and pedestrians can cross over to Canoe Landing Park and Concord CityPlace. Inspired by nature, skeletons and armatures are bridges. (Puente de Luz, Front Street West, Toronto, Ontario) 20200918
    Calle Rio Lerma -- Apprehension of accessing keysafe at the AirBnB at 1 a.m., having been dropped off by an Uber from Aeropuerto Internacional Benito Juárez. Wide door is beside two interior parking spaces, security key allows access to 5th floor apartment and 6th floor bedrooms. First time in Mexico City, neighbourhood appears to have life, even after dark. (Calle Rio Lerma, Cuauhtémoc, Mexico City) 20191218
    Apprehension of accessing keysafe at the AirBnB at 1 a.m., having been dropped off by an Uber from Aeropuerto Internacional Benito Juárez. Wide door is beside two interior parking spaces, security key allows access to 5th floor apartment and 6th floor bedrooms. First time in Mexico City, neighbourhood appears to have life, even after dark. (Calle Rio Lerma, Cuauhtémoc, Mexico City) 20191218
    Aeropuerto Internacional Benito Juárez -- Variation on Home Alone 2, Lost in Mexico City, as RDI extends his stay for three days, while the family boards a plane to Toronto. A Nexus card isn't enough to board an international flight, and his passport was misplaced on a Saturday. Presuming a consultate visit on Monday, rebooked flight home for Tuesday, and reserved an AirBnB. It turns out that the passport was in the bag of AHI, who was on a flight to San Francisco 7 hours earlier. Documents on the way via courier. (Terminal 1, Aeropuerto Internacional Benito Juárez, Mexico City) 20191228
    Variation on Home Alone 2, Lost in Mexico City, as RDI extends his stay for three days, while the family boards a plane to Toronto. A Nexus card isn't enough to board an international flight, and his passport was misplaced on a Saturday. Presuming a consultate visit on Monday, rebooked flight home for Tuesday, and reserved an AirBnB. It turns out that the passport was in the bag of AHI, who was on a flight to San Francisco 7 hours earlier. Documents on the way via courier. (Terminal 1, Aeropuerto Internacional Benito Juárez, Mexico City) 20191228

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