... and encourages/enable personnel growth. Team work or team learning is the ability of a group to apply each individual’s skill or capabilities to develop a free flowing plan to reach the companies goal. (Senge, 1990, p. 236) An organization should have a common goal to strive to reach. It does not matter if it is to produce the best hammer on the market or making the clients the most money for their investment. The goal should focus on the end product of the company to be the best in the market. To reach these goals the company should have to be able to collect, analyzes, and implements best practices to grow the company. However when performing this process one must look at the whole system of the company and not just the short term results. (Aronson, 1196, p. 1) This is different than systems theory because it not only uses testable outcomes and logical formulas but also looks at the big picture. It takes into account internal and external factors that affect the learning process of complex problems. The second, third, and fourth order effects must be considered. Also, the company should encourage personnel growth of the employees. If employees are not trying to improve their understanding of processes, interpersonal skills, and technology then they will not master the proficiency required to meet the changing market place. (Senge, 1990, p. 139) One of the main limitations of team learning of an organization that is multi-cultural is the belief that everyone tends to see the...
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...Systems Thinking and Change Management Evaluation Systems thinking is a process that incorporates the crucial elements of strategic planning, management and leadership development, team building, and other principles of organizational change in the effort to create positive change within an organization. The first component of this discussion evaluates systems thinking and the application and limitations of systems logic as essential considerations in managerial decision making. Systems thinking is also a technique that manages a process as a whole while understanding that individual pieces of the process can cause an impact. Systems thinking applies a linkage strategy that analyzes interactions among elements comprising a system. It takes into account that large systems can be negatively affected by small changes in another geographically or time separated areas. This view of process management is ideal for any organization that has more than a very few processes and personnel. Communication is the method within systems thinking that defeats negative affects. Application and Limitations A systems approach can be seen in the following real world-example. Their outstanding success in systems thinking makes Wal-Mart’s an excellent comparison system for corroborating systems thinking examples for this IT project’s discussion. Wal-Mart has taken forecasting to the highest level by using a systems thinking electronic database (Aquilano, Chase, and Jacobs, p. 510, 2006). The company...
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... Pueblo C Some Suggestions for Further Diffusion of Work System Method Ideas in Systems Analysis and Design Doncho Petkov. petkovd@easternct.edu Department of Business Administration, Eastern Connecticut State University, CT, USA Ram B Misra misrar@mail.montclair.edu Department of Management and Information Systems, Montclair State University, NJ, USA Olga Petkova petkovao@ccsu.edu Department of MIS, Central Connecticut State University, CT, USA Abstract The Work System Method by Steven Alter has a significant potential for improving requirements definition in information systems development. Previous publications on the Work System Method and also on Design Science concepts and their relevance for Systems Analysis and Design are reviewed. We suggest some directions for further work on the diffusion of work system method ideas in systems analysis and design organized along the conceptual framework for IS research by Hevner, March, Park and Ram. Keywords: systems development, work system method, systems analysis and design. 1. INTRODUCTION Hevner et al (2004) presented seminal directions for work in design science within the Information Systems field. These lead subsequently to an increased interest in research in Systems Analysis and Design (SA&D) (see Bajaj et al., 2005; Iivari et al., 2005 and Harris et al., 2006). The importance of Systems Analysis and Design for any program of study in information systems and, we may add, to the field of IS development is well summarized...
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...The prediction of instances of information uses; 3. The control and thereby improvement of the utilization of information manipulation of essentials conditions. A system is a set of interrelated but separate parts working towards a common purpose. The arrangement must be orderly and there must be proper communication facilitating interaction between the elements and finally this interaction should lead to achieve a common goal. System approach to management views the organization as a unified, purposeful system composed of interrelated parts. This approach also gives the manager to see the organization as a whole and as a part of the larger external environment. System oriented manager would make decisions only after they have identified impact of these decisions on all other departments and the entire organization. They must intertwine their department with the total organization and communicate with all other departments, employees and with each other. * Characteristics: Systems have structure, defined by parts and their composition; * Systems have behavior, which involves inputs, processing and outputs of material, energy or information; * Systems have interconnectivity : the various parts of a system have functional as well as structural relationships between each other. * System(s) have by itself function(s) or group of functions . * Advantages: It aims at meaningful analysis of organizations and their management. * It facilitates the...
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...Chapter 1 Information Systems backbone Why is Information systems considered as company’s background? This section of report is focused towards the primary goal of the research i.e. Why is information systems considered as a backbone of any organization. Secondary data is used to prove the primary aim of report. Information systems perform three vital roles in any type of organization: 1. Support business operations 2. Support managerial decision making 3. Support strategic competitive advantage Ref: http://csob.berry.edu/faculty/lleblanc//newpage31.htm How information system is integrated in company Figure taken from Kristin Wischow, Rob Ward, Ryan Odell, David Sjoquist, Rahul Shah() Systems and Information Systems Cited from (http://homepages.wmich.edu/~r4ward/Systems%20and%20Information%20Systems%20Project.htm) On Wall-mart store All medium to large organisations depend on Information technology for their continued survival. Consider organisations like British Gas, British Telecom, the Power and Water companies having to manually calculate, millions of customer bills every month or quarter! Clearly the clerical effort involved would make it difficult if not impossible for the organisation to make a profit. Similar arguments apply to many other organisations such as the high street banks, central and local government. A recent article in the Daily Telegraph IT supplement suggested that many large organisations could last no longer than 24 hours without IT...
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...There are four different contemporary approaches to management. These are known as: sociotechnical system, quantitative management, systems theory, and organizational behavior. The sociotechnical system approach to management recognizes the intricate and complex relationship between human and technology in workplaces. Sociotechnical system also is a term used for reference between humans in the workplace and society’s complex infrastructures. The term sociotechnical systems was first used in the World War 2 era by Eric Trist, Ken Bamforth, and Fred Emery. Sociotechnical theory is based on two facts. The first is that the interaction of social and technical factors creates the conditions for organizational performance whether successful or unsuccessful. This interaction consists partly of linear “cause and effect” relationships and partly from “non-linear”, complex, even unpredictable relationships. Whether designed or not, both types of interaction occur when socio and technical elements are put to work. The second of the two main principles is that the optimization of each aspect (socio or technical) tends to not only increase the quantity of unpredictable, “un-designed” relationships but those relationships that are injurious to the systems performance. Sociotechnical theory is about joint optimization meaning the theory designs the social system and technical system so that they collaborate and work smoothly together. Sociotechnical theory proposes a number of different ways...
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...Organizations with functional and hierarchical structure may operate within a closed mechanistic structure with top-down management. Organizations striving to create relevance and competitive advantages may adopt more adaptive, flexible, interdependence and open management strategies. Organizational systems vary and can be simple or complicated; complex or chaotic; and linear or nonlinear. System dynamics in its broadest sense seeks to provide information and knowledge of how relationships influence the behavior of the system (parts and whole) over time. Designing, and managing systems in an ever-changing environment can present leaders with challenges as well as opportunities. Ackoff and Gharajedaghi (1996) defined a system as “a whole defined by one or more functions, which consists of two or more essential parts” (p.13). Systems Theory, Systems Analysis and Systems Thinking examines input, processes, outputs and outcomes, with ongoing feedback. Social systems (groups, supply and demand, friendship, etc.) range from very simple to very complex. Complex systems, are comprised of numerous subsystems are arranged in hierarchies, and integrated to accomplish the overall goal of the overall system. Internal dynamics and effectiveness The structure of an organization macro (focus on larger social structural challenges) or micro (focus on everyday challenges) can have a direct effect on company productivity and effectiveness. Kilduff and Brass (2010) suggest at the macro level can consist...
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...2015 Balancing The Justice System Ministry of Justice and Solicitor General This page is intentionally blank. Introduction The justice system is under increasing pressure from several sources. We are faced with a unique opportunity in responding to that pressure. We can continue to respond as individual program areas and Divisions within the Ministry, focused on the narrow legislative and constitutional sources of our respective authority and duties, or we can create a new framework and process that will bring a systematic and integrated approach to the administration of justice, and balance to the allocation of resources within that system. Such an approach would be centered on the Ministry Vision - to create the most innovative “The mission of the Ministry of and accessible citizen-centred justice system in Canada. Justice and Solicitor General is to ensure Albertans have safe The historical development of the role of the Attorney General communities and an accessible, and Justice Department illustrate the ad hoc development of effective and innovative justice the justice system. From its inception in 1905, the scope of the system. We accomplish this by both the office of the Attorney General and the Justice working with partners to provide a Department have evolved over time as new duties and continuum of services to support responsibilities have been added. This expansion has not been Albertans and the Government of planned or coordinated...
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...Holism (System Thinking) VS. Reductionism Marion Johnson Wilmington University November 5, 2013 Table of Content Table of Contents 1 Introduction 2 Reductionism 3 Holism 4 System Thinking 5 Conclusion 6 References 7 Holism (System Thinking) VS. Reductionism The objective of this research paper is to examine and understand the concepts of holism and reductionism and how they both relate to System Dynamics (SD). This is a part of System Thinking System Thinking (ST) that results a lack of commercial take up. The examination of Reductionism and Holism as applied through System Dynamics (SD) is applied in a broad range of area such as medicine, philosophy, physics, and other different areas of academics. Applications of Reductionism and Holistic principles were examined and defined in this paper. From the basis that SD as a Holistic/Reductionist methodology is deduced from a more differentiated general holistic nature of System Thinking (ST). Holism defined: All-encompassing view based on the knowledge the nature, functions, and properties of the components, their interactions, and their relationships to the whole (Business Dictionary.com). Reductionism defined: Material world-view in which complex phenomenon is broken down into conceptual chunks small enough to be analyzed or measured. The basis of all analysis reductionism is useful in understanding inanimate things or simple systems (Business...
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... Introduction Operations and Systems SSM Recomandations Management Issues REPORT THAT ANALYSES THE SYSTEMS AND OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AT ATOKOWA ORGANISATION (SUPPLIED) WITH RECOMMENDATIONS TO IMPROVE THEIR BUSINESS To :Jonothan Atokowa Analysis of Current Systems and Operations Business process mapping is defining exactly what an organisation does, who is in charge to what standard a process will be completes and how successful the business process can be determined. It will help understand the strengths and weaknesses within the existing process and help improve productivity increase efficiency , reduce errors and stimulate sales revenue. Process identification at Atokowa Description of Activity Atokowa retail outlet -Product scanned into Epos system | | Products are totalled | | Payment is taken | | Written in transaction table | | Decremented in stocks table | | Review of daily reorder report | | Delivery request | | (Melbourne )Warehouse,process ofr delivery request | | Purchase of supplies/ products from China | | Purchase of products from Hong Kong | | Table 1 The transactions table in the ASIS MS Access database serves almost the same purpose as the Table stocks, combining the two in to one could make the process faster and easier to understand. The system creates unnecessary work. The Stocks...
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...Systems Thinking: Managing Chaos and Complexity This Page Intentionally Left Blank Systems Thinking: Managing Chaos and Complexity A Platform for Designing Business Architecture SECOND EDITION Jamshid Gharajedaghi AMSTERDAM • BOSTON • HEIDELBERG • LONDON NEW YORK • OXFORD • PARIS • SAN DIEGO SAN FRANCISCO • SINGAPORE • SYDNEY • TOKYO Butterworth-Heinemann is an imprint of Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann is an imprint of Elsevier 30 Corporate Drive, Suite 400, Burlington, MA 01803, USA 525 B Street, Suite 1900, San Diego, California 92101-4495, USA 84 Theobald's Road, London WC1X 8RR, UK This book is printed on acid-free paper. Copyright © 2006, Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Permissions may be sought directly from Elsevier’s Science & Technology Rights Department in Oxford, UK: phone: (+44) 1865 843830, fax: (+44) 1865 853333, E-mail: permissions@elsevier.com. You may also complete your request on-line via the Elsevier homepage (http:/ /elsevier.com), by selecting “Support & Contact” then “Copyright and Permission” and then “Obtaining Permissions.” Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Gharajedaghi, Jamshid. Systems thinking : managing chaos and complexity : a platform for designing business architecture...
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...A SYSTEMS APPROACH TO STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT Amanda J. Gregory Centre for Systems Studies, Business School, University of Hull, Cottingham Road, Hull, HU6 7RX, United Kingdom, A.J.Gregory@hull.ac.uk ABSTRACT Strategic management involves decision-making about an organization's objectives together with the formulation and implementation of plans, particularly regarding the allocation of resources, to support their achievement. As such, strategic management is a dynamic and complex process involving consideration of internal and external factors, and the short and long term. The effectiveness of an organization’s strategic management can critically impact upon its viability and there are many reasons why the stategic management process may fail. Such reasons include failure to: think creatively about the likely affects of plans obtain external/internal participation and commitment co-ordinate and control resources. In this paper it is argued that many of the reasons for failure may be attributed to the successive dominance of different reductionist approaches to strategic management. From a systems perspective it may be argued that such approaches represent partial approaches to strategic management that neglect the complex, embedded and dynamic nature of modern organizations. Accordingly, the reasons why strategic plans fail are taken to provide a framework for the evaluation of the potential contribution of a range of systems methodologies to the strategic management process...
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...properties of its parts. Therefore a complex system is broken down into its component part and each part is studied individually by various approaches. It bills the descriptions of system from the descriptions of subsystem that a system is made off and not considering the relationship between the sub systems. For example, reductionism considers the biological system to the composed of molecules with certain structures or a molecule to be composed of atoms thus reductionism always understand the nature of complex entity by breaking them into much simpler or more fundamental components. Holism: In contrast, the concept of holism believe that the relationship between the part and the system as a whole to be more symmetric than in reductionism. The holism focus on the relation between the sub system that is their inter connectedness, inter dependency and inter action. Thus in holism the natural system and their properties are viewed as whole rather than collection of part. In total, in holism the whole is more than or difference from the sum of its parts. There are no necessary contradictions between the two approaches one focus on the property of the part where as the other on the relationship between them. When put together they stand as suplemtary rather than conflicting. In general there are no philosophical, ideological or practical contradiction between reductionism and holism scientifically. Systems thinking: Systems thinking is the process of understanding how things influence...
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...To me a manager is a motivator, someone who makes the team want to achieve anything in any way possible, through any means. The people have to be self-motivated, but a good manager can make anyone have that motivation. A manager helps break down goals to his/her team and makes very precise and well thought out actions to get his team there. After the many readings I learned that the ideas we have of management with top down thinking is wrong and we should be doing outside in thinking. Linda Hill's "leading from behind" didn’t make sense to me because I always have believed that a leader should be in front of their team and leading them head first into battle or sales. But, after watching the video I understood what she meant that a leader needs to let his team step forward and flourish on their own, and if he if is in the front they will never step up because the leader has already stepped up for them. What I understood from Seddon’s basic argument is that a manager’s roll is like managing a system in order to reach an organizations goal. Seddon’s six steps helped show that everything we know to be right, when broken down is wrong. The one that stood out is with many people you have more brain power and that is not always a good thing, it all depends on the type of work those brains are being put forward to do. So, if your mind is not in the right place it doesn’t matter how much you know. From the video "Recognizing the role of managers" she talks about “executing...
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...Charles Kettering, the famed US electrical engineer and inventor said “A problem well-stated is half-solved.” One of the key capabilities in Consulting is to develop a good understanding of the problem situation from a number of different perspectives. This stage in the consulting process is known as ‘problem structuring’. The capabilities in Consulting have no limits with extraordinary growth in which is capable to handle and bring solutions for all business problems. Consulting is currently not well defined; however, it may refer to as giving advice to companies provided by trained professionals who help managers solve operational and strategic problems through the use of their knowledge and systematic analysis of facts and experience. Many specialised practitioners from all industry sectors often refer to themselves as ‘consultants’, in which roles they share knowledge and proffer advice to clients. The teaching of consulting begins its teaching by introducing the art and science of consulting. The reason being is that when coming up with any problems within a business, everything can be approached scientifically and everything can become art (Vidal R. 2006). The message given here believes to indicate that in complex situations to problem solving, it is advisable to use both the scientific and artistic attitudes for a more satisfying result to achieve with the risk of failure been minimized, all the participants been empowered and everybody to have given the chance...
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