A Force Field Approach to Assessing Organization For Integrated Regional Development

Davies, C.

IIASA Working Paper

WP-76-015

1976

Davies, C. (1976) A Force Field Approach to Assessing Organization For Integrated Regional Development. IIASA Working

Paper. WP-76-015 Copyright © 1976 by the author(s). http://pure.iiasa.ac.at/565/

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A FORCE FIELD APPROACH TO ASSESSING ORGANIZATION

FOR INTEGRATED REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Cyril Davies

April 1976 WP-76-l5

Working papersare internalpublicationsintendedforcirculation within the Institute only. Opinions orviews containedherein aresolely thoseof the author.

2361 ILaxenburg International Institute for Applied Systems AnalysisAustria

A FORCE FIELD APPROACH TO ASSESSING ORGANIZATION FOR INTEGRATED

REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT

1. Introduction

Researchproposalshave been made for studying issuesofcomplex organizationrelated to regional developmentusing afive case-studyapproach. An earlier paperl has describedthebasic structureof these proposals, their expectedcontributions,and has indicated the s.copeof the casedescriptionswhich formthe first output stageof the case studies. In addition it haspresentedan outline of the questionsthat will be addressedinthe post-descriptionstagesof the research. In this Paper wepresentan analytic framework that is useful for consideringthesequestions. This Paper is, therefore, to be seen as an ela-boration of part of the earlier one. It is also a companion totwo other Papers that examine related issuesfrom complementarytheoreticalpositions2,3 •

In the following Section (Section 2) the problem of creatinga well adaptedregional organizationalsystem is addressedgene-rally. The benefits of devoting attention to this problem areaare also indicated. The Paper goes on to describe (Section 3) aforce field model which is helpful to analysis in this area. Thefinal Section (Section 4) examineshow this approachwill beapplied in practice.

2. Problemsof SystemAdaptation

In approachingregional developmentfrom an oraganizationalperspectivewe consider the systemof regional organizationsasembeddedin a national setting and itself embeddingorganizationalsubsystemswhich are each concernedwith a single ｲ ･ ｧ ｩ ｯ ｮ ｾ ｬ acti-vity. Both inside and outside of an integrateo ｲ ･ ｧ ｩ ｯ ｾ ＿ ｽ Ｚ ､ ･ ｶ ･ ｬ ｯ ｰ ﾭment context we expect the torm at the regional organizationalsystem to be a complex reflection of the national setting 'and ofthe particular activites ongoing in the region. ｔ ｨ ･ ｬ ･ ｾ ･ ｬ ofanalysis we use is on the organizationalunits in the region and onthe linkages that occur between them.

If we consider a region outside of the developmentcontextin a setting which has achieveda certain level of organizationalsophisticationwe may expect the pattern of linkages occuring ashaving evolved over the years, changing as the nature of theregion's activities has changed, or as characteristicsof thenational setting have changed. The introduction of an integrateddevelopmentprogramme introducesa discontinuity into this evo-lutionary process. It introducesnew activites and, followingthe definition of regional developmentwe use, it involves orga-nizational change to support the new developmentdirections.However the major causeof discontinuity to the evolution processmay not be becauseof the need to' suppo"rt"new "activities "buF- becauseof the special patternof organizational'linkages'that-':cnte'grated"developmentcan be taken to imply.

We postulatehere that an organizationalsystemwhich iswell adaptedto an integrateddevelopmentscheme is one in whichthe linkages for planning and coordination between organizationunits reflect the inter-dependenciesbetweenactivities in the

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region they are concernedwith. This is a rather special re-quirement to regional developmentcontext. General developmentin none of the settingswe have drawn our casesfrom has reflectedthis combined regional-industrialemphasis. Rather differentmain axes of linkages occur generally in the settings.

The creation of a regional organizationalsystemwhich iswell adapted in this sensemay causecertain difficulties. Thefundamental hypothesisof the approachdescribedin this Paperis that thesedifficulties cannot be completely overcome. Acompletely ｡ ､ ｾ ｰ ｴ ･ ､ regional system thereforecannot be created.In principle organizationalmechanismscould be createdto supportsuch a system. However the region still remains embeddedin anational systemwhich has evolved mechanismsdevoted to supportdifferent patternsof linkages. This national setting will con-tinue to support developmentoutside of the region along tradi-tional lines. To the extent that special mechanismsare createdto support the region's adaptationto its developmentscheme, alack of consonancebetweenthe regional system and the nationalsetting may be introduGed. There may be practical limitations 'therefore to the use of new means.

The position adoptedhere is that the region organizationalsystemwhich emergesin thedevelopment situation is a compromise.It involves a trade-off between two potentialsources of disbenefit

1) from a lack of adaptationof the regional systemto thedevelopmentschemeand 2) from a lack of consancebetween the regional system andthe national setting.

The severity of this problem will differ greatly betweencases. It will depend on both the characteristicsof the settingand those of the plan. However in principle the problem existsin all cases. This leads to the formulation ｯ ｦ ｰ ｡ ｲ ｴ ｾ ｣ ｵ ｬ ｡ ｲ ques-tions of interest. For each of the caseswewant to learn.

a) the extent of the potential problem or organizationalgap betweenexisting organizationallinkages and a ｷ･ｾｬ

adaptedregional organizationalsystemb) the means available in the national setting to help to

bridge this gapc) the nature of the trade-off between the two sourcesof

disbenefit that the emergentorqanizationalsysteM represents.

These questionscannot be answeredother than qualitatively.This is not only becauseof the lack of an adequatedata basebutalso becausethey do not lend themselvesto preciseoperationali-zation. However even approachedin'this way valuable resultsshould be achievable. At the level of description this approachwill amplify in particular areasthe generaldescriptionwhichforms an earlier stageof output of the overall researchprogramme.These areasare the identification of the different means used tocreatean adaptedsystem and the factors in, different nationalsettingswhich support the use of thesemeans.

Beyond the level of descriptionsome test will be made ofthe two main hypothesesused here. The first is that the 'orga-nizational solution' is the result of a trade-off betweennationalsetting and scheme requirements. Verification of this. will haveimplications for the design of new developmentschemes. It is of

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methodological ｩ ｮ ｴ ･ ｲ ｾ ｢ ･ ｣ ｡ ｵ ｳ ･ of its potential applicabilityto all caseswhere complex organizationalsystemswhich are linkedwith a meta-systemsuffer suddenchangesin their environments.

The secondhypothesisto be tested is that the regionalorganizationalsystem needs in its linkages to reflect activityinter-dependencies.Testing of this will be qualitative and mayuse subjective information from informffitson where disfunctionsare occuring in the preparationof- the scheme.

We turn to a more precise formulation of these ideas.

3. The Use of a Force Field Model

A more precise formulation of this area of interest and ofthe questionsto be answeredis possible through the use of asimple force field model. In this model the organziationalunitsof the regional system are representedas points with attractiveor repulsive forces operating between them. The result of attrac-tive forces is viewed not as a movement of the points but as aflow of information between them. The extent of informationflow is seen as dependenton the size of the force. Where negati-ve or zero forces operateno information flows. In order tounderstandthe patternof links occuring betweenorganizationunits we need to understandthe nature of the forces ｾ ｰ ･ ｲ ｡ ｴ ｩ ｮ ｧ Ｎ

We postulatethat the net force between two points is theresultantof positive forces (favouring a link) and negativeforces (antagonisticto a link).

Consideringpointsi and j

Fij = F+ij - F-ij where Fij is the resultant force

F+ij are positive forces

and F-ij are negative forces

and a link Lij exists where Fij >, O.

We further hypothesizethat the positive forces F+..depend1)

upon two rather distinct components, To the extent that inter-dependenciesAij exist between the activities unit i and unit j

operate, the units are able to benefit by reducing the. uncertaintyoftheir environmentsby forming links. Also there may be factorsin the national setting which favor such links: N+... These

.·1)may relate to common ownership, legal obligations, tradition,etc. We have

F+.. = f(A .. , N+ .. )1) I 1) 1)

We can considernegative forces similarly. We haveparallel characteristicsin the setting discouraginglinksN- ij , In addition we can recognizethat forming links involves

a loss of autonomy for both units, which from their point ofview is undesirable. I ij is used to representthis joint loss

of autonomy.

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We have:

F-.. = f (I .. , N- .. )lJ ｾ lJ lJ

and= f't(A .. , N+ .. ) - .p (I .. , N- .. )

lJ lJ ｾ lJ lJ

The determinationof the forces Fij for all pairs of iand j would enable us to map the organizationallinkages inthe system. The particular patternof linkages is a quasi-stable stateand representsthe most favoured position fromthe point of view of the organizationunits.

With the introduction of a regional developmentschemenew activites are introduced and new units may also be. Fromthe point of linkages, the most significant change we havepostulatedis that linkages should reflect activity inter-dependencies. In terms of the force ｾ ｮ ｡ ｬ ｯ ｧ ｹ ｾ

F* .. = f 3 (A* .. )lJ lJ

where F*ij is the desired force betweenunits i and j,and

ａ ｾ ｪ the activity inter-dependenciesin the developmentsituation.

Our field-force analogy allows us to see that some adapta-tion will take place in the region quite naturally as a resultof the change in activites. Thus

F'" .. = f (A* .. , N+ .. ) - f (I. N- .. )lJ 1 lJ lJ 2 iJ' 1J

where F ..... is the modified force.lJ

However generally

f (A* .. )3 lJ

and F* ..l)

f (A* .. , N+ .. ) - f (I .. , N- .. )I' lJ lJ 2 lJ lJ

F .....lJ

. .". -

We can say that there is a potential ｾ ｮ ｣ ｯ ｮ ｳ ｩ ｳ ｴ ･ ｮ ｣ ｹ betweenthe linkages required by the scheme, and the linkages that willnaturally arise. The extensivenessof this potential inconsist-ency will vary between cases,dependingon both the character-istics of the national setting and the characteristicsof theparticular scheme.

It is reasonableto supposethat at the stage of policyformulation for the scheme stepswill be consideredto reducethis inconsistency. This is the organizationalresponsethatis embodied in our definition of integratedregional develop-ment. In terms of our analogy this involves using mechanismswhich can be representedas new forcesM. The desiredsitua-tion is:

*f (A .. )3 lJ

*= f (A .. , N+ .. ) - f (I .. , N- .. ) + M1 1.J lJ 2 lJ 1 J

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We can distinguish two types of forces. The first, andperhaps,most useful we designateas means of implementationwhich are consistentwith the national setting Mc . What

we mean by this are means which are generally recognizedinthe national setting as valid and probably have been usedelsewhere- their effectivenesshas been established. Aparticular property of Mc is that it is not seen as altering

the national setting. That is, the use of M does not altercN+ or N-. For these reasonsM may be thought of as a

cdesirablemeans. Again settingswill differ in the availabilityof such means. In general they may not be sufficient to achievethe desiredmatch in linkages. That is:

* *f 3 (A ij) t- f 1 (A ij' N+ij ) - f 2 (I ijl N- ij ) + Mcij

To achieve the desiredmatch a new set of means are inprinciple available. The new means, presentedas forcesM NEW'

are thought of as being inconsistentwith the national setting.This has two consequences. Firstly, to the extent that theyare new and not used elsewhere,their effectivenessmust beuncertain. Secondly, by their use, the characteristicsof thenational setting may be altered. That is, N+ and N- becomeN'+ and ｎ ｾ Ｍ Ｎ This in turn leads to further uncertaintyabouttheir net effect on the regional system.

Becauseof these undesirableproperties, as a hypothesiswe can supposethat their use is limited and that in generalthey do not achieve perfect matching between the linkages thatthe scheme implies and actual regional organization linkages.

This is the compromise in the organizationalsolution whichhas been refered to. It is represented

and

f (A* .. )3 1JF* ..

1JL* ..

1J

f (A* .. , N'+ .. ) f1 1J 1J-

2

ｆｾ ..1J

(1. ., N ｾ - .. ) + M ., + M--Ew1. J'1J 1J C1J-TI

where L* .. are desired linkages and L the actual ones.1J ij

Some Comments on this Formulation

1. Linkages have been presentedas if they were uni-dimensional.We recognize, of course, that linkages may performdifferent functions, for example, integrating or co-ordinating, and that a multi-organizationmap should re-recognize this. So, we recognize that parallel expositionsneed to be made for each type of link.

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2. Our presentationhas emphasizedthe point of time atwhich the regional development-has heen introduced.These new forces are required not only to create-thenew situation but also to maintain it. We _extend this further to postulate ｴ ｨ ｡ ｾ even when thecreation of the developmentschemewas too far back tosupport the prior-to-schemeanalysis, or when the schemewas introduced into totally virgin territory, anessentiallyparallel analysis can be carried out byreferenceto other current regions in the national sett-ing where regional developmenthas not been introduced.The limits on this are set by the extent to which unitswithin the developmentschemeare able to recognizeother units outside which they regardas similar to them-selves and which presenta viable model for themselvesoutside of the developmentcontext.

3. The presentationcould be taken as implying the possib-ili ty of elaboratingthe force functions and -applyinga quantitativeapproach. In fact this is not the case.The algebraic notation has been used becauseof theclarity with which it allows the ideas to be expressed.Practically, the analysis will be carried out using thedata base contained in the case descriptions and will bequalitative. Some of the separatecomponentsof theforce functions will not be separatelydistinguished.

3. Practical Application of the Approach

An earlier Paper has given the scope of the casedescriptionSwhich will form the first stageof output of each case study.Here, only an outline of the main componentsof that will be given.

1. Delineation of regional activities;

2. Delineation of regional organizations;

3. Mapping of linkages of various types in the post-developmentcontext: ｌ ｾ .. (where the scheme is alreadyoperating). 1)

4. Mapping of linkages of various types in the pre-developmentscheme context L ... Where the scheme is

1)

not yet implementedthis is straightforward. Forestablishedschemesit may be partial and may restheavily on outside-of-the-regionpatterns.

..0 A._•• _.

5. Implementationalmechanismsused:M(Mc-..and ｾ ｜ ｭ ｹ Ｎ Ｗ Ｍ Ｍ Ｍ ﾭunseparated).

6.

7.

8.

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In caseswhere L ..or L'".. do not exist discussionswith1) 1)

units i and j of the significance of this. How power-ful are or were the barriers preventing such links?What were the main consideratiors behind this? Wherea new link has been formed (F .. ｾ 0, F'" .. > 0) how

1) 1)

effective is this link? What were the specific factorsleading to its formation?

From direct examinationof statementsof the policy fordevelopment, from discussionwith policy makers and fromdiscussionswith the regional organizations,we need toestablishthe perceivedinterdependenciesbetweenreg-ional activities A* ... We would hope to establishthe

1)

order of magnitudeof the inter-dependenciesand'whether they operateon a short or long time-scale.

From policy making units, and researchinstitutes wewould hope to establishthe nature of the mechanismsof implementation. In particular we would want toestablishwhich are the consistentmeans Mc and

which means were createdto deal specially with theregional developmentsituatoin: MNEW For the set of

Mc we would want to learn in a general way about

the influence of each. For the MNE1'1 we would ask about

how effective they are proving, and any problems thathave arisen.

C. The Analvtic Questions'

Three issueshave been referred to:

The first refers to the potential consistencygap that wasopened up by the scheme. It refers to the set of inequalities

*F .. t A ..1) 1)

Information from 4.,6. and 7 . relate to this issue.

The second issue concernsthe set of consistentmeansavailable to the setting Mc ' 8. supportedby 6. relate here.

The third issue concernsthe nature of the trade-off betweendifferent sourcesof inconsistencythat the 'organizationalsolu-tion' represents.

The inconsistencybetweenregional organizationsand thedevelopmentscheme, the set of

*F '" ｾ A . is supportedby 3. and 7.ij T i)

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The inconsistencybetween the regional organizationand thenational setting relates to MNEW. Its determinationis supportedby 5. and 8.

References

1. A Framework for the OrganzationalAnalysis of RegionalDevelopment in five Parallel Case Studies.Davies, Demb, Espejo March 1976

2. A Method to Study to OrganizationalDimension of RegionalPrograms.Espejo March 1976

3. Analysis of Regional Developmentas an InstanceofPlannedChange.Demb March 1976

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