The Challenges of Integration and Implementation in Systems Approaches to Complex Problems: Would a New
Discipline Help?
Gabriele Bammer
Overview… • Challenges and consequences
• Discipline and “Big Science” project
• Integration and Implementation Sciences (I2S)
• A Plavour of the I2S Development Drive
• Next steps
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Current state: Three challenges
• Fragmented and marginalised networks
• Lack of agreed terminology
• Lack of appreciation of the scale of the task
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Challenge 1: Fragmented networks
Lack of links between systems and “inter”-‐disciplinary networks
Each with their own small conferences… (about 200 people)
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Fragmented networks… 2 Lots of useful concepts and methods
But no central compilations
Therefore hard to get: • overall view of what is known • access to an array of options
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Challenge 2: Lack of agreed terminology • Limited uniPied systems concepts (http://i2s.anu.edu.au/projects/uniPied-‐systems-‐concepts)
• Confusion between inter-‐, multi-‐, trans-‐, cross-‐disciplinary
• Not to mention: post-‐normal science, systemic intervention, integrated assessment, sustainability science, team science, mode 2 and action research
• Coverage of a wide range of practice (thousands of researchers)…
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Consequences 1. Intellectually weak -‐ no agreed body of work -‐ no links between theory and practice -‐ dogma
2. Politically powerless and marginalised (academic decision making and research funding)
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Challenge 3: No appreciation of the scale of the task -‐ building an overarching intellectual framework -‐ developing better mechanisms to bring together
researchers using related methods on disparate problems
Needs… • a discipline • a “Big Science” project
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Why a discipline? • Accepted way of organising and transmitting knowledge internationally
• College of peers: professional associations, journals, conferences
• Quality control • Locus of power
But must avoid becoming self-‐referential Statistics as a model
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Why a “Big Science” project? Compile and classify: • existing concepts and methods • exemplar case studies • guides to other relevant knowledge
Develop the college of peers
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Overview… • Challenges and consequences
• Discipline and “Big Science” project
• Integration and Implementation Sciences (I2S)
• A Plavour of the I2S Development Drive
• Next steps
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Disciplining Interdisciplinarity:
Integration and Implementation Sciences for Researching Complex Real-‐World
Problems
Integration and Implementation Sciences (I2S) = new discipline
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My focus
1. Complex real-‐world problems eg inequality, organised crime, global climate change, rising health care costs…
2. Underpinned by a systems approach
3. Multiple methodological options -‐ no one “right” way
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Core ingredients… 1
• Bring together expertise from different disciplines
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Core ingredients… 2
• Bring together expertise from different disciplines
• -‐ and stakeholders
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Core ingredients… 3
• Bring together expertise from different disciplines
• -‐ and stakeholders
• Take action (policy and practice change)
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Core ingredients… 4
• Bring together expertise from different disciplines
• -‐ and stakeholders
• Take action (policy and practice change)
• BUT also consider unknowns
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Integration and Implementation Sciences (I2S): the organising framework
Three domains
5 Questions
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Three domains of I2S
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5-‐questions for systematic reporting and evaluation in I2S
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Five questions… Q1
1. For what and for whom?
What is the research aiming to achieve and who is intended to benePit?
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Five questions… Q2
2. Of what?
What is being dealt with: -‐ knowledge synthesis -‐ diverse unknowns -‐ provision of integrated research support for policy and practice change?
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Five questions… Q3
3. How?
Methods for -‐ knowledge synthesis -‐ consideration of diverse unknowns -‐ provision of integrated research support -‐ by whom and when?
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Five questions… Q4
4. Context?
What circumstances affect the research and the ability to implement the results
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Five questions… Q5
5. Success?
What is the outcome: -‐ knowledge synthesis -‐ consideration of diverse unknowns and -‐ provision of integrated research support for policy and practice change?
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Five questions… merits
Planning (future) Description (present) Reporting (past)
Can be used in any order Key issue is that all used and all elements addressed
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Five questions… for Domain 1
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What’s the innovation? Flexible way to systematically approach report on and evaluate
research on complex problems
There is nothing else
Focus on options rather than prescription
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What’s next? Finding, compiling and classifying the options
= I2S Development Drive
Let me give you a Plavour…
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A Plavour of the I2S Development Drive
1. Modelling methods 2. A more comprehensive approach to
unknowns
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Models (thanks to Jen Badham)… 1
• Different techniques suitable for different problems – different aspects of the system emphasised
• No established classiPication • Varying ease of interpretation – May limit stakeholder involvement
• Different data needs – May limit feasibility
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Models… 2
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Uses of models
1. Organise information 2. Synthesise understandings 3. Guide research or data collection 4. Communicate 5. Forecast 6. Compare options
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Compilation of modelling methods… 1
1. Final model Different partial view of the whole system (everything is connected to everything else)
2. Process -‐ Synthesis of different perspectives
-‐ IdentiPication of unknowns -‐ Planning for action 34
Compilation of modelling methods… 2
Five groupings: 1. Static diagrams 2. Dynamic subsystems 3. Dynamic individuals
Target system
4. Scenarios – outcome
5. Statistical – relationships, not system
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Compilation of modelling methods… 3
Five groupings: 1. Static diagrams (strong dialogue components) • Concept mapping • Soft systems methodology • Lean systems • Social network analysis
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Static diagrams… 1
Picture of the system (model does more)
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Static diagrams… 2 Concept map
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Static diagrams… 3 Soft systems rich picture
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Static diagrams… 4 Lean system
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Static diagrams… 5 Social network
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Compilation of modelling methods… 3
Five groupings: 1. Static diagrams 2. Dynamic subsystems • Causal loop diagrams • System dynamics
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Dynamic subsystems… 1 Causal loop diagrams
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Dynamic subsystems… 2 System dynamics models
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Compilation of modelling methods… 4
Five groupings: 1. Static diagrams 2. Dynamic subsystems 3. Dynamic individuals • State transition • Discrete event simulation • Agent based
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Main Points
No way to get complete view of problem
Different systems view highlight different elements and relationships
Models help get handles on systems views
Few compilations
No agreed classiPication
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A Plavour of the I2S Development Drive
1. Modelling methods 2. A more comprehensive approach to
unknowns
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Unknowns
Less well developed (more than risk) Blind spot in western thought
General orientation: • Unlimited unknowns and limited research
capacity • Different ways of understanding unknowns
Mike Smithson
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Unlimited unknowns
• Constant innovation and change
• On-‐going research
• Irreducible unknowns
• Limited methods
• BenePits of unknowns
And limited research capacity 49
Different ways of understanding unknowns… 1
Flavour only
• Disciplines – synthesis needed!
• Matrix
• Typology
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Different ways of understanding unknowns… 2
STATISTICS - probability theory
Intelligence – gaps or overload
History – moral dimension
Music – essential for creativity
Art – certainty and uncertainty are a continuum, not opposites
Futures – unknown unknowns Complexity - irreducible
Religion – desirable vs fundamentalism
Complexity - irreducible
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Different ways of understanding unknowns… 3
Matrix
Known knowns Known unknowns (conscious ignorance)
Unknown knowns (tacit knowledge)
Unknown unknowns (meta-‐ignorance)
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Different ways of understanding unknowns… 4
Smithson’s Typology
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Different ways of managing unknowns… 1
Discipline-‐based training – focus on unknowns to reduce, banish the rest
Disciplinary excellence – pick productive unknowns (not dead end or trivial)
Systems-‐based focus (problem as a whole) – worry about what’s been banished
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Different ways of managing unknowns… 2
Six strategies: 1. Reduce (Gain more knowledge and/or increase
constraints) 2. Banish (Set aside as “out of bounds” and therefore
not dealt with) 3. Accept (Construct decisions and actions that take
unknowns into account) eg strategic foresighting
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Different ways of managing unknowns… 3
4. Exploit (Amplify; Generate or reinforce)
5. Surrender to (Relinquishment; Adopt a fatalistic or nihilistic stance)
6. Deny (Treat as non-existent)
Can be adaptive or maladaptive
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Consequence of: • Unknowns But also • Boundary setting • Systems • Values • Big picture context
Imperfection is inevitable
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Overview… • Challenges and consequences
• Discipline and “Big Science” project
• Integration and Implementation Sciences (I2S)
• A Plavour of the I2S Development Drive
• Next steps
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Next steps... 1 Testing the ideas: a) commentaries Disciplining
Interdisciplinarity
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Next steps… 2 Testing the ideas: b) courses Disciplining
Interdisciplinarity
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Next steps… 3 A general resources compilation – website and newsletter
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New resource… Concepts for co-‐production of knowledge Enengel, Barbara; Muhar, Andreas; Penker, Marianne; Freyer, Bernhard; Drlik, Stephanie; and, Ritter, Florian. (2012).
Co-production of Knowledge in Transdisciplinary Doctoral Theses on Landscape Development – An Analysis of Actor Roles and Knowledge Types in Different Research Phases. Landscape and Urban Planning, 105, 1-2: 106-117.
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Next steps… 4 New projects:
Eg Making decisions when experts disagree
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For more on I2S
http://i2s.anu.edu.au
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