A Phenomenological Approach to the Study of Social Systems

Abstract

Systems thinking comprises one of the greatest revolutions of the 20th century. The core of such approach embodies crucial epistemological questions, which refer to the need to formulate methods suitable to their premises. As the theoretical reflexive space cannot be neglected within the scientific process, not only the construction of empirical methods, but also the methodologies for building theoretical hypotheses to describe and explain complex phenomena must be appropriate to the perspectives of the ideals of such complexity. Thus, the present research effort aims at proposing a structured methodological approach, based on the philosophical principles of the general systems theory and Husserl's phenomenology, which can be used as an alternative to describe and explain complex systems phenomena. As a solution to the problem at stake, we present a research framework based on a hybrid procedure, which applies analogue processes and also eidetic reduction in order to build theoretical descriptions capable of synthesising complex dynamics in a structured manner. Despite some challenges inherent to its nature, the proposed method shows robustness in philosophical terms, to organise the formulation of theoretical hypotheses in an action research environment.

Strategic Thinking in the Context of Complexity

“…Because the dynamic properties of various types of systems carry phenomenal similarities, as seen previously, the concepts of event are common to all sciences that deal with being and existing together. Although at present, there are few research methods structured to meet these demands, methods such as those proposed by Simon (), Mason () and Terra and Passador () show promise for studies of this nature.…”

“…This class of problems can only be understood through the synthesis of the relationships experienced by the system (Terra & Passador, ) and require the construction of mappings (Capra, ) and approaches of negative origin (Bateson, ), antagonistic to the classical positive methods. Mappings are a method developed by Poincaré to study complex dynamics by the interaction of functions in a discrete‐time system (Capra, ; Monteiro, ), and negative approaches have their origin in cybernetics.…”

“…This is because the ‘non‐empirical’ elements of reality contained in these black boxes require a perspective capable of conveying the contents of individual interpretations to the realm of the familiar and immediately comprehensible, and thus ‘a new way becomes particularly enriched: the search for “interfaces”’ (Casanova, , p. 44). In this sense, Nowotny () and Terra and Passador (, ) point out that in a complex context, the interface between the natural sciences and the humanities has a key role in understanding the systemic interactions between organizations, society and ecosystems that surround them.

It is clear that humans, unlike molecules are able to imagine, invent, create correlations, i.e.

…”

Indicações geográficas, turismo e desenvolvimento territorial: uma análise sistêmica da indicação de procedência do queijo minas artesanal do Serro

“…Assim sendo entendeu-se que as indicações geográficas e/ou o turismo poderiam ser potenciais mecanismos de realimentação, em um sistema complexo local. Diante dessa suposição, bem como da realidade complexa permeada por diversos atores e inter-relações, optou-se por analisar a questão sob uma perspectiva sistêmica, dando igual valor as suas partes e ao todo por elas formado (FEROLLA, 2013;TERRA;PASSADOR, 2015). A abordagem é por meio da soft system methodology que propõe um processo de investigação cíclico para compreender contextos plurais e pouco estruturados .…”

“…O conhecimento sistêmico recebeu contribuições de diversas áreas ao longo do tempo tendo a biologia grande destaque nesse contexto. Contudo, da cibernética advém a noção de ciclo e complexidade particularmente relevante ao presente trabalho (ASHBY, 1956;CAPRA, 2008;COTA JÚNIOR, 2008;TERRA;PASSADOR, 2015). A ideia de ciclo decorre dos laços de realimentação que seriam responsáveis pela manutenção da autorregulação, do equilíbrio dinâmico inerente ao sistema (ASHBY, 1956).…”