Human Problem Handling

DeTombe, Dorien

doi:10.1007/978-3-662-43917-3_4

Cited by 3 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…Second, many authors agree that systems thinking has the potential to hold differing world views (Jackson & Keys 1984;Daellenbach 2001;Jackson 2003) and promote a participatory design process that considers the interconnections between stakeholders and others components of the socio-technical system (Laszlo, Laszlo & Dunsky 2010). This is particularly relevant in low-income energy Finally, systems thinking is a problem-solving approach capable of handling high levels of problem complexity (Ackoff 1974;Espinosa et al 2008; DeTombe 2015b,a), as well as multiple aggregation levels of a problem (Elzen, Geels & Green 2004;Geels 2005;Joore & Brezet 2015;DeTombe 2015b). Given the complexity of energy challenges in low-income markets, it is likely that improvements on a lower level (e.g., new products and technologies), although fundamental, are limited to create sustainable energy transitions.…”

Section: Systems Mindset: Establishing the Need For Systems Thinkingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The former assumes that the complexity of systems arises from the simple and specific behaviour of a system’s parts (Ibid). On the other hand, systems theory defines systems complexity as a result of the number and type of a system’s parts, as well as the interaction between parts (DeTombe 2015 b ). Another important choice in prioritising streams of literature happened at the problem/solution level.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These systems methodologies, namely: System Dynamics (Forrester 1971; Meadows et al. 1972), Organisational Cybernetics (Beer 1972), and Complexity Theory (see Anderson 1999), are classified separately from hard systems thinking by some authors (e.g., Jackson 2003; DeTombe 2015 b ).…”

Section: Systems Approachesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…First, systems thinking is a problem-solving approach capable of handling the inherent complexity of societal problems (Ackoff 1974; Espinosa et al. 2008; DeTombe 2015 a , b ). Second, it allows designers to adopt a holistic perspective through a specific set of assumptions, premises, and axioms (Clegg 2000; Cardenas et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A framework for a systems design approach to complex societal problems

2019

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Societal problems concern the complexity of technical, organisational, social, and political issues. The enormous negative impacts of these problems and the inability of problem solvers to deal with high levels of complexity cannot be overcome without a paradigm shift in how we understand and engage with such issues. Two domains have been helpful in bringing about such a shift: Systems Thinking and Design. Although these domains express mutual interest in social–technical systems and complex problem solving, in the literature there are few attempts of bringing the compatibility between them to the attention of designers. This paper aims to contribute to this endeavour by uncovering the role of integrating systems thinking for design, and by providing an overview of the emerging field of systems-oriented design approaches. An extensive literature review outlines significant aspects underlying systems thinking to support its use and further development in design. This paper provides a conceptual framework structured in five clusters: mindset, methodology set, knowledge set, skill set and tool set. The framework is meant to assist designers in integrating systems thinking into design and thereby enable them to better handle complex societal problems.

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Section: Systems Mindset: Establishing the Need For Systems Thinkingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Systems Approachesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

A framework for a systems design approach to complex societal problems

2019

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“…A systems design approach is a mental model through which design engineers can frame the world using systems thinking. Systems thinking is a powerful problem-solving approach for the analysis and synthesis of the entities and their relations in complex phenomena (DeTombe 2015a(DeTombe , 2015bSevaldson, Hensel, and Frostell 2010). A systems design approach guides problem solvers in how to interpret and embed the following into design thinking and practice to handle complex problems situations and design better systems: a systems mindset (e.g.…”

Section: Complex Societal Problems Systems Design Approach and Capamentioning

confidence: 99%

Educating for a systems design approach to complex societal problems

Costa

Diehl

Secomandi³

2018

Journal of Engineering Design

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Design education has devoted little attention to the topic of societal systems transformation in the context of sustainable development. This paper reports on a master's-level course that aims to build the capacity for design engineering students to adopt a Systems Design Approach comprised of the integration of Product-Service System (PSS) and Systems Thinking, in order to develop sustainable energy systems concepts. We identify key factors for skilful performance when designing solutions for complex societal problems. The findings suggest that design approaches grounded in systems thinking are promising for dealing with the increasing complexity of the societal problems which future generations of design professionals are expected to solve. An Open Learning E-Package (OLEP) was offered to support Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to introduce Product-Services Systems and Distributed Renewable Energy (DRE) models into their design curricula. We argue that capacity building for a systems design approach to complex societal problems, such as those faced in low-income energy markets, can support future generations of design engineers to take an active role in the development and widespread implementation of sustainable energy systems.

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