Contemporary Systems Thinking

Community Operational Research: OR and Systems Thinking for Community Development sets out the current concerns of Community Operational Research (Community OR for short) and explores new possibilities for its development. Leading Community OR writers, international reputations in operational research and systems, have contributed chapters that illuminate different aspects of Community OR theory and practice. Following a introductory chapter by the editors on Community OR, the book is presented in three sections: - Section One presents "The History and Development of Community OR". Exploring the institutional development of Community OR and people's motivations for engaging in it. Methodological issues are also discussed. - Section Two covers "Local Action for Community Development". Even though the emphasis is on dealing with local issues, all the authors use methods and techniques to support widely informed decision making. In every case, the impacts of a complex variety of phenomena are taken into account. Even when authors are not using a systems methodology, the ideal of comprehensiveness (one of the hallmarks of systems thinking) is plain to see. - Section Three is entitled "Dealing Locally with Global Issues". Here, the themes of community development are taken one stage further. This includes authors who are explicitly seeking to address global issues (e.g., environmental problems and the international dimensions of poverty) through widely informed local action. - Finally, Section Four, "The Politics of Systemic Intervention", discusses two themes; the political nature of Community OR practice; and the value of systems thinking to community development. 'This is the book I have been waiting for. Community Operational Research has shown that analysis can be used not only for, but also with, community groups, helping them to gain more control of their situations. What Midgley and Ochoa-Arias' volume does is provide not only rich examples of grass-roots practice, but also thought-provoking theoretical explorations. The editors have a point of view, but they allow space for debate with those who interpret Community OR differently.' Jonathan Rosenhead (Emeritus Professor of Operational Research, London School of Economics and Political Science; Ex-President of the Operational Research Society) '.What the many authors in this book have in common is a commitment to serve the interests of all those affected by a community's behavior - its stakeholders. This is acquiring a new significance as we decreasingly conceptualize corporations and organizations in general as organisms, and begin to think of them, as Charles Handy has, as communities.' Russell Ackoff (Professor Emeritus of the Wharton Business School, University of Pennsylvania; Ex-President of ORSA; Vice President of TIMS)