"Systems Practice: How to Act in a Climate Change World" is a Reader that shows how to do systems thinking and to translate thinking into action (i.e praxis). The Open University has been teaching Systems for nearly forty years and although it has developed an effective approach to teaching students, there is still a major deficiency in the market about the doing of systems. This book aims to fill this gap and meet an important need by building the case for a systems praxiology. Praxiology is that branch of knowledge dealing with practical activity and human conduct. One of the main findings to emerge from the activities of the EPSRC-funded Systems Practice for Managing Complexity (SPMC) Network was the idea that systems practice is highly valued by those who do it and know about it but most use it as a silent practice. A consequence of this is that many people have not heard of it, they do not know how to talk about it and they also do not know what is involved in doing it, i.e there is little demand-pull despite the wide-spread and increasing recognition that there is a need for thinking and acting systemically. Systems Practice will be relevant to praxis under the rubrics of leadership, management complexity, joined-up thinking, and action, strategic risk management, corporate social responsibility and climate change adaptation.

Table of Contents

Part I Thinking and Acting Differently.- 1. Introduction and Rationale.- Part II Systems Practice as Juggling.- 2. Introducing Systems Practice.- 3. Making Choices About Situations and Systems.- 4. The Juggler -- A Way to Understand Systems Practice.- 5. Juggling the B-ball -- Being a Systems Practitioner.- 6. Juggling the E-ball -- Engaging with Situations.- 7. Juggling the C-ball -- Contextualizing Systems Approaches.- 8. Juggling the M-ball -- Managing Overall Performance in a Situation.- Part III Systemic Practices.- 9. Four Settings that Constrain Systems Practice.- 10. Systemic Inquiry.- 11. Systemic Action Research.- 12. Systemic Intervention.- Part IV Valuing Systems Practice in a Climate-change World.- 13. Valuing Systems Practice.- Index

About the Author

Professor Ray Ison has been Professor of Systems at The Open University since 1994. He has an established international reputation and is an experienced researcher, teacher, author and consultant. His research specialisms include: development and evaluation of systemic, participatory and process-based environmental decision making in natural resource management; organizational change and sustainable use of water. He has much experience of designing and developing learner centered, experiential and open learning systems and models. Prior to joining The Open University he worked in Australia at the Universities of Sydney and Western Sydney (Hawkesbury). Professor Ray Ison is regular keynote speaker at national and international conferences and is frequently invited to run workshops. As well as publishing numerous journal papers, he has co-authored and co-edited four books: Cow up a Tree. Knowledge and Learning for Change in Agriculture: Case studies from industrial countries; Agricultural Extension and Rural Development: Breaking out of traditions; A Guide to Better Pastures in Temperate Climates; Agronomy of Grassland Systems.