A Complex Adaptive Systems Approach to the Relationship between Personality and Social Division

2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (6) ◽  
pp. 765-777
Author(s):  
Andrew Reilly ◽  
Dirk Van Rooy ◽  
Simon Angus
Keyword(s):  
Complex Adaptive Systems ◽  
Adaptive Systems ◽  
Systems Approach ◽  
Social Division ◽  
Complex Adaptive ◽  
The Relationship

scholarly journals Examining Innovation in Hospital Units: A Complex Adaptive Systems Approach

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wiljeana Glover ◽  
Noa Nissinboim ◽  
Eitan Naveh
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Complex Adaptive Systems ◽  
Adaptive Systems ◽  
Systems Approach ◽  
Healthcare Delivery ◽  
Performance Orientation ◽  
Hospital Units ◽  
Complex Adaptive ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Background: Health innovation has been dominant in the pharmaceutical, biomedical, and to some extent insurance institutions for quite some time. Now we are in an innovation age for healthcare delivery. Some note that the complexity of healthcare delivery may make innovation in this setting more difficult and may require more adaptive solutions. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between departmental complexity and innovation, using a complex adaptive systems approach in a hospital setting. Methods: We conducted a quantitative study of 31 hospital units within one hospital and use complex adaptive systems (CAS) theory to examine how two CAS factors, autonomy and performance orientation, moderate the relationship between departmental complexity and innovation. Results: We find that departmental complexity is associated with higher innovation performance when autonomy is low rather than high. We also find that departmental complexity is associated with higher innovation performance when performance orientation is high rather than low. Our findings make three distinct contributions: we quantify the influence of complexity on innovation success in the health care sector, we examine the impact of autonomy on innovation in health care, and we are the first to examine performance orientation on innovation in health care. Conclusions: This study tackles the long debate about the influence of complexity on healthcare delivery, particularly innovation. Instead of being subject to the influence of complexity with no means of making progress or gaining control, hospitals looking to implement innovation programs should provide guidance to teams and departments regarding the type of innovation sought and provide support in terms of time and management commitment. Hospitals should also find ways to promote and make successful pilot implementations of such innovations visible in the organization. A close connection between the targeted innovation and the overall success and performance of the hospital unit is ideal.

scholarly journals A Transdisciplinary Complex Adaptive Systems (T-CAS) Approach to Developing a National School-Based Culture of Prevention for Health Improvement: the School Health Research Network (SHRN) in Wales

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Murphy ◽  
Hannah Littlecott ◽  
Gillian Hewitt ◽  
Sarah MacDonald ◽  
Joan Roberts ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Complex Adaptive Systems ◽  
Health Research ◽  
Adaptive Systems ◽  
School Health ◽  
Systems Approach ◽  
Research Network ◽  
Health Improvement ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Complex Adaptive ◽  
Culture Of Prevention

AbstractThe paper reflects on a transdisciplinary complex adaptive systems (T-CAS) approach to the development of a school health research network (SHRN) in Wales for a national culture of prevention for health improvement in schools. A T-CAS approach focuses on key stages and activities within a continuous network cycle to facilitate systems level change. The theory highlights the importance of establishing transdisciplinary strategic partnerships to identify and develop opportunities for system reorientation. Investment in and the linking of resources develops the capacity for key social agents to take advantage of disruption points in the re-orientated system, and engagement activities develop the network to facilitate new social interactions and opportunities for transdisciplinary activities. A focus on transdisciplinary action research to co-produce interventions, generate research evidence and inform policy and practice is shown to play an important part in developing new normative processes that act to self-regulate the emerging system. Finally, the provision of reciprocal network benefits provides critical feedback loops that stabilise the emerging adaptive system and promote the network cycle. SHRN is shown to have embedded itself in the system by securing sustainability funding from health and education, a key role in national and regional planning and recruiting every eligible school to the network. It has begun to reorient the system to one of evidence generation (56 research studies co-produced) and opportunities for data-led practice at multiple levels. Further capacity development will be required to capitalise on these. The advantages of a complex systems approach to address barriers to change and the transferability of a T-CAS network approach across settings and cultures are highlighted.

scholarly journals Close-to-nature silviculture in eastern Quebec: Advances over the last decade

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Robert Schneider ◽  
Laurie Dupont-Leduc ◽  
Vincent Gauthray-Guyénet ◽  
Nicolas Cattaneo ◽  
LaraMelo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Complex Adaptive Systems ◽  
Adaptive Systems ◽  
Stand Structure ◽  
Systems Approach ◽  
Natural Disturbances ◽  
Management Scenarios ◽  
Forest Management Planning ◽  
Forest Resilience ◽  
Complex Adaptive ◽  
Harvesting Systems

The increase in intensity of the harvesting of eastern Quebec’s forests has resulted in profound compositional changes at the stand level. The composition and structure of presettlement stands provide key benchmarks when implementing ecosystem-based management (EBM). A core principle of EBM is the emulation of natural disturbances, and it is hypothesized that forest resilience will be maintained. Managers have thus adapted some of their silvicultural activities to better mimic the main natural disturbances in eastern Quebec. These adaptations include using variable retention harvesting systems instead of clear-cuts and converting even-aged stands. Nevertheless, other close-to-nature silvicultural practices must be developed, as gaps between managed and unmanaged stands persist. Most importantly, there is a need to consider global change within EBM, which could be accomplished by prioritizing forest functions rather than composition or structure when establishing silvicultural objectives. Elements of the complex adaptive systems approach to increasing forest resilience can be incorporated into the larger-scale EBM approach. This could be done by considering the functional complementarity of species, forest function, and stand structure in forest management planning. These efforts must not be constrained, however, to allowable annual cut calculations, as these are not sufficiently sensitive to compare different management scenarios.

scholarly journals Language change and language evolution: Cousins, siblings, twins?

Glottotheory ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Hartmann
Keyword(s):  
Complex Adaptive Systems ◽  
Adaptive Systems ◽  
Language Change ◽  
Historical Linguistics ◽  
Language Evolution ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Complex Adaptive ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Cross Fertilization

AbstractThe relationship between “language change” and “language evolution” has recently become subject to some debate regarding the scope of both concepts. It has been claimed that while the latter used to refer to the language origins in the first place, both terms can now, to a certain extent, be used synonymously. In this paper, I argue that this can partly be explained by parallel developments both in historical linguistics and in the field of language evolution research that have led to a considerable amount of convergence between both fields. Both have adopted usage-based approaches and data-driven methods, which entails similar research questions and similar perspectives on the phenomena under investigation. This has ramifications for current models and theories of language change (or evolution). Two approaches in particular, the concept of complex adaptive systems and construction grammar, have been combined in integrated approaches that seek to explain both language emergence and language change over historical time. I discuss the potential and limitations of this integrated approach, and I argue that there is still some unexplored potential for cross-fertilization.

The Neuroscience of Gender Bias within Organisations: Implicit and Explicit Influences

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
James Wicks
Keyword(s):  
Gender Bias ◽  
Complex Adaptive Systems ◽  
Adaptive Systems ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Group Composition ◽  
Explicit Bias ◽  
Complex Adaptive ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Implicit And Explicit ◽  
The Relationship

<p>It has been 30 years since the metaphor of a ‘glass ceiling’ was introduced, yet progress to address gender bias in organisations has been slow. Within a context in which employment is rapidly changing and technologies are enabling new ways of working, gender bias in organisations remains a persistent and complex issue that requires new ways of thinking. This study integrates across two scientific disciplines: social cognitive neuroscience and complex adaptive systems, in order to examine the complex nature of gender bias in organisations and advance implications for practice.  The central proposition underlying this study is that the gender composition of a person’s ‘in-group’, that is the group of people one most closely relates to in a work setting, has implications for their level of gender bias. The relationship between in-group composition and gender bias is examined from implicit (unconscious) and explicit (conscious) bias perspectives. The composition of in-group is measured by homogeneity, size and trust, and is captured within an integrated instrument that includes measures of implicit and explicit bias.  The study is informed by the theory of interactive person construal. It is proposed that biases are a dynamic, continuously evolving phenomena emerging from top down and bottom up cues. Specifically, the essence of this research is the relationship between the neuroscientific dynamics of in-group and out-group differentiation within the human brain and the complex systemic nature of the modern workplace. The study endeavours to make a contribution to the understanding of how people who share common values and interests (ingroup) influence gender bias in organisations.  The research has been conducted in a professional services organisation. A group of people within the organisation were asked to participate in an online survey to capture implicit bias, explicit bias, composition of their in-group and demographic details. This research applied a quantitative survey methodology.  The aims of the study are to:  • examine the relationship between in-group composition and gender bias building from theoretical insights from neuroscience and complex adaptive systems theory,  • test both implicit and explicit attitudes towards gender bias,  • test the relationship between implicit and explicit measures of bias, and  • provide a contribution to theory and practice in relation to addressing the issue of gender bias in organisations.  It is concluded that there is a statistically significant association between in-group composition and the manifestation of implicit and explicit bias using a variety of measures. The model of in-group composition developed for this study could be used as a means to understand gender system dynamics. A dynamic systems model of bias is proposed based on the research variables and complexity ideas examined in the study. For organisations, this research has implications for how the issue of gender bias should be approached. Connecting ideas from social cognitive neuroscience and complex adaptive systems, this research highlights the interrelationship between recurring levels (neural, individual, group, organisation) within the bias system and the nature of interventions that may lead to enduring change.</p>

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