Human Systems Intervention

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Human Systems Intervention (HSI) is the design and implementation of interventions in social settings where adults are confronted[ citation needed ] with the need to change their perspectives, attitudes, and actions. Depending on the philosophical and theoretical orientation of the intervener, the process can be approached as a planned, systematic, and collaborative activity.

Contents

The field of HSI is based on social science research that seeks to understand social change and to improve the effectiveness of intervening in a diverse range of social systems. Researchers and practitioners who work in this area view human collectives (small groups, teams, community groups, public and private sector organizations, etc.) as systems that behave in ways generally consistent with general, open, or complex adaptive systems theory. [1] [2] They see social change as a process of adaptation and learning that can be studied and supported at individual, group, and larger social system (organizational or network) levels. The field views human systems as dynamic and changing, and as existing within a wider social context with which it has a mutually influential relationship. Some practitioners design and deliver interventions within the context of organization development (OD), relying on action research and action learning approaches.

Human Systems Intervention Models

HSI draws on insights from a variety of academic disciplines, including sociology, anthropology, social psychology, management science, human relations, and community development. Chin and Benne created one of the early frameworks for intervention strategies, arguing that an intervention can be informed by coercive, rational, or normative strategies. [3] More recently, Daniels and DeWine added a fourth strategy, the interpretive approach, based on principles of social constructivism. [4] Proponents often argue that interveners must be aware of the systemic interactions occurring within a human collective, and seek to help members of the collective to gain awareness of how their interactions are contributing to the maintenance of ineffective patterns of behavior. [5] Some argue that interventions should be seen as designs intended to augment a human system's capacity to problem solve and learn. [6] [7] [8] The training of human systems interveners can emphasize the need for self-managed learning that encourages self-awareness, interpersonal communication, data-gathering and diagnostic skills, and a recognition that dialogue is a foundational element in system change. [9]

The soft systems methodology (SSM) developed by Peter Checkland is another example of human systems intervention model, one that is designed specific to human activity, particularly in projects that require cultural intervention. It is multi-staged and is formulated with two core concepts, namely: 1) the hierarchy in systems and the emergent properties at various levels; and, 2) communication and control in human systems. [10] This model is based on the framework of ordering our thoughts "by making conscious the concept of wholeness inherent in the word 'system'". [10]

The HSI models often rely on assessment tools. For instance, there is the case of the so-called Linking Human Systems Intervention model, which focuses on the evaluation of the strengths and themes of resilience instead of vulnerability in the struggle with hardship; the level of stress; the resources available, and the balance of stressors and resources, among others. [11]

Specialization

HSI practitioners often do research and/or practice in the areas of group development, small group leadership, knowledge transfer, organizational development and change, diversity management, management coaching, human resources, and community intervention. Education and training in HSI can be obtained from a variety of sources, including a Masters program in Human Systems Intervention at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada. [12] This integrates theory, values, and skills in the fields of organization development and human systems intervention for those who want to become experts as process consultants. [13] Other programs include:

A similar program exists in Switzerland called Human Systems Engineering.

Related Research Articles

Organization development (OD) is the study and implementation of practices, systems, and techniques that affect organizational change. The goal of which is to modify a group's/organization's performance and/or culture. The organizational changes are typically initiated by the group's stakeholders. OD emerged from human relations studies in the 1930s, during which psychologists realized that organizational structures and processes influence worker behavior and motivation.

Organizational learning is the process of creating, retaining, and transferring knowledge within an organization. An organization improves over time as it gains experience. From this experience, it is able to create knowledge. This knowledge is broad, covering any topic that could better an organization. Examples may include ways to increase production efficiency or to develop beneficial investor relations. Knowledge is created at four different units: individual, group, organizational, and inter organizational.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Action research</span> Methodology for social science research

Action research is a philosophy and methodology of research generally applied in the social sciences. It seeks transformative change through the simultaneous process of taking action and doing research, which are linked together by critical reflection. Kurt Lewin, then a professor at MIT, first coined the term "action research" in 1944. In his 1946 paper "Action Research and Minority Problems" he described action research as "a comparative research on the conditions and effects of various forms of social action and research leading to social action" that uses "a spiral of steps, each of which is composed of a circle of planning, action and fact-finding about the result of the action".

Chris Argyris was an American business theorist and professor at Yale School of Management and Harvard Business School. Argyris, like Richard Beckhard, Edgar Schein and Warren Bennis, is known as a co-founder of organization development, and known for seminal work on learning organizations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tavistock Institute</span> British not-for-profit organisation

The Tavistock Institute of Human Relations is a British not-for-profit social science organisation, working with challenging issues for the public good: providing practical help for people and organisations to learn, lead, change and innovate, especially in difficult times.

Adaptive management, also known as adaptive resource management or adaptive environmental assessment and management, is a structured, iterative process of robust decision making in the face of uncertainty, with an aim to reducing uncertainty over time via system monitoring. In this way, decision making simultaneously meets one or more resource management objectives and, either passively or actively, accrues information needed to improve future management. Adaptive management is a tool which should be used not only to change a system, but also to learn about the system. Because adaptive management is based on a learning process, it improves long-run management outcomes. The challenge in using the adaptive management approach lies in finding the correct balance between gaining knowledge to improve management in the future and achieving the best short-term outcome based on current knowledge. This approach has more recently been employed in implementing international development programs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donald Schön</span>

Donald Alan Schön was an American philosopher and professor in urban planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He developed the concept of reflective practice and contributed to the theory of organizational learning.

In business management, a learning organization is a company that facilitates the learning of its members and continuously transforms itself. The concept was coined through the work and research of Peter Senge and his colleagues.

A T-group or training group is a form of group training where participants learn about themselves through their interaction with each other. They use feedback, problem solving, and role play to gain insights into themselves, others, and groups.

Reflective practice is the ability to reflect on one's actions so as to take a critical stance or attitude towards one's own practice and that of one's peers, engaging in a process of continuous adaptation and learning. According to one definition it involves "paying critical attention to the practical values and theories which inform everyday actions, by examining practice reflectively and reflexively. This leads to developmental insight". A key rationale for reflective practice is that experience alone does not necessarily lead to learning; deliberate reflection on experience is essential.

Organizational storytelling is a concept in management and organization studies. It recognises the special place of narration in human communication, making narration "the foundation of discursive thought and the possibility of acting in common." This follows the narrative paradigm, a view of human communication based on the conception of persons as homo narrans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Participatory action research</span> Approach to research in social sciences

Participatory action research (PAR) is an approach to action research emphasizing participation and action by members of communities affected by that research. It seeks to understand the world by trying to change it, collaboratively and following reflection. PAR emphasizes collective inquiry and experimentation grounded in experience and social history. Within a PAR process, "communities of inquiry and action evolve and address questions and issues that are significant for those who participate as co-researchers". PAR contrasts with mainstream research methods, which emphasize controlled experimentation, statistical analysis, and reproducibility of findings.

In social studies and social policy, intervention theory is the analysis of the decision making problems of intervening effectively in a situation in order to secure desired outcomes. Intervention theory addresses the question of when it is desirable not to intervene and when it is appropriate to do so. It also examines the effectiveness of different types of intervention. The term is used across a range of social and medical practices, including health care, child protection and law enforcement. It is also used in business studies.

Kurt Lewin founded the National Training Laboratories Institute for Applied Behavioral Science, known as the NTL Institute, an American non-profit behavioral psychology center, in 1947. NTL became a major influence in modern corporate training programs, and in particular developed the T-groups methodology that remains in place today. Lewin died early on in the project, which was continued by co-founders Ron Lippitt, Lee Bradford, and Ken Benne, among others. The NTL Institute produced or influenced other notable and influential contributors to the human relations movement in post-World War II management though, notably Douglas McGregor, Chris Argyris, Edgar H. Schein, and Warren Bennis.

Action Learning is an approach to problem solving that involves taking action and reflecting upon the results. This method is purported to help improve the problem-solving process and simplify the solutions developed as a result. The theory of Action Learning and its epistemological position were originally developed by Reg Revans, who applied the method to support organizational and business development initiatives and improve on problem solving efforts.

David Kantor was an American systems psychologist, organizational consultant, and clinical researcher. He is the founder of three research and training institutes, the author of numerous books and articles, and the inventor of a series of psychometric instruments that provide insight into individual and group behaviors. His groundbreaking empirical research revealed a fundamental structure to all communication, known as Structural Dynamics, which provides the solution to the most common communication challenges experienced in any human system. Kantor's Four Player Model has been referenced by hundreds of other theorists including Peter Senge in The Fifth Discipline, Bill Isaacs in Dialogue: The Art of Thinking Together, and Michael Jensen and Werner Erhard in their revolutionary leadership program: Being a Leader and the Effective Exercise of Leadership as Your Natural Self Expression. His work has made a significant contribution to both family systems therapy and organizational theory and practice.

Double-loop learning entails the modification of goals or decision-making rules in the light of experience. The first loop uses the goals or decision-making rules, the second loop enables their modification, hence "double-loop". Double-loop learning recognises that the way a problem is defined and solved can be a source of the problem. This type of learning can be useful in organizational learning since it can drive creativity and innovation, going beyond adapting to change to anticipating or being ahead of change.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theory of Change</span> A theory of how a social policy or program is thought to work

A theory of change (ToC) is an explicit theory of how and why it is thought that a social policy or program activities lead to outcomes and impacts. ToCs are used in the design of programs and program evaluation, across a range of policy areas.

Human systems engineering (HSE) is a field based on systems theory intended as a structured approach to influencing the intangible reality in organizations in a desirable direction. HSE claims to turn complexity into an advantage, to ease innovation processes in organizations and to master problems rooted in negative emotions and a lack of motivation. It is taught in the Master of Advanced Studies program of the University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland (HES-SO) as a complementary and postgraduate program for students who have already achieved a bachelor level or an MBA.

Organizational metacognition is knowing what an organization knows, a concept related to metacognition, organizational learning, the learning organization and sensemaking. It is used to describe how organizations and teams develop an awareness of their own thinking, learning how to learn, where awareness of ignorance can motivate learning.

References

  1. ↑ Bateson, Gregory. (1979). Mind and Nature: A Necessary Unity. Bantam, New York.
  2. ↑ Senge, P.M. (1990). The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of The Learning Organization. New York: Doubleday.
  3. ↑ Chin, R. & Benne, K.D. (1976). General strategies for effecting changes in human systems. In Bennis, W. G., Benne, K. D., and Chin, R., Eds., The Planning of Change (Third Edition). New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
  4. ↑ Daniels, T. D., and DeWine, S. (1991). Communication process as target and tool for consultancy intervention: Rethinking a hackneyed theme. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 2, 303-322.
  5. ↑ Block, P. (1999). Flawless consulting: A guide to getting your expertise used (Second Edition). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer.
  6. ↑ Argyris, C. (1990). Overcoming organizational defenses: Facilitating organizational learning. Needham Heights, MA: Simon & Schuster.
  7. ↑ Argyris, C. and Schon, D.A. (1978). Organizational Learning: A theory of action perspective. Addison-Wesley Publishing Company.
  8. ↑ Schön, D. A. (1983). The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals Think in Action. New York: Basic Books, Inc.
  9. ↑ Taylor, M., de Guerre, D., Gavin, J., and Kass, R. (2002). Graduate leadership education for dynamic human systems. Management Learning, 33, 349–369.
  10. 1 2 Banathy, Bela (2013). Designing Social Systems in a Changing World. New York: Springer Science & Business Media, LLC. p. 159. ISBN   9781475799835.
  11. ↑ Becvar, Dorothy (2012). Handbook of Family Resilience. New York: Springer Science & Business Media. p. 467. ISBN   9781461437994.
  12. ↑ "Human Systems Intervention (MA)". www.concordia.ca. Retrieved 2018-07-12.
  13. ↑ Wankel, Charles; Stachowicz-Stanusch, Agata (2012). Handbook of Research on Teaching Ethics in Business and Management Education. Hershey, PA: IGI Global. p. 214. ISBN   9781613505120.

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