Complex Strategic Choices

Applying Systemic Planning for Strategic Decision Making

verfasst von: Steen Leleur

Verlag: Springer London

Buchreihe : Decision Engineering

Enthalten in: Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" , Springer Professional "Technik" , Springer Professional "Wirtschaft"

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Über dieses Buch

Effective decision making requires a clear methodology, particularly in complex, globally relevant situations. Institutions and companies in all disciplines and sectors are faced with increasingly multi-faceted areas of uncertainty which cannot always be effectively handled by traditional strategies. Complex Strategic Choices provides clear principles and methods which can guide and support strategic decision to face modern challenges.

By considering ways in which planning practices can be renewed and exploring the possibilities for acquiring awareness and tools to add value to strategic decision making, Complex Strategic Choices presents a methodology which is further illustrated by a number of case studies and example applications. Dr. Techn. Steen Leleur has adapted previously established research based on feedback and input from various conferences, journals and students resulting in new material stemming from and focusing on practical application of systemic planning. The outcome is a coherent and flexible approach named systemic planning.

The inclusion of both the theoretical and practical aspects of systemic planning makes this book a key resource for researchers and students in the field of planning and decision analysis as well as practitioners dealing with strategic analysis and decision making. More broadly, Complex Strategic Choices acts as guide for professionals and students involved in complex planning tasks across several fields such as business and engineering.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Frontmatter

Chapter 1. Introduction: Complexity as a Challenge

Abstract

This chapter, “Complexity as a challenge”, primarily aims at presenting the purpose of systemic planning (SP) and the challenge of strategic decision making in a world that presents itself as complex. Initially systemic planning is set out as the holistic handling of complex planning seeking to include both hard and soft methodology. Next the contents of all the chapters are presented. The chapter ends with taking a first look at complexity by treating what is termed detail, dynamic and preference complexity, which leads to a discussion of different problem types. This provides the background for encircling the possibilities and limitations of systemic planning as a foresight problem handling approach.

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Chapter 2. The Condition of Complexity

Abstract

This Chapter goes into depth with “The condition of complexity”. The focus is on the German sociologist Niklas Luhmann and his voluminous work on social theory which often makes a surprising and overwhelming impression on a newcomer to his theory. The chapter focuses on various concepts that can help establish a theoretical basis for a closer understanding of planning as related to complexity and thereby reflected in his universal theory of social systems. This theory offers a number of theoretical findings that systemic planning (SP) can make use of for the grounding of its principles and methodology. The final part of the chapter concerns companies and organisations perceived as socio-technical systems. This presentation is based on the British management theorist Ralph Stacey and concerns different types of change and their characteristics. A basic finding in this respect is the linking of strategic decision making to open-ended change and what this implies for the possibilities and limitations as related generally to long-term planning and specifically to the outline of the SP framework.

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Chapter 3. Linking Complexity and Simplicity

Abstract

This chapter on “Linking complexity and simplicity” seeks basic ways of seeing and understanding by introducing and interpreting two basic epistemic lenses we can reflect upon and apply. To judge the relevance of the proposed systemic planning (SP) approach it is necessary to be explicit about how knowledge and insight can be gained. The term paradigm is used for a specific type of cognition and related research designs that have established themselves as being a sound approach—or more technically: to be valid and constitute a relevant approach in the specific context. For illuminating the basic approach behind systemic planning the French science theorist and sociologist Edgar Morin is called upon. Attention is first given to his Simplicity paradigm which may well be said to represent the type of education and training that economists and engineers face in their university years. Parallel to this, with the Simplicity paradigm seen collectively as a particular type of epistemic lens, Morin has also formulated a Complexity paradigm concerning an alternative way of knowledge gathering and creation; also this paradigm can be seen to represent a particular epistemic lens. In systemic planning this Complexity paradigm functions as a complement to the Simplicity paradigm.

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Chapter 4. The Systemic Process

Abstract

This chapter on “The systemic process” introduces the American brothers Hubert and Stuart Dreyfus by treating their theory of learning. With a background in philosophy and in operations research, respectively, they have formulated learning process into five steps, which deals with what they themselves acknowledge as representing a development from novice to expert. Although apparently not familiar with Morin’s Simplicity and Complexity paradigms as dealt with in the previous chapter, they describe a step-wise way of learning which in its progression can almost be seen to build on the Simplicity paradigm in combination with the Complexity paradigm. In this context it leads to the idea of designing a kind of systemic, self-organising learning process to be made use of in the set-up of systemic planning.

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Chapter 5. The Systemic Toolbox

Abstract

With the theory outline of systemic planning (SP) presented in the previous chapters, this chapter, “The systemic toolbox”, addresses the more methodical and practical aspects of systemic planning. Specifically a number of useful operations research (OR) methods and techniques are introduced as a kind of long list for methods of possible relevance for SP. These are categorised and presented in the form of three ‘waves’, with each new wave—we are still in the third wave since the early 1990s—representing an important new approach direction. From the long list of OR methods seven hard and seven soft methods are identified, which are seen to provide a suitable ‘method arsenal’ referred to as the systemic toolbox in the subsequent practical adaptation of systemic planning.

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Chapter 6. Setting up the Decision Support

Abstract

This chapter on “Setting up the decision support” sets focus upon applying different modes of enquiry based on the findings in the previous chapter. Next the scoping of strategic choices is addressed and afterwards the assessment of consequences and risks is treated. Emphasis is placed on describing the interrelatedness of scoping and assessment in the process of establishing adequate decision support for complex strategic choices. Based on the specific purposes of scoping and assessment a number of both hard and soft methods are treated. This serves to describe how the individual methodologies in the systemic toolbox can provide particular types of decision support in a systemic learning process. This chapter ends with an outline of what can be seen to characterise a suggested concept of choice intelligence and the possible benefits of teamwork and the use of methods in combination referred to as multimethodology.

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Chapter 7. Company Relocation as Demo-Case

Abstract

This chapter serves to exemplify systemic planning in the form of a description of a complex planning task concerning the relocation of TRANS-IT Consult. The case concerns the application of SP for selecting a new company headquarters location in the Øresund region with many different factors influencing the final choice among a set of eight pre-screened possibilities. The case description includes the various SP steps and considerations leading towards a final strategic decision about the most attractive new location. As emphasised in the chapter findings the case is but one example of applying the systemic planning (SP) principles and methodology as it should basically be considered as an open-ended approach.

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Chapter 8. A Summing up: The Challenge of Strategic Decision Making

Abstract

The concluding Chap. 8 “A summing up: The challenge of strategic decision making” first reiterates some of the main concepts of systemic planning (SP), and afterwards ten cases where SP has been applied are reviewed. This forms the background for a subsequent assessment of the validity and potential of the SP framework. Afterwards complex strategic choices are put into a wider context, where issues about ‘known and unknown’ and risk-related Black Swan theory as developed by the American risk theorist and analyst Nassim Taleb are made use of to indicate what types of challenges organisations and companies may face with regard to long-term planning and complex strategic decision making. Finally some conclusions are presented together with a developmental perspective on SP. Among other things, it is stated that SP may be relevant as an approach to deal with strategic decision making related to issues of corporate social responsibility and issues of sustainability. Both issues represent important current strategic decision making challenges of a complex nature where a systemic approach like SP may be worthwhile to make use of.

Steen Leleur

Backmatter

Titel: Complex Strategic Choices
verfasst von: Steen Leleur
Verlag: Springer London
Electronic ISBN: 978-1-4471-2491-7
Print ISBN: 978-1-4471-2490-0
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-2491-7