Managing Complex Issues through Evolutionary Learning Laboratories

Ockie J. H. Bosch, Nam C. Nguyen, Takashi Maeno and Toshiyuki Yasui

Systems Research and Behavioral Science, 2013, vol. 30, issue 2, 116-135

Abstract: Policy makers, managers and leaders in organizations, governments and business institutions are under increasing pressure to make the right management decisions in the face of a continually changing political and socio‐economic landscape. To make matters more challenging, the complex environmental, socio‐economic, business‐financial issues that decision makers need to deal with tend to transcend the jurisdictions and capacities of any single organization. There is a multitude of difficult, long‐term global challenges ahead, almost all of which are coupled with the most pressing concerns of different countries at national and local levels. Despite many efforts to deal with these complex issues facing our society, the solutions so far have seldom been long lasting, because ‘treating the symptoms’ and ‘quick fixes’, using traditional linear thinking, are the easiest way out, but do not deliver the solutions. This paper describes the processes for unravelling complexity through participatory systems analysis and the interpretation of systems structures to identify leverage points for systemic interventions. It further demonstrates the promotion of effective change and the enhancement of cross‐sectoral communication and collaborative learning. This learning focuses on finding solutions to complex issues by applying an iterative, systems‐based approach, both locally—Evolutionary Learning Laboratory (ELLab)—and globally—Global Evolutionary Learning Laboratory (GELL). A generic framework and processes for implementing and institutionalizing ELLabs are described, and how these become part of the GELL for managing complex issues is explained. Four case studies are used to demonstrate diverse examples of the application and implementation of the ELLab approach. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Date: 2013
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

Downloads: (external link)
https://doi.org/10.1002/sres.2171

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:bla:srbeha:v:30:y:2013:i:2:p:116-135

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.blackwell ... bs.asp?ref=1092-7026

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Systems Research and Behavioral Science from Wiley Blackwell
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Wiley Content Delivery ().