ABSTRACT
The previous chapters have introduced the concept of policy relevant research and the need for integrative method. They have also carried with them an explicit message that the world is complex and as such prediction and thereby planning are risky ventures. This questions the adoption of reductionist approaches which ‘compartmentalise’ processes and then only respond to change within the confines of those often arbitrary boundaries. An approach which Von Foerster (1977), with tongue firmly in cheek, felt was sure to lead to fame and success. Equally, however, it has been argued that this complexity does not absolve of us of a responsibility to manage change (Spedding, 1979) and to fall into a position of fatalistic indifference. The ability to see the whole picture prior to some form of simplification or reductionism and then to attempt to anticipate possible futures is fundamental to adaptive change management and draws upon interpretive and representational skills. This chapter will provide an elementary insight into how systems thinking and modelling tools can support that process.
