RIGOR AND RELEVANCE IN SYSTEMS WORK

Rigor is defined within specific disciplines, yet the work of systems began, in large part, as an effort to span the divides between disciplines through common principles. This has long presented a dilemma for systems professionals in trying to achieve professional credibility. This dilemma can be seen, though, as a mirror of the issues which systems work addresses in context of the larger society. It can be thought about with respect to two oft-used phrases from Gregory Bateson: “a difference that makes a difference, ” and “the pattern that connects.” In a fundamental way for systems work, this divide is the issue of boundaries; how we define our “systems of interest, ” and how we understand the environment that encompasses them. This presentation will explore the implications of these ideas for the ISSS and its relation to the larger world which it seeks to affect