Title Origin
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"Assessing
assumptions about boundaries with critical systems heuristics."
PDF
version of a blog discussion in the Integration
and Implementation Insights
(i2Insights) blogging site, ed. by Gabriele Bammer,
National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health,
The Australian National University, Acton, Australia, 24 May 2022.

Source:
https://i2insights.org/2022/05/24/critical-systems-heuristics/
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Ulrich
(2022a) How can researchers reflect on their assumptions
about where they set boundaries around problems, solutions,
measures of success, knowledge claims and other aspects
of research? And how can examination of such assumptions
be employed as an emancipatory practice to assess the
assumptions of others and to point to better ways of
serving the disenfranchised and marginalized? A short
summary of CSH by its author with several comments by
readers and replies by the author.
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804 KB
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"Can
we discipline 'alternative facts'? Towards a new critical
competence."
Academia
Letters, No. 332, 25 Feb 2021 https://doi.org/10.20935/AL332
PDF
version of the published essay.
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Ulrich
(2021b) Is there such a thing as "alternative
facts"? This short essay goes beyond the overly
simplistic assumption that has dominated the controversy,
that facts are either true or false. It explains why
in so many discussions the parties have reasons to see
"the facts" differently and thus, if only they
understood these reasons, could avoid talking at cross-purposes
and accusing one another of having got their facts wrong.
Perhaps, then, there is indeed a chance that people
could learn to deal constructively with such situations
and learn to employ "facts" in systematically
critical ways?
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143
KB
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"The
idea of boundary critique. Farewell to Ulrich's Bimonthly."
PDF
version of Ulrich's
Bimonthly, March-April-May
2018 (in this site).*
With
an Appendix (in PDF only) offering my
Erskine
Science Prestige Lecture
of 1999 (Univ. of Canterbury, Christchurch, NZ)
on "Systems Thinking as if People Mattered:
Toward a Knowledge Democracy"
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Ulrich
(2018b) and Ulrich (2018c)
This
last regular Bimonthly essay casts a glance back
as well as ahead. In an "Interview with myself"
I review some of the ideas that were inspiring my work
on critical systems heuristics.
In the Appendix,
I then offer my thus far unpublished Erskine Science
Prestige
Lecture, presented to the University of Canterbury,
Christchurch, New Zealand, in May 1999, on a vision
for the future that I connect with my work, the idea
of a "knowledge democracy."
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267
KB
146
KB
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Bimonthly

Erskine
Science Lecture
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"Reference
systems for boundary critique: a postscript to �Systems
thinking as if people mattered�"
PDF
version of Ulrich's
Bimonthly, January-February
2018 (in this site).*
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Ulrich
(2018a)
A
discussion of the four types of reference systems for
boundary critique distinguished in the two previous
essays (Ulrich, 2017d and e), with the aim of embedding
them in a multi-level concept of rational practice and
rationality critique. |
386
KB
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"Systems thinking as if people mattered.
Part 2/2: Practicing boundary critique"
PDF
version of Ulrich's
Bimonthly, November-December
2017 (in this site).*
The second and final part of
this completely rewritten, expanded and updated version
of a Working Paper of 1998 on the author's research
program on CST for professionals & citizens.
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Ulrich
(2017e)
How can boundary critique, as
introduced in Part 1 of this two-part essay, be practiced so as to provide a new
critical competence to ordinary citizens and professionals?
And what might such a new critical competence mean for contemporary
professional and management education? |
401
KB
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"Systems thinking as if people mattered.
Part 1/2: A plea for boundary critique"
PDF
version of Ulrich's
Bimonthly, September-October
2017 (in this site).*
Completely rewritten, expanded and updated version
of a Working Paper of 1998 that presented my research
program on "critical systems thinking for citizens"
(now CST for professionals & citizens).
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Ulrich
(2017d)
What can boundary critique, the core principle of my work on critical systems heuristics
(CSH), contribute to the revival of civil society? How
can citizens acquire a new competence in citizenship?
This essay proposes, perhaps somewhat surprisingly at first, that systems
thinking, properly understood, can become a source of such competence. |
343
KB
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"If systems thinking is the answer, what
is the question? Discussions on research competence"
Integral
PDF
version of the two-part essay in Ulrich's
Bimonthly, May-June and
July-August
2017 (in this site).*
Revised,
expanded and updated version
of a Working Paper originally published in hard print
(June 1998) and more recently in a first, slightly
edited PDF version (April 2017); the present, expanded
version is also the first to appear in open-access HTML
format.
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Ulrich
(2017c)
A discussion of the nature of research competence
in the applied disciplines, especially as seen from
a perspective of critical systems thinking.
The essay addresses research students and professionals in a direct and
personal way.
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325
KB
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"The
concept of systemic triangulation: its intent and imagery"
PDF
version of Ulrich's
Bimonthly, March-April
2017 (in this site).*
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Ulrich
(2017b)
Systemic
triangulation is an extension of the conventional concept
of triangulation in science, that is, of the use of
multiple methods and data sources. It draws on the author's
work on critical systems heuristics and its methodological
core principle of boundary critique, so as to systematically
uncover the anatomy of selectivity of claims to
knowledge, rationality, and improvement, particularly
in the applied disciplines. The underlying imagery is
explained in terms of the author's "eternal triangle
of boundary critique."
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206
KB
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"The rational,
the moral, and the general: an exploration. Part 7: Critical
contextualization"
PDF
version of Ulrich's
Bimonthly, November-December
2016 (in this site).*
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Ulrich
(2016f)
The
exploration of
the role of general ideas in rational inquiry and practice continues
with some basic considerations, inspired by Upanishadic thought,
on how to practice their critical contextualization. The focus
is on situational meaning clarification, as distinguished
from the task of validity critique, which will be the
topic of the next and final essay in the series (in
prep.).
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442
KB
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"Critical
Pragmatism for professionals:
some comments" Reflections on Critical Pragmatism, Part 8. By Guest Author Richard
J. Ormerod, Plymouth, UK.
PDF
version of Ulrich's
Bimonthly, May-June
2016 (in this site).*
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Ormerod,
R.J. (2016)
On operationalizing critical pragmatism for professional
practice: an open letter to Werner Ulrich.
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202
KB
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"Philosophy for professionals: towards
critical pragmatism"
Reflections on Critical Pragmatism, Part 7. Updated and expanded
version of a discussion paper first published in the
Journal of the Operational Research Society (Ulrich,
2007e).
PDF
version of Ulrich's
Bimonthly, March-April
2016 (in this site).*
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Ulrich
(2016c)
Argues
that well-understood pragmatism could furnish a key
element of a future philosophy for professionals, but
that a few methodological shortcomings need to be overcome
to this end. The aim is to develop pragmatist thought
into a framework of critical pragmatism.
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166
KB
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"Forschende Systeme"
�ber C. West Churchman, "The Design of Inquiring Systems�, New York:
Basic Books 1971.*
Prepublication version of a review essay (in German language) published in Dirk Baecker (ed.),
Schl�sselwerke der Systemtheorie, 2nd edn. Wiesbaden,
Germany: Springer VS., 2016; rev. version in 3rd edn., 2020.
The HTML version
is available in the "Tribute
to C. West Churchman"
section of this site or in the "Reviews" section of the author's
Academia.edu
page.
For an English version, see Ulrich 2015h.
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Ulrich
(2016b)
K�nnte man einem Computer
das Forschen beibringen? C.W. Churchman versucht, klassische Werke der Erkenntnistheorie (Leibniz, Locke, Kant,
Hegel, und E.A. Singer) als Entw�rfe f�r
"forschende" Systems im vollen Sinne des Wortes von "erforschen"
und "nachfragen" zu verstehen und daraus neue Einsichten f�r das
Verst�ndnis und die Gestaltung invformationsveerarbeitender Systeme zu gewinnen.
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134
KB
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"The
way of inquiring systems"
A review of C.W. Churchman's "The
Design of Inquiring Systems." *
Expanded and updated version
of a review originally published in 1985. The HTML version is available
in the "Tribute
to C. West Churchman"
section of this site, as well as in the "Reviews" section of the author's
Academia.edu
page.
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Ulrich
(2015h)
The
essay reviews one of the most original
books by the former UC Berkeley management scientist, research philosopher and
pioneer of the �systems approach� as well as of the field of �operations
research,� C. West Churchman..What might we learn from classical theorists
of knowledge (Leibniz, Locke, Kant, Hegel, E.A. Singer)
about the design of intelligent, information-processing
systems?
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107
KB
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"The rational,
the moral, and the general: an exploration. Part 6: Ideas in ancient Indian thought / Discussion"
PDF
version of Ulrich's
Bimonthly, September-October
2015 (in this site).*
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Ulrich
(2015g)
In
this continuation of our current exploration of the
world of ideas of ancient India, the example of the
famous first verse of the Isha Upanishad is discussed
with a view to what it might mean for contemporary professionals.
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288
KB
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"The
art of interconnected thinking: Frederic Vester's biocybernetic
systems approach"
Updated and expanded review
of 21 Oct 2015, originally published as review
of a book that had not yet been translated into English
at the time, in Journal of Research Practice 1,
No. 1, 2005, article R2. The present,
revised
version is also available in the Reviews section
of the author's Academia.edu
page. *
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Ulrich (2015f)
Introduction
to a relatively unknown pioneer of systems thinking
in the German speaking countries, by means of a review
of his book "The Art of Interconnected Thinking:
Tools and Concepts for a New Approach to Tackling Complexity"
(Munich, Germany: MCB Verlag, 2007).
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95
KB
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"The rational,
the moral, and the general: an exploration. Part 5
(revised): Ideas in ancient Indian thought / Analysis"
PDF
version of Ulrich's
Bimonthly, May-June
2015 (in this site).*
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Ulrich
(2015e)
Revised
version of the continuation of this series with an analysis of three selected Upanishadic ideas,
brahman, atman, and jagat (original
version: Bimonthly of November-December, 2014), emphasizing
once again an analytical and methodological reading.
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410 KB
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"Kant's
rational ethics"
A
review of 'Immanuel Kant's 'Groundwork of the Metaphysic
of Morals' of 1786 in the translation by H.J. Paton
(1964). Expanded
version of an Amazon Customer
Review of 2011, which in turn was based on my essay
"Practical
reason and rational ethics: Kant," Reflections on Reflective Practice (5/7). Ulrich's Bimonthly, March-April 2009 (listed
below in this page).*
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Ulrich
(2015d)
In the third and final article of this trilogy
of short reviews dedicated to Kant�s practical philosophy, Kant has the word.
What does his major work on ethics, the Grundlegung (foundation) of his moral
theory, still have to tell us today about the problem of grounding ethics, why
should we still read it?
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77 KB
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"Kant's
public construction of reason"
A
review of Onora O'Neill's 'Constructions of Reason:
Explorations of Kant's Practical Philosophy' (1989). Expanded
version of an Amazon Customer
Review of 2011, which in turn was based on my essay
"What is good professional practice? Part 2: The
quest for practical reason" in Ulrich's Bimonthly,
May-June 2011 (listed below in this page).*
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Ulrich
(2015c)
This second contribution
to a trilogy of short reviews dedicated to Kant�s practical philosophy focuses on
the deep connections between reason and politics in his ethics. They unfold into Kant�s fundamental
conception of the public use of reason.
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70 KB
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"Kant's
way to peace"
A
review of Hans Saner's 'Kant's Political Thought: Its
Origins and Development' (1973). Expanded
version of an Amazon Customer
Review of 2011, which in turn was based on my essay
"What is good professional practice? Part 2: The
quest for practical reason" in Ulrich's Bimonthly,
May-June 2011 (listed below in this page).*
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Ulrich
(2015b)
In a trilogy of short reviews, the author presents
three books that he considers essential reading for approaching Kantian
practical philosophy today. This first contribution is dedicated to Saner�s penetrating
analysis of Kant�s
political thought as it emerges in his pre-critical writings and subsequently shapes
his critical philosophy.
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68 KB
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"The rational,
the moral, and the general: an exploration. Part
4 (revised): Ideas in ancient Indian thought / Introduction"
PDF
version of Ulrich's
Bimonthly, March-April
2015 (in this site).*
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Ulrich
(2015a)
A
second version of the introduction, in the Bimonthly
of September-October 2014, to the world of ideas of ancient India, this
time from a more pronounced analytical perspective,
published separately in the interest of allowing comparison
and ensuring stable web content
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306 KB
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"The rational,
the moral, and the general: an exploration. Part 5: Ideas in ancient Indian thought / Analysis"
PDF
version of Ulrich's
Bimonthly, November-December
2014 (in this site).*
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Ulrich
(2014f)
Continues
the introduction to the world of ideas of ancient India
with an analysis of three selected Upanishadic ideas,
brahman, atman, and jagat.
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366 KB
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"The rational,
the moral, and the general: an exploration. Part
4: Ideas in ancient Indian thought / Introduction"
PDF
version of Ulrich's
Bimonthly, September-October
2014 (in this site).*
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Ulrich
(2014e)
An
introduction to the world of ideas of ancient India, as represented
by the Vedic tradition of thought and esp. the Upanishads.
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306 KB
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"The rational,
the moral, and the general: an exploration. Part
3: Approximating ideas �
towards
critical contextualism"
PDF
version of Ulrich's
Bimonthly, July-August
2014 (in this site).*
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Ulrich
(2014d)
The
third essay
in this series asks how essential ideas of reason such as the
moral idea and the systems idea can become useful guides
for practice, despite their abstract and general nature.
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392 KB
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"Ten
years of connecting researchers" (authors: D.P. Dash
and W. Ulrich).
PDF
file of an editorial published in the Journal of Research Practice, 10,
No. 1, Article E1
(22 April 2014).
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Dash
and Ulrich
(2014)
A
brief review and some emerging themes of the first ten
years of a rather unconventional research journal.
|
66
KB
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"The rational,
the moral, and the general: an exploration. Part
2: Kant's ideas of reason"
PDF
version of Ulrich's
Bimonthly, January-February
2014 (in this site).*
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Ulrich
(2014a)
The
second exploratory essay
on the role of general ideas in rational thought and action,
with a focus on Kant's understanding of general ideas
of reason.
|
225 KB
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"The rational,
the moral, and the general: an exploration. Part
1: Introduction; discourse ethics"
PDF
version of Ulrich's
Bimonthly, September-October 2013 (in this site).*
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Ulrich (2013f)
First of
a series of short exploratory essays
on the role of general ideas, such as particularly the moral
idea, in rational thought and action as seen from different
vantage points; introduces the topic and discusses discourse
ethics in its light..
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201 KB
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"Research
skills for the future: summary and critique of a comparative study
in eight countries" (authors: W. Ulrich and D.P. Dash).
A
"Viewpoint" article published in the Journal of Research Practice, 9,
No. 1, Article V1
(8 July 2013).
[HTML] http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/article/view/377/304
[PDF] http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/article/view/377/330
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Ulrich and Dash (2013)
What key research competencies will researchers and professionals need to have in the future?
Summary and critical discussion of a comparative study undertaken by two major
international consulting companies on the situation in eight research-intensive
countries.
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749 KB
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"Reflections on reflective practice
(6c/7): Discourse ethics and deliberative democracy,
or the difficult path to communicative practice
�
Habermas 3 (1st half)"
PDF
version of Ulrich's
Bimonthly, May-June 2013 (in this site).*
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Ulrich (2013e)
First half of the third of three articles on
the practical philosophy of Jurgen Habermas
within the "Reflections on reflective practice" series.
|
356 KB
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"CST's
two ways: a concise account of critical systems thinking"
Prepublication
version (with a new introductory note) of an entry on "Critical systems thinking"
prepared for the Encyclopedia of
Operations Research and Management Science (S. I. Gass and M.C. Fu,
eds., New York: Springer, published in Nov 2013);
PDF version of Ulrich's
Bimonthly, November-December 2012 (1 November 2012)
(in this site).* |
Ulrich (2012g)
A
concise introduction to critical systems thinking (CST),
with a non-partisan, comparative account of its two
major strands, CSH and TSI. A new understanding
of CST emerges in which both strands, although in different
ways, focus on enhancing the contextual sophistication
of professionals. |
345 KB
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"Operational
research and critical systems thinking � an integrated
perspective. Part 2: OR as argumentative practice"
Prepublication
version of an article published in the Journal of
the Operational Research Society, 63, No. 9 (21 September), pp. 1307-1322.
Reedited
postpublication version (first open-access version in
HTML) in Ulrich's
Bimonthly, September-October
2016 (in this site).*
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Ulrich (2012e)
How
can critical systems thinking (CST) strengthen the competence
profile of professionals? Considering the examples of
operational research, policy analysis, and process consultation,
an argumentation-theoretical view of professional competence
is suggested. Along with Part 1 this yields an
integrated perspective of professional competence in
which CST finds a systematic place.
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218 KB
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"Operational
research and critical systems thinking � an integrated
perspective. Part 1: OR as applied systems thinking"
Prepublication
version of an article published in the Journal of
the Operational Research Society, 63, No. 9 (21 September), pp. 1228-1247.
Reedited
postpublication version (first open-access version in
HTML) in Ulrich's
Bimonthly, July-August
2016 (in this site).*
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Ulrich (2012d)
What
does good operational research (OR) practice mean, and
what can critical systems thinking (CST) do for it?
This first of two parts reviews the idea and history
of systems thinking in OR, situating CST within OR understood
as applied systems thinking (AST). The two major strands
of CST thus far, critical systems heuristics (CSH) and
total systems intervention (TSI), are compared and reinterpreted
with a view to what they can contribute to AST.
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189 KB
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"What
is good professional practice? Part 3: The quest
for rational action"
PDF
version of Ulrich's
Bimonthly,
May-June 2012 (in this site).*
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Ulrich (2012b)
Max
Weber's influential ideal-types of rational action are
analyzed and found deficient as a framework for guiding
professional practice. An alternative three-level concept
of rational practice is outlined and two examples are
discussed. |
309 KB
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"Research,
practice, and research practice"
PDF
version of Ulrich's
Bimonthly,
March-April 2012 (in this site).*
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Ulrich (2012a)
This
essay explains why understanding research as a form of
practice is important for research theory and philosophy,
and suggests two basic models for thinking about, and
achieving, good research practice. |
432 KB
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"Towards
a taxonomy of research practice"
PDF
version of Ulrich's
Bimonthly,
November-December 2011 (in this site).*
(Rev.
version, 12 Feb 2012)
|
Ulrich (2011m)
A brief
report about an initiative undertaken on behalf of the
Journal of Research Practice to support good
practice in reflecting on and writing about research.
|
633 KB
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"A
note on the convergence of Kant's concepts of rationality,
morality, and politics"
PDF
version of Ulrich's
Bimonthly,
September-October 2011 (in this site).*
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Ulrich (2011h)
There is a convergence of Kant's concepts of rationality,
morality, and politics that is often ignored but which matters for understanding
his work, as well as for meeting our epoch's urgent
need for strengthening all forms of integrative thought.
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870 KB
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"Seneca
on serenity, leisure, and philosophy"
PDF
version of Ulrich's
Bimonthly,
July-August 2011 (in this site).*
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Ulrich (2011g)
Some
leisurely reflections about reading � and practicing
� Seneca. |
543 KB
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"What
is good professional practice? Part 2: The quest
for practical reason"
PDF
version of Ulrich's
Bimonthly,
May-June 2011 (in this site).*
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Ulrich (2011b)
The practical-normative
dimension of reason is largely underrated, often ignored,
in today's concept of professionalism; yet it touches
upon some of the most fundamental and general aspects
of rationality. |
413 KB
|
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"What
is good professional practice? Part 1: Introduction"
PDF
version of Ulrich's
Bimonthly,
March-April 2011 (in this site).*
|
Ulrich (2011a)
The
importance of professionalism to modern societies can
hardly be overrated. The more important it is to review
the prevailing notion of "good" professional
practice. |
330 KB
|
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"Exploring
discourse ethics (2/2)"
PDF
version of Ulrich's
Bimonthly,
May-June 2010 (in this site).*
|
Ulrich (2010b)
Second
half of an exploratory essay, includes a fictitious dialogue
with Jurgen Habermas about his discourse ethics
|
502 KB
|
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"Exploring
discourse ethics (1/2)"
PDF
version of Ulrich's
Bimonthly,
March-April 2010 (in this site).*
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Ulrich (2010a)
First
half of an exploratory essay, preparing
the announced
third part of the introduction to Habermas' practical philosophy
|
453 KB
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"Critical systems
heuristics"
(authors: W. Ulrich and M. Reynolds).
Ch. 6
from: M. Reynolds
and S. Holwell (eds.), Systems Approaches to Managing Change:
A Practical Guide, London: Springer, in association with The
Open University, Milton Keynes, UK, pp. 243-292.
Original
layout file, available from Open
Research Online, The Open University�s repository
of research publications, in agreement with
Springer London Ltd. [For
an overview of the five systems approaches introduced
in this book, see http://oro.open.ac.uk/21297/
]
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Ulrich
and Reynolds (2010)
A
new introduction to critical systems heuristics, written
jointly by the developer and an experienced practitioner
of CSH. Explains core concepts in detail and illustrates
their use by means of two case studies from the domain
of environmental planning and management. |
378
KB
|
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"Reflections on reflective practice
(6b/7): Argumentation theory and practical discourse
�
Habermas 2"
PDF
version of Ulrich's
Bimonthly,
November-December 2009 (in this site).*
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Ulrich (2009f)
Second
part of a three-part introduction to Habermas' practical philosophy, with
a particular focus on methodological foundations.
|
373 KB
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"Reflections on reflective practice
(6a/7): Communicative rationality and formal pragmatics
�
Habermas 1"
PDF
version of Ulrich's
Bimonthly,
September-October 2009 (in this site).*
|
Ulrich (2009e)
First
part of a three-part introduction to Habermas' practical philosophy, with
a particular focus on methodological foundations
|
200 KB
|
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"Cloudspotter's
summer break: Reading Habermas in the garden chair"
PDF
version of Ulrich's
Bimonthly,
July-August 2009 (in this site).*
|
Ulrich (2009d)
Some
notes on the experience of reading Habermas once again,
some thirty years later
|
532 KB
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"Reflections on reflective practice
(5/7): Practical reason and rational ethics: Kant"
PDF
version of Ulrich's
Bimonthly,
March-April 2009 (in this site).*
|
Ulrich (2009c)
An
introduction to Kant's practical philosophy, with special
emphasis on the link it establishes � in the form of
the principle of moral universalization � between
ethics and rationality
|
554 KB
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"Can we secure future-responsive management
through systems thinking and design?"
Revised
postpublication version of an article written in honor
of C. West Churchman, originally published in
Interfaces, 24, No. 4,
1994, pp. 26-37, and previously revised in 2002.*
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Ulrich
(2009b)
A
discussion of the requirements of future-responsive
management in the light of C.W. Churchman's philosophy
of social systems design
(2009 revision)
|
269 KB
|
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"Reflections on reflective practice
(4/7): Philosophy of practice and Aristotelian virtue
ethics"
PDF
version of Ulrich's
Bimonthly,
January-February 2009 (in this site).*
|
Ulrich (2009a)
To
prepare the ground for mobilizing practical philosophy
as a third pillar of reflective practice, this article
offers a general introduction to practical philosophy,
followed by a review of Aristotle's early ideas on the
subject.
|
408
KB
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"Practical
reason: drawing the future into the present"
PDF
version of Ulrich's
Bimonthly, November-December 2008
(in this site).*
|
Ulrich (2008e)
A Christmas
reflection on the role of faith and its relation to
practical reason, inspired by Benedict XVI's Encyclical
letter Spe Salvi
|
295
KB
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"Reflections on reflective practice
(3/7): In search of practical reason"
PDF
version of Ulrich's
Bimonthly,
September-October 2008 (in this site).*
|
Ulrich (2008d)
A
detailed review of the "personal knowledge"
paradigm of the founding fathers of today's reflective practice
mainstream reveals the deeper reasons for its failure to ground its concept
of professional competence in practical philosophy,
in addition to psychology and
science theory. This
leads to a basic exploration of what might be done to increase
the
appeal of practical philosophy to reflective practitioners.
|
353
KB
|
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"Lugano
Summer School (LSS 2008) memories"
PDF
version of Ulrich's
Bimonthly,
July-August 2008 (in this site).*
|
Ulrich (2008c)
Memories
of the Doctoral and Postdoctoral Summer School
on Soft and Critical Systems Thinking, which took place
at the University of Lugano from the 2nd to the 13th
of June, 2008. Includes photos of the class and contributions
by participants.
|
425
KB
|
|
"Reflections on reflective practice
(2/7): Applied science
and expertise, or the art of testing and contesting practical claims"
PDF
version of Ulrich's
Bimonthly,
May-June 2008
(in this site).*
|
Ulrich (2008b)
A
look at the role of science education today, and an
attempt to redefine applied science and expertise so
that they would be conducive to reflective professional
practice
|
322
KB
|
|
"Reflections on reflective practice
(1/7): The mainstream
concept of reflective practice and its blind spot"
PDF
version of Ulrich's
Bimonthly,
March-April 2008
(in this site).*
|
Ulrich (2008a)
A critique
of the soft (psychological) bent of the notion
of "reflective practice" as it has developed
in the professional education literature, and of the
way this neglects essential challenges that professional
education faces today.
|
294
KB
|
|
"The
greening of pragmatism (3/3).
Part (iii): The way ahead"
(Reflections on critical
pragmatism, Part 6) PDF
version of Ulrich's
Bimonthly,
September-October 2007
(in this site).*
|
Ulrich (2007f)
An
analysis of the interdependence of three methodological
cornerstones of critical pragmatism � discourse theory (as understood in critical theory),
pragmatic thought (as understood in American pragmatism), and reflective
practice (as understood in critical heuristics)
|
392
KB
|
|
"Philosophy
for professionals: towards critical pragmatism"
Prepublication
version of a "Viewpoint" published in the
Journal
of the Operational Research Society 58,
No. 8, 2007, pp. 1109-1113.
|
Ulrich (2007e)
Pragmatism
may be one of the most underestimated philosophies of
our epoch. Here are a few thoughts, prompted by a review
of pragmatism in JORS, as to whether a critically
revised pragmatism might not become the basis of a proper
"philosophy for professionals."
|
127
KB
|
|
"The
greening of pragmatism (2/3).
Part (ii): Current issues in developing
critical pragmatism � a methodological trilemma"
(Reflections on critical
pragmatism, Part 5) PDF
version of Ulrich's
Bimonthly,
May-June 2007
(in this site).*
|
Ulrich (2007d)
A
discussion of the way in which the proposed notion of
critical pragmatism differs from other
current notions, and of some of the methodological issues
it raises
|
348
KB
|
|
"The
greening of pragmatism (1/3).
Part (i): The emergence
of critical pragmatism"
(Reflections on critical
pragmatism, Part 4) PDF
version of Ulrich's
Bimonthly,
March-April 2007
(in this site).*
|
Ulrich (2007b)
A
brief history of the term "critical pragmatism" reveals
its emergence from the confluence of different strands of pragmatic thinking
|
255
KB
|
|
"Theory and practice II: the rise
and fall of the 'primacy of theory'"
(Reflections on critical
pragmatism, Part 3) PDF
version of Ulrich's
Bimonthly,
January-February 2007
(in this site).*
|
Ulrich (2007a)
A
critically pragmatist view of the relation of theory
and practice (Part 2)
|
284
KB
|
|
"Theory and practice I: beyond theory"
(Reflections on critical
pragmatism, Part 2) PDF
version of Ulrich's
Bimonthly,
November-December 2006
(in this site).*
|
Ulrich (2006l)
A
critically pragmatist view of the relation of theory
and practice (Part 1)
|
211
KB
|
|
"Rethinking
critically reflective research practice: beyond Popper's critical
rationalism"
Published in Journal
of Research Practice 2,
No. 2, 2006, article P1. Also available in both
HTML and PDF format directly in the Journal's
web site:
[HTML] http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/article/view/64/63
[PDF]
http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/article/view/64/120
|
Ulrich (2006k)
A
critique of the foundationalist underpinnings of today's
most widely adopted model of reflective
research, the
"fallibilist" model of critical rationalism and its "primacy
of theory" doctrine
|
100
KB
|
|
"A
plea for critical pragmatism"
(Reflections on critical
pragmatism, Part 1) PDF
version of Ulrich's
Bimonthly,
September-October 2006
(in this site).*
|
Ulrich (2006i)
Introduction
to a series of reflections on the aims, hopes, and chances that I associate with
critical pragmatism, and the methodological challenge
they imply towards a "critical turn" of pragmatism
|
211
KB
|
|
"The
art of boundary crossing: another introduction to boundary
critique"
PDF
version of the Picture of the Month,
May 2006
(in this site).*
|
Ulrich (2006f)
A
brief introduction to the basic idea of boundary critique
and its importance for the "critical turn"
of systems thinking
|
569
KB
|
|
"Against plagiarism"
PDF
version of the Picture of the Month,
April 2006
(in this site).*
|
Ulrich (2006d)
A
sequel to my previous plea for open access publishing,
explains why open access is not to be confused with
a license for Wild West in scholarship
|
298
KB
|
|
"The
art of observation"
Published in Journal
of Research Practice 2,
No. 1, 2006, article R1. Also available in both
HTML and PDF format directly in the Journal's
web site:
[HTML]
http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/article/view/26/46
[PDF] http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/article/view/26/72
or
from the review section of the author's Academia.edu
page:
[HTML]
https://unifr.academia.edu/WernerUlrich/Reviews
|
Ulrich (2006c)
Review of Christopher
Alexander's cult book
The Timeless Way of Building
of 1979, with a focus on its central notion of "pattern
languages" and what it teaches us about high-quality
observation and design (expanded version of Ulrich,
2005g)
|
176
KB
|
|
"Open doors: a
plea for open access publishing" (Part 2/2)
PDF
version of the PDF
version of the Picture of the Month,
March 2006
(in this site).*
|
Ulrich (2006b)
Second
of two parts of my plea for open-access (OA) academic
publishing
|
288
KB
|
|
"Open doors: a
plea for open access publishing" (Part 1/2)
PDF
version of the Picture of the Month,
February 2006
(in this site).*
|
Ulrich (2006a)
An
argument for the open-access philosophy of academic
publishing, and a collection of resources on the topic
(first of two parts)
|
292
KB
|
|
"High-quality design (ii): towards literacy in pattern languages"
PDF
version of the Picture
of the Month, November 2005
(in this site).*
|
Ulrich (2005h)
Brief review of C. Alexander's cult book
The Timeless Way of Building
of 1979 and some implications for reflective professional
and research practice
|
434
KB
|
|
"A
brief introduction to Critical Systems Heuristics (CSH)"
Original
publication prepared for ECOSENSUS, an
e-Social Science project
of The
Open University, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom (14 October 2005),
also available at
http://projects.kmi.open.ac.uk/ecosensus
|
Ulrich (2005g)
A
15-page introduction to critical systems heuristics,
both for beginners and for advanced students.
(Note: beginners may prefer to start with the two very
short mini-primers offered in the "CSH"
section of this site, cf. Ulrich 2002a and 2002b)
|
226
KB
|
|
"The moon illusion:
short history of a long-standing mystery of science"
PDF
version of the Picture
of the Month, July
2005
(in this site).*
|
Ulrich (2005f)
Review
of a peculiar failure of science to explain a familiar
everyday phenomenon
|
601
KB
|
|
"Can nature teach us good research practice?
A critical look at Frederic
Vester�s bio-cybernetic systems approach"
Published in Journal
of Research Practice 1,
No. 1, 2005, article R2. With a postscript of 10
April 2008 (in the HTML version only). Also available in both
HTML and PDF format directly in the Journal's
web site:
[HTML]
http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/article/view/1/2 [PDF] http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/arthttp://icle/view/1/1
|
Ulrich (2005e)
Review of F. Vester's book
The Art of Interconnected Thinking: Tools and Concepts for a New Approach to Tackling Complexity (Munich: MBC Verlag,
2007), written in 2005 to introduce English-speaking
readers to a book in German language that was not available in an English translation
|
56
KB
|
|
"On plagiarism:
considerations for authors and reviewers"
PDF
version of A note on plagiarism, February
2005
(in this site).*
|
Ulrich (2005d)
Explains
the issue of plagiarism to authors from the perspective
of editors and reviewers
|
66
KB
|
|
"The
new globalization"
PDF
version of the Picture of the Month,
February 2005
(in this site).*
|
Ulrich (2005c)
A
brief reflection on the ethical face of globalization
and its implication for building a global civil society
� the need for globalizing civil society to civilize
globalization
|
277
KB
|
|
"Happy
New Year? Reflecting on some conditions of
peace."
PDF
version of the Picture of the Month, January 2005 (in this site).*
|
Ulrich (2005a)
A
New Year reflection on Kant's essay Perpetual Peace
of 1795
|
278
KB
|
|
"The
safe-harbor metaphor: a mistaken conception of professional
competence"
PDF
version of the
Picture of the Month,
November 2004
(in this site).*
|
Ulrich
(2004i)
Professional
practice as ship-at-sea repair, or the vain search for
grand theory
|
267
KB
|
|
"Nordic
transparency, or: Kant's quest for critique"
PDF
version of the
Picture of the Month, July
2004
(in this site).*
|
Ulrich
(2004f)
Kant's
dream of philosophical lucidity
|
303
KB
|
|
"In
memory of C. West Churchman (1913-2004): reminiscences,
retrospectives, and reflections"
Prepublication
version (with definitive layout and pagination) of a tribute
paper published in the Journal of Organisational
Transformation and Social Change, 1, Nos. 2-3, 2004,
pp. 199-219.
|
Ulrich
(2004e)
A
commemorative essay on C.W. Churchman's life and work,
with a section on the core concerns and concepts of
his philosophy
of social systems design
|
323
KB
|
|
"Remembering
C. West Churchman (1913-2004)"
PDF
version of the
Picture of the Month,
April 2004
(in this site).*
|
Ulrich
(2004b)
Some personal recollections of C. West Churchman, with a photographic portrait, a short biography, some brief extracts from his writings, and links to other web pages dedicated to Churchman.
|
127
KB
|
|
"A brief introduction to 'Critical Systems
Thinking for Professionals & Citizens'"
Short
version of a talk given to the 8th International Conference on
Systems Research, Informatics and Cybernetics
(InterSymp '96) in Baden-Baden, Germany, August
14-18, 1996.*
|
Ulrich
(2003b)
A
short introduction to the author's research program
"CST for professionals & citizens"
|
295
KB
|
|
"Pragmatizing
critical systems thinking for professionals and citizens"
Revised
and expanded version of a talk given to the Centre for
Systems Studies at the University of Hull, UK, on 28
November 1995.*
|
Ulrich
(2003a)
Another
short introduction to the author's research program
"CST for professionals & citizens"
|
300
KB
|
|
"A
bibliography of C. West Churchman's writings from 1938
to 2001"
Updated and
expanded version of a bibliography originally
compiled in 1999 for the Web Site of the
International Society for the Systems Sciences (ISSS). First published as
an independent on-line source in November 2002,
last updated in April 2006.*
|
Ulrich
(2002g) � 2006
revision and extension - now both in HTML and
PDF format
A
bibliographic source of reference for people interested
in the work of one of the founding fathers of the fields
of operations research, management science, and the
"systems approach"
|
334
KB
|
|
"An
appreciation of C. West Churchman"
Revised version of a contribution of
1999 to the
Section "Luminaries of the Systems Approach" of the Web Site of the
International Society for the Systems Sciences (ISSS). The current version
was first published in
the Section "A Tribute to C.W. Churchman" of the present
site in 20002 and previously updated in March 2006.*
|
Ulrich
(2002f) � 2009 revision
A
personal appreciation of C.W. Churchman's philosophy
of social systems design, and the role it played in
my work on critical systems heuristics New
update of 14 Dec 2009
|
273
KB
|
|
"Public policy analysis"
Prepublication version of a contribution to
the Informed Student Guide to Management
Science, ed. by H.G. Daellenbach
and R.L. Flood, Thomson,
London, 2002, pp. 213-215.
|
Ulrich (2002c)
A mini-introduction to the aims, history and
present state of policy analysis
|
122 KB
|
|
"Critical systems heuristics"
Prepublication version of a contribution to
the Informed Student Guide to Management
Science, ed. by H.G. Daellenbach
and R.L. Flood, Thomson,
London, 2002, pp. 72-73.*
|
Ulrich (2002b)
The shortest available introduction
to CSH
|
96 KB
|
|
"Boundary critique"
Prepublication version of a contribution to
the Informed Student Guide to Management
Science, ed. by H.G. Daellenbach
and R.L. Flood, Thomson,
London, 2002, pp. 41-42.*
|
Ulrich (2002a)
A very short introduction to the methodological
core principle of CSH
|
104 KB
|
|
"Critically systemic discourse: a discursive approach to reflective practice in
ISD (Part 2)"
Published in Journal of Information
Technology Theory and Application (JITTA),
3, No. 3, 2001, 85-106 (online
journal:
http://jitta.org
).
|
Ulrich (2001c)
Outlines
a practical framework for
applying the "philosophical staircase"
presented in Part 1 (Ulrich 2001b) as a way to promote
reflective ISD practice
|
543 KB
|
|
"A philosophical staircase for information
systems definition, design, and
development: a discursive approach to
reflective practice in ISD (Part 1)"
Published in Journal of Information
Technology Theory and Application (JITTA),
3, No. 3, 2001, pp.
55-84 (online
journal:
http://jitta.org
)
|
Ulrich (2001b)
Philosophical foundations of a critical
approach to ISD, with special regard for
a discursive approach
|
679 KB
|
|
"The
quest for competence in systemic practice and research"
Prepublication version of a paper published in
Systems
Research and Behavioral Science, 18, No.1, 2001,
pp.
247-268.
|
Ulrich (2001a)
How can we develop competence in research and practice?
|
332
KB
|
|
"Reflective practice in the civil society:
the contribution of critically systemic
thinking"
Prepublication version of a paper published in
Reflective Practice, 1, No. 2, 2000,
pp. 247-268.
|
Ulrich (2000a)
The most up-to-date account of my research
program on CST for professionals &
citizens; at the same time, a
review of the current state of
CSH and its implications for civil society
|
325
KB
|
|
"Systems Thinking as if People
Mattered"
Working Paper No. 23, Lincoln
Management School, University of Lincoln,
Lincoln, UK, 1998, 15pp.
|
Ulrich (1998c)
An introduction to my research program "CST
for professionals & citizens"
|
285 KB
|
|
"If
Systems Thinking is the
Answer, What is the Question?"
Working Paper No. 22, Lincoln
Management School, University of Lincoln,
Lincoln, UK, 1998, 19pp. Rev.
postpublication version of 6 Apr 2017, 23pp.
|
Ulrich (1998b)
A
discussion of the nature of systemic research
for research students and professionals who wish to
develop their personal notion of competence.
|
780 KB
|
|
"A
Primer to Critical Systems Heuristics for Action Researchers"
Centre for Systems Studies, University of Hull,
Hull, UK, 31 March 1996, 58pp; digital
version of 10 August 2014, 58pp.
|
Ulrich (1996a) � 2014 online
version
One
of the most popular introductions to CSH is now finally
available online, with unchanged text, layout, and pagination
except for some minor editorial and layout corrections
|
457 KB
|
|
"Can we secure future-responsive management
through systems thinking and design?"
Revised
postpublication version of an article written in honor
of C. West Churchman, originally published in
Interfaces, 24, No. 4,
1994, pp. 26-37, and previously revised in 2002.*
|
Ulrich
(1994) � 2009 revision
A
discussion of the requirements of future-responsive
management in the light of C.W. Churchman's philosophy
of social systems design. New update of 12 Dec 2009 (with
new layout
and minor editorial amendments)
|
223 KB
|
|
"Some
difficulties of ecological thinking, considered from
a critical systems perspective: a plea for critical
holism"
Revised postpublication version of a paper first published in
Systems Practice, 6, No. 6, 1993,
pp. 583-611.
|
Ulrich (1993)
Can systems thinking remedy the difficulties of ecological
thinking? The need for a critically normative concept
of ecology
|
278 KB
|
|
"Critical systems
thinking and ethics"
Scanned version of a paper first published in Banathy,
B.H., and Banathy, B.A. (eds.), Towards a Just Society
for Future Generations. Proceedings of the 34th
Annual Meeting of the International Society for the
Systems Sciences (ISSS) in Portland, Oregon, 1990, Vol.
1. Pomona, CA: ISSS, 1990, pp. 52-75..
A
talk presented to the three-day symposium on "Critical
Systems Thinking" held at the 34th Annual Meeting
of the International Society for the Systems Sciences
(ISSS) of 1990 in Portland, Oregon.
|
Ulrich
(1990)
Ethics
and systems thinking have more in common than is generally
recognized. Following a critical overview of some limitations
of traditional ethics, two potential candidates for
such a new ethics are analyzed, "communicative
ethics" and "ethics of whole systems."
The paper finds that the two approaches can support
one another but both need to be revised n the terms
of a critical solution to the problem of practical
reason as it has been advanced in the author's work
on critical systems heuristics (CSH). A new *critical
systems ethics* thus emerges.
|
7.6
MB
|
|
"Zur
Planungskultur in der Schweiz"
(authors: D.A. Keller and W. Ulrich).
Schweizer
Ingenieur und Architekt / Swiss Engineer and Architect,
107, No. 46 (16 Nov. 1989), pp. 1243-1247. (open access)
|
Keller
& Ulrich (1989)
A
critical discourse on the "planning culture"
in the public sector of Switzerland (in German language).
More than a quarter century after its publication, this analysis
of the difficulties and deficits of the country's public-sector
planning appears to have lost little of its timeliness
and relevance.
|
1.8
MB
|
|
"Systems
thinking, systems practice, and practical philosophy:
a program of research"
Scanned version of a research
program first published in
Systems Practice, 1, No. 2, 1988,
pp. 137-163.
|
Ulrich
(1988)
This
programmatic paper argues that building a bridge between
the two traditions of systems thinking and practical
philosophy is key to serving the cause of ethically
grounded, socially rational decision-making. A three-level
framework of rational systems practice provides a starting
point that 30 years after it was first outlined can
still guide innovative research and professional practice.
|
3.7
MB
|
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