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Systems Practice, Vol. 4, No. 1, 1991 News It gives me great pleasure to be able to include a summary of the research work currently being carried out by a group of scholars in Merida, Venezuela. Having met several members of this group, I know how committed they are to devel- oping links with members of the systems community wherever they may be. Should this summary whet your appetite for more information, I am sure they would welcome any comments/correspondence regarding their interests. RESEARCH NOTE ON THE INTERPRETIVE SYSTEMOLOGY GROUP OF MERIDA The Interpretive Systemology research group at the Systems Engineering School of the University of Los Andes, Merida, Venezuela, was founded in 1980. Since then the group has been dedicated to doing fundamental research in Interpretive Systems Thinking. The purpose of such research is, on one hand, to develop badly needed solid theoretical foundations of the so-called soft sys- tems movement. The group understands by theoretical foundations not only the ontoepistemological philosophical basis of the systems approach--a scientifi- cally vital yet underdeveloped task of systems thinking--but also a general theory of the social and organizational worlds, one of the systems movement's major areas of concern and application. This general theory, founded on the ontoepistemological basis, constitutes, together with them, a conceptual unified building. On the other hand, the research in interpretive systems thinking involves also the application of the theoretical foundations to understanding the nature of organizational phenomena, particularly in Venezuela. The knowledge thus gained is fed back to the theoretical building to enrich further its development. This recursive construction of the conceptual building and its application to understand organizational and social phenomena constitute what the group calls Interpretive Systemology. At present a first iteration of such a recursive construction process of Interpretive Systemology is still being performed but some concrete results can be exhibited. For instance, a first iteration has been carried out both on the ontoepistemological foundations and on a general sys- 73 0894 9859/91/0200 0073506.50/0 1991 Plenum Publishing Corporation
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Systems Practice, Vol. 4, No. 1, 1991
News
It gives me great pleasure to be able to include a summary of the research work currently being carried out by a group of scholars in Merida, Venezuela. Having met several members of this group, I know how committed they are to devel- oping links with members of the systems community wherever they may be. Should this summary whet your appetite for more information, I am sure they would welcome any comments/correspondence regarding their interests.
RESEARCH NOTE ON THE INTERPRETIVE SYSTEMOLOGY GROUP OF MERIDA
The Interpretive Systemology research group at the Systems Engineering School of the University of Los Andes, Merida, Venezuela, was founded in 1980. Since then the group has been dedicated to doing fundamental research in Interpretive Systems Thinking. The purpose of such research is, on one hand, to develop badly needed solid theoretical foundations of the so-called soft sys- tems movement. The group understands by theoretical foundations not only the ontoepistemological philosophical basis of the systems approach--a scientifi- cally vital yet underdeveloped task of systems thinking--but also a general theory of the social and organizational worlds, one of the systems movement's major areas of concern and application. This general theory, founded on the ontoepistemological basis, constitutes, together with them, a conceptual unified building.
On the other hand, the research in interpretive systems thinking involves also the application of the theoretical foundations to understanding the nature of organizational phenomena, particularly in Venezuela. The knowledge thus gained is fed back to the theoretical building to enrich further its development.
This recursive construction of the conceptual building and its application to understand organizational and social phenomena constitute what the group calls Interpretive Systemology. At present a first iteration of such a recursive construction process of Interpretive Systemology is still being performed but some concrete results can be exhibited. For instance, a first iteration has been carried out both on the ontoepistemological foundations and on a general sys-
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0894 9859/91/0200 0073506.50/0 �9 1991 Plenum Publishing Corporation
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tems methodology for studies and design grounded on these foundations (Fuen- mayor, 1985; Lopez-Garay, 1986). In addition, an interpretive systems theory of organizations has been completed (Fuenmayor, 1988), and the development of a social theory (Davila, 1990), an interpretive systems theory of planning (Lopez-Garay, 1990), and a community development (Ochoa-Arias, 1990) is in progress. On the application side, educational, health systems, community organizations, and planning institutions are currently being studied from a sys- temic interpretive perspective.
The group also runs an M.Sc. program on planning and management strongly connected with the above research endeavors. In fact this program is not only a medium to disseminate the knowledge generated by the group's research but also a research ann in itself. Students who enter the program come from a wide variety of professional backgrounds and are expected to learn not only the philosophical basis, the organizational theories, and the methodologies of interpretive systemology but also to apply them to gain knowledge of com- plex organizational and institutional phenomena in Venezuela.
Finally, the group has established a joint Ph.D. program with the Depart- ment of Management Systems and Sciences, University of Hull, Hull, England. Through this program and through the group's research link with the depart- ment's Critical Systems Thinking group, the fundamental research carried out by the Merida group is being greatly enriched. Stimulated by the Hull experi- ence, the group is planning to increase its interactions with a wider international systems audience. The group is confident that criticisms coming from these interactions in different international forums of systems science will greatly help the cause of the systems movement in general and of interpretive systemology in particular.
REFERENCES
Davila, J. (1990). Basis for the Development of an Interpretive Systems Theory of Sociality, Draft proposal, Ph.D, dissertation, Department of Management Systems and Sciences, University of Hull, Hull, England.
Fuenmayor, R. L. (1985), The Ontology and Epistemology of a Systems Approach, Ph.D. disser- tation, Department Of Systems, University of Lancaster, Lancaster.
Lopez-Garay, H. (1986). A Holistic Interpretive Concept of Systems Design, Ph.D. dissertation, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
Ochoa-Arias, A. (1990). Notes for an Interpretive Systems Theory of Community Action, Draft proposal, Ph.D. dissertation, Department of Management Systems and Sciences, University of Hull, Hull, England.
DIARY OF CONFERENCES
Systems Thinking in Europe, to be held at Huddersfield Polytechnic, West Yorkshire, from Tuesday 10 to Friday 13 September 1991. Numbers will be limited to 150, and papers are invited for a number of streams including
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Problem Structuring, Systems and OR, Choice of Methodology, etc. Co-spon- sored by the United Kingdom Systems Society, Dutch Systems Society, Greek Systems Society, Polish Cybernetics Society, Spanish Systems Society, and the College de Systemique de I'AFCET. The proceedings will be published by Plenum in a high-quality bound volume, available at the conference. Send abstracts to Gilbert Mansell, School of Computing & Mathematics, The Poly- technic, Queensgate, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD1 3DH. For further details of the conference contact Barry Blackham/Sue Probert, School of Com- puting & Mathematics, The Polytechnic, Queensgate, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire HD1 3DH, U.K. Telephone: 0484-422288, Ext. 2098. Email: barry@ uk.ac.hud.
Ondersteuning, Overleving en Cultuur (Support, Survival and Culture), conference at the University of Amsterdam, Monday 2 to Friday 5 April 1991, under the auspices of the Center for Innovation and Cooperative Technology at the University, together with the Dutch Systems Group and the International Federation for Systems Research. Information regarding submission of papers may be obtained from Prof. dr. Gerard de Zeeuw, Prof. dr. Gordon Pask, or Dr. Mike Robinson, University of Amsterdam, Research Program "Support, Survival and Culture" (OOC), Grote Bickersstraat 72, 1013 KS Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Telephone: 020-5251250. Fax: 020-5251211.
SYSTED 91--Systems Science in Health-Social Services for the Elderly and the Disabled, Fourth international conference about problems connected with the health and social services for the elderly and the disabled. The objec- tive is to address the problems of planning, organization, and management of health and social services for this group. Venue: Barcelona, Spain. Details: Inter-Congres, Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, 646, 08007 Barcelona, Spain. Telephone: +93-301-2566.
World Conference on Entrepreneurship and Innovative Change, 5-7 September 1991, Singapore. Organized by NTI-Peat Marwick Entrepreneurship Development Centre (ENDEC), Nanyang Technological Institute, Singapore. Call for papers. Deadline for abstracts: 1 January 1991. Deadline for full papers: 1 July 1991. Conference preregistration before 1 January 1991. Authors are requested to submit three copies of their paper abstract, not exceeding 500 words, addressed to Dr. John C. Oliga, ENDEC, School of Accountancy & Business, Nanyang Technological Institute, Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 2263. Fax: (65) 261-4538. Telephone: (65) 265-1744, Ext. 5784, 5685, or 5665.
1991 International System Dynamics Conference, Bangkok, Thailand, 27-30 August 1991. Hosted by the Asian Institute of Technology. Conference proceedings will be published. Deadline for full papers, 15 April 1991; reg- istration fee, 15 May 1991. Abstracts (three copies), approximately 250 words in length, should be sent to Dr. Khalid Saeed, IE&M Division, Asian Institute of Technology, G.P.O. Box 2754, Bangkok 10501, Thailand. Telephone (66- 2) 529-0100. Fax: (66-2) 529-0374. Telex: 84276 TH.
76 News
Correction
In the last issue of Systems Practice (Vol. 3, No. 6, 1989), I made refer- ence to the ISSS conference being held in Sweden next year: I stated that it would be held in Stockholm, but it is to be in Ostersund.
Please send details of forthcoming conferences and events to
Wendy Gregory, News Editor Systems Practice Department of Management and Systems Sciences University of Hull Cottingham Road Hull HU6 7RX, England
