Assessing the Participatory Potential of Systems Mapping

Abstract

The complexity of sustainability issues prompts both science and policy‐making to broaden their methodologies in finding solutions to problems of environmental, social and economic sustainability. In the realms of post‐normal science, quests to find adequate answers to everyday challenges happen in an issue‐driven, policy‐oriented manner where the issue of involving the widest possible range of stakeholders is of utmost importance. Participatory systems mapping is a new type of participatory technique, which has emerged in the last few years. In such a process, participants jointly devise diagrams on a topical issue and develop policy recommendations. The paper discusses an experiment applying this method concerning the issue of sustainable consumption. The authors point out that systems mapping has many significant features that can enrich participatory methodologies. However, the participatory potential of systems mapping might be limited because it can be demanding for groups with lower levels of knowledge capital. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Examining Moral Frameworks in Negotiation Practice: A Critical Systems Perspective

“…This work invites us to think about the deeper purposes of negotiation, a component of many systemic interventions. It is important in the interventions that involve human participation, consensus building, organizational change, and coercive and pluralist problem contexts (for instance, see Cabrera et al, ; Banson et al, ; Király et al, ; Schweiger et al, ). Lane (, p. 112) states that from an interpretive perspective, the social world is ‘… being constantly created by individuals via processes of dialogue, negotiation, and learning …’.…”

Back from the future. Defining sustainable employment through backcasting

“…According to Király et al (2014a;2014b), the basic preconditions for participatory techniques can be grouped around three foci. The first focuses on how well suited the method is to involve stakeholders from different backgrounds, with uneven knowledge and from diverse circumstances.…”

“…Even if it does not involve the analysis of word by word transcripts, it is highly time-consuming to put the whole picture together piece by piece and it cannot be automated. Unlike in the case of other methods such as systems mapping (Király et al, 2014a;Király et al, 2014b), the participants have no direct overview of the results at the end of the workshops and hence, they have difficulties in assessing whether their contributions really had an impact. It also takes more efforts from decision-makers to understand the complete picture drawn up during the backcasting exercise if they really want to appreciate the complex relationships the participants uncovered.…”

“…Hence, any recommended policy step that is aimed at throwing the given factor off balance can have an impact on the whole system. By nature such models contain serious DOI: 10.14267/phd.2015010 simplifications but nonetheless support the comprehension of a complex matter (Király et al, 2014a;Király et al, 2014b). The diagram shows a number of variables, their relationships and whether they move in the same or opposite directions.…”

“…In order to present this system, I have used the method of system mapping (Lane, 2007;Sedlacko, 2011;Király et al, 2014a;Király et al, 2014b). The causal loop diagram was prepared by the present author for the sake of this thesis.…”