Enabling Political Legitimacy and Conceptual Integration for Climate Change Adaptation Research within an Agricultural Bureaucracy: a Systemic Inquiry

Abstract

The value of using systems approaches, for situations framed as 'super wicked', is examined from the perspective of research managers and stakeholders in a state-based climate change adaptation (CCA) program (CliChAP) pre-2010 and polycentric drivers influencing the development of CCA research in Victoria, Australia are reflected on. Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) structured the inquiry beginning with a cultural analysis to generate a boundary critique of CCA research as a human activity system. We experienced the complexity of purpose with research practices pulling in different directions, reflected on the appropriateness of agricultural bureaucracies' historical management practices, and focused on means for joint articulations of purpose. Our analysis conceptualised CliChAP as a subsystem generating novelty in a wider system concerned with socio-ecological coevolution. Constraining/enabling interactions dealing with political legitimacy and conceptual integration were observed as potential catalysts for innovation in research management practice towards better handling of uncertainty as a social process.

Emerging Stakeholder Relations in Participatory ICT Design: Renegotiating the Boundaries of Sociotechnical Innovation in Forest Biosecurity Surveillance

“…In this research, we were able to introduce social science perspective as a gradual transition and find opportune moments to reflect on project design. However, along with others, we concluded that this needs to be built into sociotechnical design expectations (through agility, flexibility and emergence) to better manage projects and the learning and surprises they encounter [23,24,70]. Our finding was consistent with other sociotechnical innovation theory and knowledge developments that acknowledge the importance of agency or deliberation over change implications [27,71].…”