Imagine the ideal, make it real: Bringing shared values to life

Idealized systems design (ISD) is defined as a process of disciplined inquiry that enables a system's users to discover the values that most inspire their involvement in the system and then to jump conceptually outside of existing reality to imagine what that system could or should be in light of those values and unconstrained by practical reality. When a fanciful but appealing idea is reached, one which represents an optimum resolution to the needs which have brought or will bring the system into existence, users bring that idea into contact with practical reality and design a system to bring it to life. Costs, benefits, limitations, requirements, and promises of ISD are discussed in light of the author's involvement with 80–85 ISD inquiries.

[1]  Kenneth J. Gergen,et al.  The Saturated Self , 1991 .

[2]  Bela H. Banathy.  The Design of Evolutionary Guidance Systems , 1989 .

[3]  T. Frantz,et al.  Evolutionary competence in the postmodern family: An idealized design approach , 1993 .

[4]  G. Kreweras.  Creating the corporate future: Russell L. ACKOFF Wiley, New York, 1981, xi + 297 pages, £10.85 , 1982 .

[5]  Bela H. Banathy,et al.  Systems Design of Education: A Journey to Create the Future , 1991 .

[6]  Peter Checkland,et al.  Systems Thinking, Systems Practice , 1981 .

[7]  C. West Churchman,et al.  Thought and Wisdom , 1984 .

[8]  Mark Howell,et al.  Systemantics : the underground text of systems lore : how systems really work and especially how they fail , 1986 .

[9]  Tad Gougen Frantz,et al.  ‘Jumping Out’ of the Existing System During Design Genesis: Penetrating the Anxiety Barrier , 1993 .

[10]  P. Senge.  THE FIFTH DISCIPLINE , 1997 .

[11]  Globality and community in culture and development , 1992 .

[12]  Bela H. Banathy,et al.  A Systems View of Education: Concepts and Principles for Effective Practice , 1992 .

[13]  E. Glasersfeld.  An Introduction to Radical Constructivism , 1981 .

[14]  M. Peck.  The Different Drum: Community Making and Peace , 1987 .

[15]  L. Davies,et al.  Understanding organizational culture: A Soft Systems perspective , 1988 .

[16]  K. Gergen.  The saturated self : dilemmas of identity in contemporary life , 1991 .

[17]  Ernst von Glasersfeld,et al.  The Construction of Knowledge, Contributions to Conceptual Semantics. , 1987 .