Systemic Problem Structuring Applied to Community Involvement in Water Conservation

Systemic Problem Structuring Applied to Community Involvement in Water Conservation

Many advocates of problem structuring approaches mix methods to enhance the flexibility and responsiveness of OR practice. A number of 'multi-methodology' approaches have been developed to support practitioners in doing this, and one of these is systemic intervention. A distinguishing feat...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of the Operational Research Society Vol. 58; no. 5; pp. 645 - 654
Main Authors: J. L. Foote, J. E. Gregor, M. C. Hepil, V. E. Baker, D. J. Houston, Midgley, G.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Abingdon Palgrave Macmillan Press 01-05-2007
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects:
Communities
Community structure
Councils
Economic development
Environmental management
Intervention
Methods
Non permanent residents
Operations research
Part 3: Case Studies
Problem solving
Scarcity
Social exclusion
Studies
Water conservation
Water management
Water resources
Water shortages
Water supply
New Zealand
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Summary:Many advocates of problem structuring approaches mix methods to enhance the flexibility and responsiveness of OR practice. A number of 'multi-methodology' approaches have been developed to support practitioners in doing this, and one of these is systemic intervention. A distinguishing feature of systemic intervention is boundary critique: a theory and set of methodological ideas for exploring the inclusion, exclusion and marginalization of both people and issues. This paper argues that boundary critique can enhance the choice and process of application of problem structuring methods. An application of boundary critique is presented to illustrate the argument, focusing on community participation in the management of ongoing water shortages in a small seaside town in New Zealand. The theory of boundary critique helped to reframe people's understanding of a 30-year conflict between the District Council and community. This led to the design of a participative problem structuring workshop, and a way forward was identified that both the District Council and community could accept. Feedback from the workshop participants suggested that the intervention generated valuable results for all the parties involved. The paper concludes with some brief reflections on how the research agenda on boundary critique and problem structuring methods can be progressed into the future.
ISSN:0160-5682
1476-9360
DOI:10.1057/palgrave.jors.2602248