RRP: from £65 2nd hand; Hardcover: 447 pp; Publisher: Kluwer Academic; ISBN: 978-0306464881
This book aims to rethink systemic intervention to enhance its relevance for supporting social change in the 21st Century. Section One focuses on the philosophy of systemic intervention; Section Two on methodology; and Section Three on practice. Throughout the book, arguments are provided for why philosophy, methodology and practice all have a role to play in our thinking about systemic intervention.
Section One introduces the notion of systems philosophy, concentrating on the preoccupation of systems thinkers with undertaking ‘holistic’ or ‘comprehensive’ analyses. Of course, there is no such thing as a genuinely comprehensive analysis, so the defining feature of systems thinking is reflection on the boundaries of inclusion and exclusion. A new path is mapped out for the development of systems philosophy, which dissolves the supposedly ‘fundamental’ dualism between subject and
object that is commonly found in the philosophy of science.
Section Two of the book then goes on to examine the methodological consequences of taking this new approach. First, the concept of intervention is introduced. This is defined as purposeful action by an agent to create change, and is contrasted with observation. It is argued that observation, as undertaken in science, should actually be seen as a ‘special case’ of intervention, not as distinct from it. Next, the systems philosophy outlined in Section One is related to the methodology of intervention, and it is suggested that ‘systemic intervention’ is purposeful action by an agent to create change in relation to reflection on boundaries. This leads to the exposition of a theory of ‘boundary critique’, which deepens our understanding of what it means to reflect on boundaries in the context of intervention. Each of the following are discussed as part of this theory: the relationship between boundary and value judgements; the extension of the concept of boundary judgement to encompass concerns about how things ought to be (as well as what actually exists); the importance of wide-spread stakeholder participation in systemic intervention; and the need for agents to deal with the marginalisation of particular issues and stakeholders within social contexts.
Then the case is made for theoretical pluralism. This follows on logically from the theory of boundary critique because every theory is based on either implicit or explicit assumptions about the appropriate boundaries for analysis. Therefore, if it is possible to explore and use a variety of different boundaries during intervention, it is also possible to draw upon a variety of different theories. Of course, if theoretical pluralism is possible, and if different theories can be linked into different methodologies and methods, then methodological pluralism must be possible too. An argument for methodological pluralism is presented, and the emphasis is placed on the value of this in terms of optimising flexibility and responsiveness to stakeholder concerns during intervention. A review of intervention methods and methodologies is also provided.
Finally, Section Three of this book starts with some background to the author’s own intervention practice in Community Operational Research (dealing with problematic issues in community contexts). Four examples of systemic intervention are provided, each of which is used to illustrate a different aspect of the methodology outlined in Section Two.
The book then ends with an invitation to the reader to begin to practice systemic intervention and contribute to its further
development.
