This book integrates the basic theories (GST and Parson’s AGIL framework), applying them to the components of social systems, state-run and business firms. China’s development experience offers a valuable case study that can provide readers deeper insights into this comparatively young discipline, and into China. Though the discipline of systems engineering and its application to hardware engineering system are well established, social systems engineering is an emerging discipline still being explored. This book may be the first English-language publication on this promising subject.

This book is more or less a companion volume of the author’s book Introduction to Social Systems Engineering published by Springer in March, 2018. Since social systems engineering is a complex emerging discipline, this book will focus more on the evolution of the concept and the formation process. This is related to the book Introduction to Social Systems Engineering within the context of the author’s working and study experience of around 33 years in engineering and 36 years in policy research and planning at national and regional level.

Uniquely reflects an engineering view to social systems in a wide variety of contexts of application Social Systems Engineering: The Design of Complexity brings together a wide variety of application approaches to social systems from an engineering viewpoint. The book defines a social system as any complex system formed by human beings. Focus is given to the importance of systems intervention design for specific and singular settings, the possibilities of engineering thinking and methods, the use of computational models in particular contexts, and the development of portfolios of solutions. Furthermore, this book considers both technical, human and social perspectives, which are crucial to solving complex problems. Social Systems Engineering: The Design of Complexity provides modelling examples to explore the design aspect of social systems. Various applications are explored in a variety of areas, such as urban systems, health care systems, socio-economic systems, and environmental systems. It covers important topics such as organizational design, modelling and intervention in socio-economic systems, participatory and/or community-based modelling, application of systems engineering tools to social problems, applications of computational behavioral modeling, computational modelling and management of complexity, and more. Highlights an engineering view to social systems (as opposed to a “scientific” view) that stresses the importance of systems intervention design for specific and singular settings Divulges works where the design, re-design, and transformation of social systems constitute the main aim, and where joint considerations of both technical and social perspectives are deemed important in solving social problems Features an array of applied cases that illustrate the application of social systems engineering in different domains Social Systems Engineering: The Design of Complexity is an excellent text for academics and graduate students in engineering and social science—specifically, economists, political scientists, anthropologists, and management scientists with an interest in finding systematic ways to intervene and improve social systems.

This book celebrates the efforts of women in the international systems engineering community. While there are dozens of books that tackle the topic of systems engineering and thousands of books that address leadership, this book is unique. Emerging Trends in Systems Engineering Leadership: Practical Research from Women Leaders presents personal, well-researched, hands-on perspectives of emerging trends in systems engineering leadership from industry, government, and academia, covering timely topics applicable across many domains – all under one cover. This book presents material for engineers, scientists, technologists, and others to help them tackle challenges in their everyday work dealing with complex socio-technical systems. The book provides guidance for leaders on shoring up essential (soft) skills to address the increasing demand for professional competencies; addresses diversity, equity, inclusion, and empowering women in the workforce; discusses broader facets of systems engineering leadership including systems thinking, ethics and utilitarianism; and investigates the impact of emerging technological change on systems resilience and the digital enterprise. This book provides a multi-perspective approach for leaders to navigate a changing world and develop and deliver optimal system solutions to global societal challenges that meet human needs. To this end, the authors extend beyond the solid technical base to encompass the human aspect of system behavior. This book is written by twenty-six female authors (three of whom also serve as the editors) from around the world at varying career stages who share their research, achievements, perspectives, and successes in emerging areas of systems engineering leadership. Testimonials: “As the systems that modern society depends on get more complicated and complex, we are in the midst of a renaissance with regard to research relating to systems engineering and science. A vast majority of this research is focused on the development of a modern toolkit for systems engineers today and into the future. This takes the form of new and improved methods, models, methodology, processes and tools. This research is critical but likely insufficient without a focus on the most valuable resource with regard to systems engineering within any organization – the human resource. Therein lies the focus of this textbook. It addresses systems engineering leadership from a variety of perspectives, while also addressing broad aspects relating to mentoring and the necessary evolving competencies that we need to address in today’s workforce. This emphasis makes this book unique. The icing on the cake is that all the chapters in this textbook are written by contemporary women leaders – this provides a necessary and unique perspective on the topic of leadership – that is long overdue! I highly recommend this textbook to all my colleagues in academia, industry, and government.” Dinesh Verma, Ph.D.Professor, Systems Engineering, School of Systems and EnterprisesExecutive Director, Systems Engineering Research Center (SERC)Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ 07030 “The past decade has seen a dramatic increase in the number of women who are formally recognized in systems engineering technical, management and leadership positions in all sectors. With industry, academia, professional systems engineering societies and publishers enabling and illuminating the growing and substantial contributions of women in engineering, women have unprecedented opportunities today to contribute to systems engineering in both leadership and management positions. This volume, a compendium of chapters written by enterprising international women leaders at various stages in their career, addresses diverse topics such as leadership, management, empowerment, equity, diversity, inclusion, and mentoring. It is a valuable resource for engineering management courses in academia, systems engineering leadership training in industry, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion program development by Human Resource departments in industry, academia, and government.” Azad M. Madni, Ph.D., NAENorthrop Grumman Foundation Fred O’Green Chair in Engineering Professor of Astronautics and Aerospace and Mechanical EngineeringExecutive Director, Systems Architecting and Engineering ProgramUniversity of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089

The capability modeling and simulation (M&S) supplies for managing systems complexity and investigating systems behaviors has made it a central activity in the development of new and existing systems. However, a handbook that provides established M&S practices has not been available. Until now. Modeling and Simulation-Based Systems Engineering Handbook details the M&S practices for supporting systems engineering in diverse domains. It discusses how you can identify systems engineering needs and adapt these practices to suit specific application domains, thus avoiding redefining practices from scratch. Although M&S practices are used and embedded within individual disciplines, they are often developed in isolation. However, they address recurring problems common to all disciplines. The editors of this book tackled the challenge by recruiting key representatives from several communities, harmonizing the different perspectives derived from individual backgrounds, and lining them up with the book’s vision. The result is a collection of M&S systems engineering examples that offer an initial means for cross-domain capitalization of the knowledge, methodologies, and technologies developed in several communities. These examples provide the pros and cons of the methods and techniques available, lessons learned, and pitfalls to avoid. As our society moves further in the information era, knowledge and M&S capabilities become key enablers for the engineering of complex systems and systems of systems. Therefore, knowledge and M&S methodologies and technologies become valuable output in an engineering activity, and their cross-domain capitalization is key to further advance the future practices in systems engineering. This book collates information across disciplines to provide you with the tools to more efficiently design and manage complex systems that achieve their goals.

In today's social and behavioral sciences, the complexity of many problems requires the development of a number of highly specialized disciplines. However, the cost of such development is the obscuring of the relationships between these disciplines. This dilemma calls for a "mixed strategy" that combines the advantages of specialization with those of a unified viewpoint. The purpose of this book is to provide the connective tissue that is needed to obtain an overall view. The principles of general system theory naturally lead to a framework that includes many known models and content areas; our intention is to strike a balance between generality and plain usefulness. The first part of this book introduces a social system as a network of inter acting decision makers. This general framework allows a classification of a num ber of more specific structures, which include autocratic and democratic systems, systems with collective and individual decision making, and systems with and without coalitions. In the second part, various psychological schools are seen as specific instances of a general paradigm, which is consequently a point of departure for a taxon omy of learning systems. For a full understanding of this matter, we recommend a careful study of the first four chapters as an introduction to the concepts elaborated in the second part of the book. ix PREFACE x Though the subject matter has a formal background, it does not require a mathematical knowledge in depth; familiarity with elementary probability theory and linear algebra is enough.

Edited by prominent researchers and with contributions from experts in their individual areas, Intelligent Energy Field Manufacturing: Interdisciplinary Process Innovations explores a new philosophy of engineering. An in-depth introduction to Intelligent Energy Field Manufacturing (EFM), this book explores a fresh engineering methodology that not only integrates but goes beyond methodologies such as Design for Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing, Concurrent Engineering, TRIZ, green and sustainable manufacturing, and more. This book gives a systematic introduction to classic non-mechanical manufacturing processes as well as offering big pictures of some technical frontiers in modern engineering. The book suggests that any manufacturing process is actually a process of injecting human intelligence into the interaction between material and the various energy fields in order to transfer the material into desired configurations. It discusses technological innovation, dynamic M-PIE flows, the generalities of energy fields, logic functional materials and intelligence, the open scheme of intelligent EFM implementation, and the principles of intelligent EFM. The book takes a highly interdisciplinary approach that includes research frontiers such as micro/nano fabrication, high strain rate processes, laser shock forming, materials science and engineering, bioengineering, etc., in addition to a detailed treatment of the so called "non-traditional" manufacturing processes, which covers waterjet machining, laser material processing, ultrasonic material processing, EDM/ECM, etc. Filled with illustrative pictures, figures, and tables that make technical materials more absorbable, the book cuts across multiple engineering disciplines. The majority of books in this area report the facts of proven knowledge, while the behind-the-scenes thinking is usually neglected. This book examines the big picture of manufacturing in depth before diving into the deta

First Published in 1972, Introduction to Systems Philosophy presents Ervin Laszlo’s first comprehensive volume on the subject. It argues for a systematic and constructive inquiry into natural phenomenon on the assumption of general order in nature. Laszlo says systems philosophy reintegrates the concept of enduring universals with transient processes within a non-bifurcated, hierarchically differentiated realm of invariant systems, as the ultimate actualities of self-structuring nature. He brings themes like the promise of systems philosophy; theory of natural systems; empirical interpretations of physical, biological, and social systems; frameworks for philosophy of mind, philosophy of nature, ontology, epistemology, metaphysics and normative ethics, to showcase the timeliness and necessity of a return from analytic to synthetic philosophy. This book is an essential read for any scholar and researcher of philosophy, philosophy of science and systems theory.

This book " offers resources and programs by which individuals, groups and organizations can learn to create a common ground, collectively define values and qualities they seek to realize, envision ideal images of a desired future, and bring those images to life by engaging in the disciplined inquiry of social systems design."

Understanding Non-State Actors aims to reduce the scarcity of academic literature on armed non-state actors (NSAs) that have always been a part of world politics and wars. This monograph offers, possibly for the first time, a systematic historical review as well as a substantive theory of NSAs and their arming efforts. From the Jewish rebellions against Rome to the war between the Ukrainian separatists and the Ukrainian government, NSAs’ weapons acquisition has been vital for the build-up of their force, enabling both the employment of that force and its sustainability. While weapons are not necessarily the most important factor in military build-up, NSAs need weapons to fight, and revolts usually erupt after the organizers have acquired a certain number of weapons. Conversely, many revolts lose momentum and operations are not carried out, or turn ineffective, due to shortages of arms and ammunition. A major theme of this monograph is that in spite of dramatic political and technological changes, armed NSAs in different periods have employed similar methods to acquire weapons. Self-production, looting and stealing, external support, and the arms trade were always the major ways for NSAs to acquire weapons, though the importance of each method and the type of arms has changed remarkably over time. Understanding Non-State Actors discusses the factors – political, social, cultural, technological, and organizational – that have both facilitated and constrained the ability of NSAs to acquire arms. Especially, lecturers and students of Military, Terrorism, Conflict studies, War and peace studies will benefit from this study.