& Editorial

This edition of Systems Research and BehavioralScience contains a diverse collection of papers thatemphasize both the development of systems theoryand the application of systems ideas in practice.

The research paper section starts with animportant paper by Kenneth D. Bailey thatfocuses on public and private codes in livingsystems theory. This paper culminates with adiscussion of the central role that codes play insystem security and system identity.

Woog et al.’s paper developed out of a series ofworkshops at the University of Western Sydneythat addressed the issue of barriers to marketaccess for poor livestock producers. The work-shops used methods drawn from both systemsand complexity thinking.

Ma et al. apply the principles of InteractivePlanning for the use of roadmapping as a way ofknowledge management in academia. A casestudy of the use of the methodology in the JapanAdvanced Institute of Science and Technology(JAIST) is provided.

Zhichang Zhu addresses the complementar-ism versus pluralism debate. In this provocativepaper, it is argued that systems methodologyresearch should increase its awareness of institu-tional forces and processes if it is to be effective.

On a design theme, Stephen A. Gage takes themetaphor of a trivial machine and argues that awork of architecture is the physical embodimentof this. This intriguing paper draws on the workof von Foerster in discussing how the process ofconstructing such a machine can inspire delightin an observer.

Leroy White addresses the need to take intoaccount aesthetic values in systems/OR practice.The paper contains a number of case studies thatemphasize the space, values and artefactsuncovered in interventions and introduces an

approach to systems/OR practice called criticalimagination.

Sebastian Slotte’s paper has a methodologicalslant in focussing on dialogue intervention. Theimportance of this paper is based on the pro-position that the primary task of dialogue interven-tion is to enhance participants’ sensitivity to theunique human system of which they form a part.

Kroes et al. adopt a socio-technical systemsapproach to design. Human agents are viewed aselements of socio-technical systems and thispaper analyses two different roles that theymay play. Some conceptual problems regardingthe modelling of such systems are also discussed.

Joel Palmius’ paper is concerned with thedesign of complex systemswith particular regardto information systems. It is proposed thathigh-level simulation could be useful to enablea comparison of different ideas about infor-mation systems design.

Simulation is also addressed by Miklos N.Szilagyi andMatthewD. Jallo in a paper that usesstanding ovation as an example of human socialbehaviour. This fascinating paper discusses anexperiment that drew on a nonlinear dynamicsystem simulation and precepts derived frompersonality trait theory.

In the notes and insights section, ChristinaAmcoff Nystrom articulates the argument thatthe philosophy of technology in organizationsneeds to be identified, made visible and shared.

This issue of Systems Research and BehavioralScience concludes with the book review section.

On behalf of the Editorial Team, I wish you aMerry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Amanda GregoryDeputy Editor

SystemsResearch andBehavioral ScienceSyst. Res.23, 713 (2006)Published online inWiley InterScience(www.interscience.wiley.com)DOI:10.1002/sres.807

Copyright # 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.