The nature of change or the law of unintended consequences [electronic resource] : an introductory text to designing complex systems and managing change / John Mansfield.
by
Mansfield, John.
ISBN
:
9781848165410
Title
:
The nature of change or the law of unintended consequences [electronic resource] : an introductory text to designing complex systems and managing change / John Mansfield.
Author
:
Mansfield, John.
Personal Author
:
Mansfield, John.
Publication Information
:
London : Imperial College Press ; Singapore ; Hackensack, NJ : Distributed by World Scientific Pub., ©2010.
Physical Description
:
1 online resource (xv, 196 pages) : illustrations
Contents
:
Ch. 1. What do we mean by change? The study of change -- ch. 2. Some definitions. Natural systems. Artificial systems. Social systems. Technical systems. Socio-technical systems. A system. Complicated system. Complex system. A Component's environment. Co-evolutionary systems. Thresholds. Propagation. Initial conditions. Design space -- ch. 3. Failure by design. Socio-technical design failure -- ch. 4. Influence, boundaries and structure. Examples. Influence. Boundaries. Organisation or network structure. Regular networks. Random networks. Small-world networks. Layered and hierarchic aspects. Systems have a past and a future. Layers of change -- ch. 5. Change in complex systems. Fitness and change. Change in an N-dimensional design space. The co-evolutionary process. The threshold. Resistance to change -- ch. 6. Propagation. The temporal effect. An illustration of propagation in a model -- ch. 7. Modelling and modelling mechanisms. Models. Computer-based models. Aspects of model design. Coupling. Cumulative effect. Structural change. Mechanisms. Cellular automata. Simultaneous change. Subsequent changes. Feedback. Agent-based models -- ch. 8. Simulation. The SeeChange program and the system structure. A "cellular automata" application of SeeChange. Small-world application of SeeChange. Applying SeeChange to a business model. Comparison of SeeChange with commercial tools. Insight and understanding of system behaviour. Insight into interaction with complex systems -- ch. 9. What do we do when a change is indicated? Messes, problems and puzzles. Design by increments. Forecasting -- ch. 10. Implementing a system. Early architectures. Mutability. The crucial role of time. Design of computer-based systems. Design strategy -- ch. 11. Real-world change : EUREKA class. Aspects of the change process on a ship. EUREKA simple simulation. Independent changes. Impact analysis. A model of change on a EUREKA ship. A SeeChange model of changes to a ship. Physical model. Structure of the SeeChange model system -- ch. 12. Real-world change : climate. Climate variables. Climate data. Climate models. Simulation of climate models -- ch. 13. In the future. Surprise is always the result of change, accept it.
Local Note
:
eBooks on EBSCOhost
Subject Term
:
Computational complexity.
Change.
Format
:
Electronic Resources
Electronic Access
:
Publication Date
:
2010
Publication Information
:
London : Imperial College Press ; Singapore ; Hackensack, NJ : Distributed by World Scientific Pub., ©2010.
Shelf Number | Material Type | Copy | Shelf Location | Status |
---|
003.7 22 | 1:E-BOOK | 1 | 1:ONLINE | Available for online access and/or download |