TU811 Strategy making - Open University · 2012. 1. 23. · vi Laure Korenian-Chabert References...
Transcript of TU811 Strategy making - Open University · 2012. 1. 23. · vi Laure Korenian-Chabert References...
i Laure Korenian-Chabert
TU811 Strategy making –
EMA submission
Laure Korenian-Chabert
Strategy making in the context of Hong Kong’s deteriorating marine
ecosystems due to reclamation
13th October 2011
Practitioner statement: 910 words
Project report: 2383 words
ii Laure Korenian-Chabert
c
Introduction
My chosen area of practice, ‘marine conservation’ is of personal interest to me as a sailor and a
scuba diver. Within marine conservation, I have chosen to focus on deteriorating marine ecosystems
in Hong Kong (HK) due to land reclamations which is of additional personal interest as an HK
resident. Reclamation in HK seems to be a tradition which has had and will continue to have
damaging effects on marine ecosystems if there is no strategy making to improve the situation going
forward. I thus chose to apply three complementary systems approaches enriched with People
Stream ideas for making strategy in this situation.
Strategy making in the context of deteriorating marine
ecosystems in Hong Kong due to reclamation-
Practitioner Statement
iii Laure Korenian-Chabert
Table 1 summarises the strengths and weaknesses of tools from the five approaches for making
strategy in my chosen situation.
Table 1: Summary assessment of using the five systems approaches
Appreciating
interrelationships
and
interdependencies
Engaging with multiple
perspectives
Dealing with boundary
matters
SD
SD enabled to highlight the
non-linearity of the system and
to unveil a wider network of
linkages than initially thought
of, such as the
interrelationship between
economic growth and the
number of reclamation
schemes.
As SD allows through its
causal loop diagram seeing
beyond the obvious, it
enabled to engage with the
HK government perspective
for instance as some
feedback loops highlighted
the potential economic
benefits of land reclamation.
Identifying feedback loops
pinpointed to some
intermediary elements that
needed to be taken into
account in future strategy
making, such as the
impacts of land reclamation
on pollution levels.
VSM
The VSM allows appreciating
that ‘the optimal functioning of
the whole organisation cannot
be achieved by optimising
individually each of the parts’
(TU811 Part3 p65); as such, it
would be most useful in marine
conservation to ‘model an
organisation whose parts
would interact, instead of
having a succession of
systems independently
addressing one part of marine
ecosystems degradation’
(Korenian-Chabert
TU811TMA02).
The VSM mainly requires the
system practitioner to engage
with the perspectives of the
(sub)managers whereas in
my chosen situation it
seemed a wider range of
stakeholders needed to
engage with each other’s
viewpoints.
The VSM allowed ‘moving
away from the focus on the
parts and to focus on the
whole system’ (TU811
Part3 p55) thus helping to
reflect on the boundaries of
the system.
SODA
Causal mapping could allow
decision makers ‘seeing how
strategic issues, values and
goals impact on one another
thus helping to appreciate the
consequences of doing one
strategic option over
another’(Korenian-Chabert
TU811TMA02).
‘The main strength of SODA
is its ability to allow for and
promote participation through
group discussions thus also
enabling to engage with
multiple perspectives’
(Korenian-Chabert
TU811TMA02).
While boundary judgement
is covert in SODA, the
analysis of a causal model
implied considering which
elements of the system
emerged as central and
should thus be taken into
account by decision
makers for strategy
making.
SSM
The SSM process highlighted
the interdependence between
the way I perceived the
One of the strengths of SSM
is that it allows, through the
comparison of the rich picture
SSM helped me realise that
the defined system was
only pertinent in the context
iv Laure Korenian-Chabert
situation and my worldview(s)
preventing from assuming
others perceived it the same
way.
with the conceptual model,
engaging with multiple
perspectives and promoting
active participation of a wide
range of stakeholders, such
as fishermen and
government representatives.
of a particular worldview
and purpose, i.e. within my
boundary of concern.
CSH
As CSH does not conflate
‘beneficiaries’ and ‘victims’, it
enabled to highlight ‘potential
unintended consequences
which considered in time might
avoid the viability of the
system being threatened’
(Korenian-Chabert
TU811TMA03).
Ulrich’s questions 10-12
enabled to consider the
interests of those affected but
not involved who do not have
a voice of their own, notably
future generations and
marine ecosystems. This
might permit a more
equitable and sustainable
strategy making’ (Korenian-
Chabert TU811TMA03).
CSH allowed defining the
boundaries of the system
by asking questions which
enabled me ‘to consider
what components ought to
be/are included in the
system’ (Korenian-Chabert
TU811TMA03).
Using People stream ideas provided another opportunity to assess these approaches.
Limits to knowledge and predictability
SD permits identifying potentially drastic events that are ‘unknown but not unknowable’ (People
Stream Part2.8) such as typhoons which could not only add to marine ecosystems degradation but
cause flooding in urban areas as reclaimed lands are at sea level. SD might thus also be useful to
enable the HK authorities to better prepare stakeholders in such events. The approach seems to
‘allow for the unknown’ (People Stream Part2.2).
Cognitive differences
While SD doesn’t overtly handle cognitive thinking as SODA would have, in my chosen situation SSM
and CSH complement SD in that sense notably via potential debates around the CSH matrix and
around the comparison of the rich picture with the conceptual model. Such conversations allow
stakeholders expressing themselves and thus better understanding their cognitive differences and
avoiding communication problems due to misunderstandings.
v Laure Korenian-Chabert
The nature of systems approaches
While systems approaches might enable the HK government to appreciate interdependencies thus
encouraging it to look beyond symptoms – e.g. ecosystems degradation - and to address their
causes, the psychological qualities of non-systems approaches might work as lubricants and permit
stakeholders ‘to see the world through the eyes of others’ (Churchman 1968) thus encouraging a
more equitable outcome.
Conclusion
There doesn’t appear to be any blue print approach to tackle problems but applying a combination of
three systems approaches to problem-solving could assist in bringing some light on my chosen
situation. While SD allows ‘seeing with new eyes’, SSM enables ‘orchestrating a debate’ (Mason and
Mitroff 1981) and CSH helps to reframe the situation, ’a key ingredient in negotiation and creative
thinking’ (People Stream Part2.4).
[910 words]
vi Laure Korenian-Chabert
References
Churchman, C.W. (1968) quoted in ‘Critical Systems Heuristics’, Strategic Options Development and
Analysis, Systems Approaches to Managing Change: A Practical Guide, Open University, Chapter 6,
page 243.
Korenian-Chabert, L. (2011) TU811 Strategy making TMA02 and TMA03.
Mason, R.O. and Mitroff, I.I. (1981) quoted in TU811 People Stream, Why is today so like yesterday?,
Open University, Part 2.4
The Open University (2010), TU811 Thinking strategically: systems tools for managing change, Open
University, Part 3 pages 55 and 65.
The Open University (2010), TU811 People Stream, Why is today so like yesterday?, Open
University, Part 2.2, 2.4 and 2.8.
1 Laure Korenian-Chabert
Contents list
page
Introduction 2
1. Methodology 3
2. Multiple perspectives on the situation 4
3. Exploring the effect of reclamation on marine ecosystems 5
4. Evaluating Hong Kong’s urban development strategy making 8
5. Identifying desirable and feasible changes 11
Strategy making in the context
of deteriorating marine
ecosystems in Hong Kong due
to reclamation-
Project Report
2 Laure Korenian-Chabert
6. Recommendations for action
Conclusion
18
18
Acknowledgements 19
References
Appendix
21
23
3 Laure Korenian-Chabert
Introduction
Land expansion through reclamation has been part of Hong Kong’s urban development strategy since
the 19th century. Since then, numerous projects, such as Hong Kong’s airport, have been built on
reclaimed land1. Nowadays, the Hong Kong government seems to continue to believe that the city’s
economic development involves expanding its landmass. However, in the past few decades there has
been growing realisation on part of local communities of the deterioration of the environment due to
reclamation schemes.
The following report on strategy making with the aim of improving the deterioration of marine
ecosystems by reclamation in Hong Kong explores the complexity, the range of perspectives and
issues this situation raises through applying a combination of People stream ideas and of three
systems approaches.
1 Cf. Appendix 1
4 Laure Korenian-Chabert
1. Methodology
To allow for a more holistic view of the situation, to avoid traps in thinking such as reductionism and
dogmatism and to find more creative strategic points of intervention, three complementary systems
approaches have been chosen for strategy making in the situation of interest.
The report starts by applying Systems Dynamics (SD) which has been chosen for its capacity to
uncover the influence of one variable on another in a complex and messy situation. While SD might
enable to appreciate interdependencies thus compelling to look beyond the environmental damages
caused by land reclamation, a critical reflection on the situation through applying Critical Systems
Heuristics (CSH) should allow reframing the situation to uncover ethical and political issues. The
inquiry finishes by using the Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) as a tool for reviewing the situation so
that a wide range of stakeholders can engage with and learn from each other’s perspectives and
purposeful actions for improvement of the situation be envisaged.
Each approach is enriched by incorporating non-systems approaches from the People Stream, such
as Synectics and Metaphors@Work, to enhance the capabilities of those systems approaches for
making strategy in the situation of interest.
5 Laure Korenian-Chabert
2. Multiple perspectives on the situation
Prior to engaging in the systems approach processes, it seemed beneficial to engage with
stakeholders to better comprehend their perspectives on the situation. To that effect, before drafting
this report several stakeholders were contacted and media reports read.
Table 1: Stakeholder perspectives on the situation
Stakeholding Stakeholder groups Perspectives
Involved The government of the
Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region
(HKSAR)
It seems to consider that the situation should be a system to
encourage economic development by all means so that Hong
Kong’s economic leadership in the region is maintained.
Environmental
government agencies
This situation should be a system to enable ‘thorough
environmental impact assessments in the planning of new
developments so that the environmental impacts are minimal’
(reference removed, environmental government agency
spokesperson).
Real Estate
developers
The situation should be a system to promote urban
development so that local industries can develop and housings
be built.
Industry and
Commerce
They seem to consider that the situation should be a system to
support commercial and industrial development so that the
city’s economy can grow.
Affected Environmental NGOs2 This situation should be a system to promote sustainable
development so that marine ecosystems are conserved.
Fisheries industry This situation should be a system to enable fishermen to catch
a decent amount of fish so that their livelihoods are sustained.
Residents Most residents felt this situation should be a system to balance
economic and environmental considerations so that the quality
2 Reference removed (NGOs for protection of wildlife, marine conservation and eco-responsible projects in
HK)
6 Laure Korenian-Chabert
of living in Hong Kong (HK) is ameliorated.
Tourists A large majority of tourists felt this situation should be a system
to maintain HK’s wide range of attractions, whether they be
cultural, environmental or shopping so that tourists get the
most out of their stay in the city.
3. Exploring the effect of reclamation on marine ecosystems
In a complex and messy situation involving a ‘multitude of interrelated variables [and a wide] range of
purposes associated with different perspectives’ (TU811 Part 1 p12) which are likely to change over
time and where a number of variables, such as Hong Kong’s economic development, ‘are beyond
direct control’ (Reynolds and Holwell, 2010), it seemed System Dynamics (SD) was best suited to
explore the interdependence and interrelationships between land reclamation and deteriorating
marine ecosystems in HK as well as the likely effects of changes.
SD is applied by developing and analysing a causal-loop diagram (Figure 1) to have an overview of
the impact of reclamation on marine ecosystems in HK.
7 Laure Korenian-Chabert
Figure 1: Causal loop diagram showing the impact of land reclamation on marine ecosystems
R1
R7
R5
R4
revenues
from cultural
tourism
R3
R6
R2
number of land
reclamation
schemes
amount
of plants
urban development
number of
industrial and
commercial
buildings
economic
development
amount of
micro pollutants
seawater
quality level
oxygenation fish stock
food
source
shelter
revenues
from
fisheries
amount of
solid waste
marine
habitat
water
pollution level
R1: revenue stream R2: revenue stream R3: revenue stream R4: decline in fishermen livelihoods vicious circle R5: deteriorating marine ecosystems vicious circle R6: seawater quality level growth engine R7: tragedy of the common spiral B1: air pollution vicious circle
+
-
+
+
+
+
+
+ +
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
-
-
-
- +
revenues from
Commerce and
Industry
number of
cultural
heritage
sites
+
+
+
DELAY
amount of
greenhouse gas
emissions
quality
of living
HK’s
attractiveness number of
expatriates
+ +
+
-
+
B1
amount of
overfishing
-
-
polluted
rainfalls
air quality
level
+
+ flooding
+ -
number of
visitors
revenues
from tourism
+
+
+
+
landmass available
for construction
-
DELAY
8 Laure Korenian-Chabert
A couple of common situation archetypes can be identified in the diagram (Figure 1) such as the
‘tragedy of the commons’ (R7) resulting from each fisherman taking more from the sea ‘even though
collectively it gets tougher and tougher [as fish stock dwindle] and in the end everyone suffers’
(TU811 Part 2 p51), ‘fixes that fail’ which is an underlying archetype in Figure 1 as economic benefits
from reclamation (fix) which is scheduled to boost economic growth through urban development might
overtime be less that the economic damages from the fix. As Morecroft (2010) notes ‘a delay
somewhere in the causal loop has a profound effect on how people perceive the consequences of
their actions’ (TU811 Part2 p39). This might explain why the HK government appears to ‘have a
limited understanding of the situation’ (TU811, Part1 p23) and to be trapped in thinking that
reclamation is part of the recipe for economic development. But the government’s reductionism goes
further as it appears to think that the only source of economic development can come from industrial
and commercial expansion. This trap in conventional thinking, probably driven by the Chinese
consumerism culture, could ultimately lead to marine ecosystems actually deteriorating further as
interrelationships between multiple variables are not considered. Reducing the number of variables
contributing to economic development to industrial and commercial expansion should not mean
discarding other important considerations such as environmental and social factors.
Using ‘mental frameworks and rationality’ (Headline issue 1.1) might help the HK government to
reframe the situation by discussing it with parties that it might consider as opponents to its own views,
such as with environmental NGOs. This might compel the government to challenge its own
assumptions therefore also hopefully helping avoid reductionism.
As Hoverstadt (2010) states, ‘far more powerful than problem solving is problem anticipation and
avoidance’. By highlighting the interdependence and interrelationships between environmental and
economic factors in reclamation, the causal-loop diagram enables to look beyond the capitalistic view
of the government to uncover less immediate and more vicious effects that land expansion can have
over time on the city’s economic development and environment.
Thus saying, as Barabási (2003) notes, ‘we are [still] as far as we have ever been from understanding
nature as a whole’ despite scientific progress. SD is no magic potion and won’t enable to identify all
potentially drastic events, such as black rains which could cause flooding in reclaimed areas thus
notably adding to marine pollution, especially in a situation involving natural elements. It thus seems
9 Laure Korenian-Chabert
that time should not be spent on attempting to predict the unpredictable but rather on preparing
stakeholders to accept the possibility of unknowable events and decision makers to adapt their
strategy making accordingly thus also leaving more space for creative thinking.
To complement these insights, CSH is now used to evaluate Hong Kong’s urban development
strategy making.
4. Evaluating Hong Kong’s urban development strategy making
‘CSH’s attempts to reframe the situation through boundary critique could be complemented by using
first Synectics. In effect the springboard activity facilitates ‘breaking down the existing framework of
thinking’ (Nolan 1989) to reframe the situation. In the situation of interest, starting the CSH process by
using Synectics might enhance the systems approach’s capabilities by avoiding some stakeholders,
[such as Hong Kong government representatives], getting ‘locked in at the logical/analytical end of the
spectrum and cutting [themselves] off from [their] ability to invent and innovate’ (Nolan 1989)’
(Korenian-Chabert, TU811TMA03).
The consultant’s personal reference system for the evaluation is defined as a system to reconcile
economic development and sustainable management of natural resources for assisting protection and
preservation of marine ecosystems in Hong Kong.
Table 2 illustrates the unfolding of the ideal and descriptive mapping exercises constructed by means
of answering Ulrich’s 12 questions in the normative (ought) mode followed by the descriptive (is)
mode. The subsequent critiques ‘provide a platform for improving understanding and practice
associated with [the] situation of interest’(Ulrich and Reynolds 2010) as this boundary reflection
permits having ‘a more realistic picture of what the situation is about - getting real’ (TU811 Part6
p146).
10 Laure Korenian-Chabert
Table 2: CSH matrix on evaluating Hong Kong’s urban strategy making
Sources of
Influence
Stakeholders
(social roles)
Stakes (role-specific
concern)
Stakeholding
(key problems)
Motivation
1 Beneficiary/client 2 Purpose 3 Measure of success
‘ought’ HK residents and visitors, local industries, future generations and non-human beings
To improve
management of
natural resources
Ameliorated quality of living
and conditions of marine
ecosystems
‘is’ HK government, real
estate developers,
commerce and industry
organisations
Hong Kong to be a
driver of economic
growth in the region
Short term profitability
critique ‘is’
against ‘ought’
The current urban development strategy making seems to primarily favour the
interests of particular industries such as the real estate industry. To what extent are
the interests of residents, future generations and non-human beings taken into
account?
The key measure of success seems to be immediate profitability. But are these
profits sustainable if environmental and social factors are overlooked?
Control 4 Decision maker
5 Resources 6 Decision environment
‘ought’ HK government bodies
alongside local
communities, industry
representatives and
environmental NGOS
Political will;
environmental, social
and economic
quantitative and
qualitative data
Transparent and participative
decision making process
‘is’ HK government, real
estate developers
Quantitative economic
and environmental
data provided by HK
government bodies
Economic opportunities for
HK’s industries
critique ‘is’
against ‘ought’
To what extent is there collusion between the Hong Kong government and real
estate developers? If the urban development strategy making is controlled by those
with vested interests in particular research results, aren’t resources likely to be
biased towards guaranteeing vested interests results?
Knowledge 7 Expert
8 Expertise 9 Guarantor
‘ought’ Independent
researchers, systems
practitioners
Interdisciplinary and
transdisciplinary
Consensus amongst experts;
Environmental Impact
Assessments (EIA) open to
public consultation and
participation
Knowledge ‘is’ Researchers
commissioned by the
Technical/economic
and environmental
EIAs based on data provided
by environmental government
11 Laure Korenian-Chabert
government
agencies
critique ‘is’
against ‘ought’
Recognising the ‘limits of our knowledge’ (Headline issue 2.1) on nature could avoid
taking current scientific knowledge for granted. This could notably allow keeping an
open mind when considering other stakeholder perspectives thus also potentially
widening the spectrum of potential strategic points of intervention.
Moreover, some of the skills identified by Baltes and Staudinger (2000) such as the
ability to put a situation into context, thus understanding its specificity and avoiding
using blueprint best practice -such as EIAs- blindly, could help to further promote a
holistic approach thus avoiding over reliance on particular experts, such as those
from environmental government agencies, which might lead to reductionism.
Legitimacy
10 Witness 11 Emancipation 12 Worldviews
‘ought’ Advocates for local
communities, non-
human nature and
future generations
HK government urban
development plans
‘open to challenge
from those adversely
affected’(Ulrich and
Reynolds, 2010)
Manage manifest conflicts of interests between economic growth and sustainable management of natural resources
‘is’ Few local community
and environmental
NGOs protests; media
reports
Questionable levels of
integration of social
considerations; no
integration of
environmental factors
No opportunities for the public
to directly discuss and express
its concerns with decision
makers
critique ‘is’
against ‘ought’
The underlying worldview on which these answers are based is the consultant’s
which is that ‘sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the
present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own
needs’ (WCED, 1987).
The HK government seems to think that it is doing what’s right and what’s good for
its citizens, trapped in thinking that economic growth brings happiness
(reductionism) and assuming that all stakeholders see it that way (dogmatism). The
HK government should bear in mind that ‘what you do to increase [economic
development] doesn’t necessarily lead to improvement’ (Ackermann and Eden,
2010).
However, not only does the underlying worldview of the current system seem to lack
social legitimacy but the lack of regulatory oversight also raises the issue of
governance. Decision makers might want to reflect on the fact that ‘widening the
scope and involving participants helps to avoid making poor decisions that are
either unsustainable or not owned’ (Nutt 2002).
Overall, answering Ulrich’s boundary questions enabled to bring to light differences between planned
- urban development will benefit all - and actual outcomes - overdevelopment can bring adverse
12 Laure Korenian-Chabert
effects- and to ‘surface political and ethical issues arising from [urban development] strategy making’
(TU811 Part6 p155) uncovering the strong capitalistic perspective of the HK government.
It seems from the analysis of the CSH matrix that the bone of contention in this situation goes beyond
what now appears to be only a symptom of the problem- deteriorating marine ecosystems due to land
reclamation – and is actually the lack of ecological and social considerations in Hong Kong’s urban
development strategy making.
The second CSH mode of boundary critique, ‘boundary discourse’ enables ‘understanding the local
‘culture’ at a level beyond that of individual worldviews’ (Checkland and Poulter, 2010) thus potentially
generating ‘some mutually acceptable strategy’ (TU811 Part6 p154). This boundary critique could
thus be used by the government to help it to engage ‘with other stakeholders and their reference
systems, moving towards ‘getting it right’’ (TU811 Part6 p145).
As using CSH highlighted decision makers’ apparent dogmatism in this situation, SSM is now applied
as a tool to enhance stakeholders’ understanding of each other’s perceptions of the situation.
5. Identifying desirable and feasible changes
The SSM process starts by drawing a rich picture to help structuring the consultant’s thinking about
the real situation bearing in mind the insights gained through applying SD and CSH. The user-
friendliness of the rich picture could also prove to be a good facilitation tool to enable stakeholders
less versed in written literacy to engage in the SSM process and to voice their concerns.
The consultant’s worldview in relation to the way the rich picture (Figure 2) is depicted is that natural
resources, in this case coastal and seawater resources, should be managed in a sustainable manner
in order to ‘meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to
meet their own needs’ (WCED, 1987).
12 Laure Korenian-Chabert
Figure 2: Rich picture of HK’s environmental degradation due to reclamation
e
n
c
y
Environmental government
agency researchers
13 Laure Korenian-Chabert
The investigation continues by making a purposeful activity model defining a conceptual system,
modelling it and checking the coherence of both sets of activities.
Considering the insights from the rich picture as well as from applying SD and CSH which illustrate a
lack of appropriate regulatory framework and governance and of consideration for environmental and
social factors in urban development strategy making, the chosen purposeful activity is defined as:
- A system to promote sustainable urbanisation (P) by means of reforming urban development
policies and regulations (Q) in order to protect and preserve Hong Kong’s marine ecosystems
(R).
The CATWOE is used as a device to help formulating the root definition of the defined system:
Customers: HK residents, visitors and industries
Actors: HK government bodies, local authorities and communities, real estate, construction, transport,
retail, manufacturing, energy, fisheries and tourism industries, NGOs, experts
Transformation: HK marine ecosystems deteriorated by reclamation reduced reclamation in HK
Worldview: Natural resources should be managed in a sustainable manner in order to ‘meet the
needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’
(WCED, 1987)
Owners: HKSAR legislators, regulators and local authorities
Environmental constraints: local economic development; political climate; change in HK regulatory
framework; natural environmental disasters
Root definition: HKSAR legislators, regulators and local authorities’ system, in which Hong Kong
government bodies, local communities and businesses, together with NGOs and experts act in the
benefits of HK residents, visitors and industries to promote sustainable urbanisation in reducing
reclamations by means of reforming urban development policies and regulations in order to protect
and preserve Hong Kong’s marine ecosystems, bearing in mind the local political and economic
context as well as potential natural environmental disasters and changes in the regulatory framework,
in the belief that natural resources should be managed in a sustainable manner in order to ‘meet the
14 Laure Korenian-Chabert
needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’
(WCED, 1987).
The measures of performance would be:
- Efficiency: Did the system make the best use of its resources to promote sustainable
urbanisation?
- Effectiveness: Has marine ecosystems degradation due to reclamation in HK been reduced?
- Ethicality: Is reducing environmental deterioration from land reclamation morally correct?
15 Laure Korenian-Chabert
Figure 3: My conceptual model of a system to promote sustainable urbanisation in Hong Kong
1. Collect data
on
environmental
impacts of
reclamation
2. Analyse
the data
3. Devise
policy
changes 4. Engage
with
stakeholders
Monitor 1-7
Take
control
action
Define measures
of performance
5. Draft new
regulatory
framework
7. Implement
policy changes,
new regulatory
framework and
campaign
6. Design
accompanying
educational
campaign
16 Laure Korenian-Chabert
Comparing the rich picture with the conceptual model should allow having a structured discussion
about the situation and be an opportunity for stakeholders to express themselves enabling worldviews
to be surfaced and decision makers to consider taking into account a wider range of perspectives in
their strategy making, thus ‘redistributing power more equally’ (People Stream Part2.4) and coming up
with arguably desirable and culturally feasible changes for promoting sustainable urbanisation in
Hong Kong.
Table 3: Comparison of the rich picture (Figure 1) and the conceptual model (Figure 2)
Activities and connections from the conceptual model
Issues arising from the comparison
Questions to be asked
Comments
Activity 1 Data availability
What data is currently available?
What other data would be needed?
How could they be collected?
The rich picture illustrates that both the environmental government agency and the NGOs have researchers collecting and analysing data. Though the rich picture highlights that the findings from both types of organisation conflict, combining research efforts might be an issue to be discussed for the sake of comprehensiveness and efficiency. The latter factor might particularly appeal to economic-orientated stakeholders such as the HK government.
Activity 2 Expert resources Who currently analyses this kind of data?
Should there be other experts involved?
Activities 3 and 4
Responsibility Who is currently in charge of the decision making process regarding changes in policy? Regulation?
As depicted in the rich picture, the decision making process regarding reclamation schemes seems to be owned by the HK government and real estate developers. Involving of a wider range of stakeholders, such as local communities and NGOs, might avoid media reporting on action group protests and conflicting findings as illustrated in the rich picture. Such reports could not only harm the city’s reputation but also lead to wider disapprovals.
Activity 5 Stakeholder participation
Does the current decision making process regarding regulations involve other stakeholder than?
Activity 6 Resources Who drafts regulatory changes?
Should it be different?
Activity 7 Implementation How are regulation changes currently implemented?
Should it be done differently?
Decision makers might want to consider how NGOs and local communities mentioned in the rich picture might be involved for a smoother implementation of policy changes.
17 Laure Korenian-Chabert
Monitor 1-7
Monitoring of activities
How are decision making processes currently being monitored?
Should it be different?
Implementing changes to decision making processes should generate new insights and promote new inquiry and change.
Measures of performance
Criteria What criteria would indicate the degree to which the activity is Efficient? Effective? Ethical?
The process of answering the questions from Table 3 should not ‘become mechanical drudgery’
(Checkland and Poulter, 2010). However as decision makers tend to feel more comfortable with
learned conventions which can be ‘windowless fortresses which exclude viewing the world in new
ways’ (Gordon 1961), the facilitator of the discussion might want to consider using Synectics again to
help them coming with more open-minded answers.
Moreover, it would seem that the SSM process could benefit from prior sessions of Metaphors@Work
as group metaphor elicitation might permit stakeholders with a wide variety of backgrounds and
sometimes conflicting perspectives, such as those from the real estate industry and wildlife
conservation and protection NGOs, to have ‘their different worlds meet constructively rather than
destructively’ (People Stream Part 5.4) and learn from one another.
Overall, it seems applying SSM would permit ‘relationships to be productive and helpful, rather than
judgmental and unresponsive’ (Walker 2010) and thus facilitate finding the necessary
accommodations to allow moving forward from discussions to actions to improve the situation.
18 Laure Korenian-Chabert
6. Recommendations for action
In making strategy for new urban developments, the HK government is advised to call on experts,
including from non-governmental bodies, from a wide variety of disciplines to avoid reductionism.
In addition, implementing stakeholder participation processes could enable decision makers to
engage with multiple perspectives thus avoiding dogmatism. To that effect, it seems public
participation and consultation should be part of every EIA process. Relevant documents could be
circulated and available on appropriate websites, preliminary discussions held with local authorities
and interest groups, forum meetings and workshops conducted to offer exchange of information
between developers and local communities and public exhibitions organised to present the results of
EIAs and connect with the public. SD, CSH and Synectics could be used in small group meetings to
help reframing the situation as well as providing a holistic overview from which new insights could
arise and SSM to engage with multiple perspectives. Using Synectics and Metaphors@Work could
also aid ‘to develop facilitators and participants skills to deal with group dynamic issues’ (People
Stream Part6Appendix2). An indicator of success could be social learning and constructive dialogue
between stakeholders with conflicting perspectives such as environmental NGOs and the real estate
industry. Such learning and dialogues could allow innovating solutions to emerge and be the premises
of long-term improvements in the situation.
Conclusion
Though three systems approaches were applied and enriched with People stream ideas in an effort to
avoid traps in thinking, to get a more holistic view of the situation and to engage with multiple
perspectives, it is important to bear in mind that this report’s ‘achievement can never be more that a
tiny part of the whole picture’ (People Stream Part6.5).
[2383 words]
19 Laure Korenian-Chabert
Acknowledgements
Grateful acknowledgement is made to the following sources:
Figures
Photo page1: Wikipedia (June 2011) Central and Wan Chai Reclamation Available from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_and_Wan_Chai_Reclamation (Accessed 16 September 2011)
Participants – References removed
Spokespeople from diverse government agencies
Estate Agents
NGO for the protection of dolphins in HK
NGO for marine conservation in HK
NGO for eco-responsible projects in HK and China
NGO for wildlife conservation and protection in HK
HK residents and visitors who kindly accepted to answer my questions
TU811
TU811 Course team
TU811 Colleague students
TU811 Tutor
References
20 Laure Korenian-Chabert
Ackerman, F. and Eden, C. (2010) Strategic Options Development and Analysis, Systems
Approaches to Managing Change: A Practical Guide, Open University, Chapter 4 page 151.
Baltes, P. B. and Staudinger, U.M. (2000) quoted in TU811 People Stream Part 2 Why is today so like
yesterday, Open University, Part 2.5
Barabási, A.-L. (2003) quoted in TU811 People Stream Part 2 Why is today so like yesterday?, Open
University, Part 2.2.
Checkland, P. And Poulter, J. (2010) ‘ Soft Systems Methodology’ Strategic Options Development
and Analysis, Systems Approaches to Managing Change: A Practical Guide, Open University,
Chapter 5, pages 226 and 228.
Gordon, W.J.J. (1961) quoted in Approaches from other practitioner communities, TU811 People
Stream, Open University, Part 5.3.
Hoverstadt, P. (2010) The Viable System Model, Systems Approaches to Managing Change: A
Practical Guide, Open University, Chapter 3 page 105.
Korenian-Chabert, L. (2011) TU811 Strategy making TMA02 and TMA03.
Nolan, V. (1989) quoted in TU811 People Stream, Approaches from other practitioner communities,
Open University, Part 5.3.
Nutt (2002) quoted in Strategic Options Development and Analysis, Systems Approaches to
Managing Change: A Practical Guide, Open University, Chapter 4 page 137.
Reynolds, M. and Holwell, S. (2010) quoted in TU811 Systems Approaches to Managing change: a
Practical guide, Open University, Part 1 page 5.
The Open University (2010), TU811 Thinking strategically: systems tools for managing change, Open
University, Part 1, pages 12 and 23.
The Open University (2010), TU811 Thinking strategically: systems tools for managing change, Open
University, Part 2, pages 39 and 51.
21 Laure Korenian-Chabert
The Open University (2010), TU811 Thinking strategically: systems tools for managing change, Open
University, Part 6, pages 145, 146, 154 and 155.
The Open University (2010), TU811 People Stream, Why is today so like yesterday?, Open
University, Part 2.4.
The Open University (2010), TU811 People Stream, Approaches from other practitioner communities,
Open University, Part 5.4.
The Open University (2010), TU811 People Stream, Systems ideas for strategic thinking, Open
University, Part 6.5 and Appendix 2.
Ulrich, W. and Reynolds, M. (2010) ‘Critical Systems Heuristics’, Strategic Options Development and
Analysis, Systems Approaches to Managing Change: A Practical Guide, Open University, Chapter 6,
pages 268 and 269.
Walker, C. (2010) quoted in TU811 People Stream, Approaches from other practitioner communities,
Open University, Part 5.4
Wikipedia (September 2011) Land reclamation in Hong Kong Available from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_reclamation_in_Hong_Kong (Accessed 16 September 2011).
World Commission on Environment and Development (1987) Our Common Future, Oxford, Oxford
University Press.
22 Laure Korenian-Chabert
Appendix
Land reclamation in Hong Kong
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Land reclamation in Hong Kong: Grey (built), Red (proposed or under development). Note
that most of the urban area (not shown in map) of Hong Kong is on the reclaimed land.
Marker in Causeway Bay showing the former location of the coastline.
Land is in short supply in Hong Kong, and land reclamation has been conducted there since
the mid-19th century.
Projects
One of the earliest and famous project was the Praya Reclamation Scheme, which added 50
to 60 acres (240,000 m2) of land in 1890 during the second phase of construction. It was one
of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken during the Colonial Hong Kong era.
Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, Hong Kong International Airport, and its predecessor, Kai
Tak Airport, were all built on reclaimed land.
In addition, as the city expands, new towns in different decades were mostly built on
reclaimed land, such as Tuen Mun, Tai Po, Shatin, Ma On Shan, West Kowloon, Kwun Tong
and Tseung Kwan O.