Andrea Grant - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Andrea Grant

Systemic Practice and Action Research, Dec 20, 2018

The value of using systems approaches, for situations framed as 'super wicked', is examined from ... more The value of using systems approaches, for situations framed as 'super wicked', is examined from the perspective of research managers and stakeholders in a state-based climate change adaptation (CCA) program (CliChAP) pre-2010 and polycentric drivers influencing the development of CCA research in Victoria, Australia are reflected on. Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) structured the inquiry beginning with a cultural analysis to generate a boundary critique of CCA research as a human activity system. We experienced the complexity of purpose with research practices pulling in different directions, reflected on the appropriateness of agricultural bureaucracies' historical management practices, and focused on means for joint articulations of purpose. Our analysis conceptualised CliChAP as a subsystem generating novelty in a wider system concerned with socio-ecological coevolution. Constraining/enabling interactions dealing with political legitimacy and conceptual integration were observed as potential catalysts for innovation in research management practice towards better handling of uncertainty as a social process.

The situation of agriculture in Victoria can be characterized as one in which there are many inte... more The situation of agriculture in Victoria can be characterized as one in which there are many interdependencies, complexity, uncertainty, controversy and multiple stakeholders (and thus multiple perspectives)particularly on the nature of change and future directions. Andrew ...

Systemic Science (systems thinking) provides a structured approach to better conceptualise and op... more Systemic Science (systems thinking) provides a structured approach to better conceptualise and operationalise problems and to deal with complexity, uncertainty and risk. Systemic Science is different from traditional forms of scientific investigation because it focuses on 'the whole' rather than the component parts. Systemic science is a skill that DPI generally lacks, although certain sections of the organisation do employ its principles with success. The objective of this project was to enhance DPI's existing systems thinking capability, with particular emphasis on FFSR, to develop the skills in more staff across the organisation, and to showcase the merits of the approach by applying the concepts on existing/planned projects. This report details ‘Phase 2’ (year 2) of the project and as such, outputs from the separate ‘Phase 1’ are not reported here.

ion of sociological data, e.g., on risks to health or employment (Peterson & Lupton, 1996; Dean, ... more ion of sociological data, e.g., on risks to health or employment (Peterson & Lupton, 1996; Dean, 1995; Castel, 1991). Responses are designed to help minimise the negative impacts of social or technological change that also produces desired benefits. However, Pidgeon (1997) argues that institutional cultures should be examined rather than the efficacy of socio-technical systems and operations. Moreover, he notes a degree of institutional ignorance as biasing systems towards risk exposure and asks for a kind of risk forensics on system failure to reveal the weaknesses in institutional cultures. His and others’ arguments build on the view

Environment and Planning C-government and Policy, 2014

Scenario praxis, critically explored as the theory-informed practice of scenarioing, is proposed ... more Scenario praxis, critically explored as the theory-informed practice of scenarioing, is proposed as a modality for institutionalising knowing within a systemic governance framework. Framing and institutional considerations associated with a constructivist inquiry-based learning approach that might open capacity for innovation in future scenarioing praxis are outlined to complement and counterbalance positivistoriented evidence-based approaches. Drawing on espoused theoretical and epistemological commitments, background literature, researcher experience, and our framing choices, we describe a heuristic device for use ex post to critically examine accounts of past scenario development, or ex ante to generate scenarios. The heuristic and its process of generation are designed for use in context-sensitive ways suited to the systemic governance of climate change adaptation and similar situations that can be framed as ‘wicked’ or uncertain.

Society & Natural Resources

Systemic Practice and Action Research, 2018

Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy, 2014

Rural Society, 2004

Public participation in the development and implementation of natural resource management plans h... more Public participation in the development and implementation of natural resource management plans has been widely adopted by lead natural resource management agencies. The literature suggests that evaluation of participation initiatives has largely focused on the perspective of proponents, and when it has addressed participant needs, has primarily explored satisfaction with process. This paper reflects on the authors' attempts to evaluate both the process and the outcomes of participation, and to do so by drawing on the perspectives of participants. The approach adopted involved iteratively cycling between the literature and participant perspectives of the purpose, process and outcomes of participation to identify, and test the validity of, a set of criteria to evaluate both processes and outcomes. The intention was to identify an approach that could be used by practitioners to refine the evaluation of public participation in different settings. The specific research setting was the development of the East Gippsland Floodplain Management Strategy.

Context, 2010