Iām pleased to share a new paper and accompanying course modules on Constraint Analysis; a structured approach to understanding how complex systems behave, change, and sometimes fail.
Rather than looking for single causes, this framework focuses on the conditions that enable or inhibit system processes, and how these interact across different domains:
š¶ Material (resources, environment)
š¶ Structural (organisation, roles, processes)
š¶ Cultural (norms, values, expectations)
By analysing how these constraints align, or become misaligned, it becomes possible to explain:
š· stability and instability
š· patterns of behaviour
š· transitions between system states
š· and potential points of intervention
The paper sets out the full theoretical framework, including:
š¶ constraints as causally effective conditions
š¶ enabling vs inhibiting dynamics (including presence and absence)
š¶ interaction and feedback across domains
š¶ attractors, transitions, and system viability
š¶ a detailed step-by-step analytical method
This work is part of a broader programme developing a social systems framework grounded in causality and constraint-based analysis.
The paper is available via the following links:
š Academia: Ā https://www.academia.edu/167298197/Constraint_Analysis_A_Causal_Framework_for_Understanding_and_Influencing_Complex_Systems
š Website: https://rational-understanding.com/sst/
Alongside the paper, I have also added a new set of course modules to the Social Systems Theory (SST) course. These modules correspond to the concepts developed in the paper and are designed to make them accessible through:
š· plain-English explanations
š· diagrams
š· practical exercises
The course materials are available in two ways:
š Open access (self-paced): https://rational-understanding.com/sst-course/
š Supported learning: via Google Classroom through the ISSS Student SIG
Those in full-time or part-time education are especially encouraged to join the Student SIG, where they can benefit from guidance by experienced systems scientists, discussion with fellow learners, and access to a wider international community. To join go to: https://isss.org
#SystemsThinking #ComplexSystems #SystemsScience #Causality #SocialSystems #ConstraintAnalysis
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