Integrating COVID-19 systemic solutions across professionals of different disciplines – tackling problems globally locally and microscopically

Abstract

Enormous strategies have been implemented all over the world globally, locally, and microscopically to tackle the COVID-19 problematic situations. Do these strategies belong to holistic methodologies or reductionlistically controlled ones? Instead of suggesting new holistic methodologies, we could consider analyzing these existing strategies in the perspective of systems thinking by employing different existing systems theories, such as Viable System Model, Schemas theory, Relational Theory, DSRP Theory, Cybernetics, and Yin-Yang Five-elements Trinity system.

To start on a common ground, we would employ the definition of systems by Ludwig von Bertalanffy in 1940’s defining a system as a “complexof interacting elements where these “components of an open system display their full range of traits only by interacting-among themselves and with their environment

Systems theories are employed to analyze both the reductionistic controlled strategies applied to isolated closed systems and holistic systemic strategics applied to connected open systems. Then we classified them on the open-closed spectrum for comparison and integration.

Research revealed that everyone of such systems theories can be applied from the macroscopic international level, to regional, to national, to individual, to organ, and all the way to microscopic cellular level.

For systems interacting at the same level, systems theories such as game theory provide a win-win non-zero-sum game solution, instead of a win-lose zero-sum game solution as provided by traditional competition theory.

For systems interacting at different levels on the macro-micro spectrum, critical systems theory provide a harmonic network resolution, instead of a traditional power controlled hierarchy solution. Balancing between Individualism and Collectivism.

The key to all these systemic resolution is the boundary. It regulates the openness of systems by promoting and inhibiting the interactions among the components, and between the complex and the environment.

Systemic Intervention theory provides an communication methodology to strengthen the national, regional, and international professional networks of practitioners.

Throughout the workshop (full paper), we aim to promote the development of systems practitioners, and to further the discipline of systems sciences by establishing a System Theory Platform for different systems theories to communicate with and to understand each other. Other platforms as well: Unity in Diversity.

Keywords

TCM2GST, Viable System Model, Schemas theory, Relational Theory, DSRP, Five-elements Trinity system, COVID-19 pandemic

References

WONG TSL, EC Tomas 黃炎. (2023). Integrating COVID-19 systemic solutions across professionals of different disciplines – tackling problems globally locally and microscopically [Full Paper TBP]. Proceedings of the 67th Annual Meeting of the International Society for the Systems Sciences (ISSS).