5.4 Trayectorias Laborales
5.4.1 No pensionados
7.3 General Systems Theory and this Research Project 7.4 Proposed Model 7.5 Conclusion
The research model introduced in this chapter makes use of relevant literature and theory (as discussed in Chapters 2 to 5) as a foundation. In addition, conversational analysis and observations from the development of the crowdsourcing system prototype were also used to justify the various factors comprising the model. The empirical findings from the questionnaire that was administered to the study participants are discussed in the next chapter, Chapter 8, as part of the user review.
This chapter starts by explaining how General Systems Theory contributed to the research model. The proposed model is then introduced with an explanation of the various factors and relationships identified in the model. The model aims to address the primary research objective by identifying the various factors that are necessary to implement a public safety, participatory crowdsourcing, smart city project in a developing country. In the next section, a brief overview of General Systems Theory is provided. This is followed by a discussion of the model itself and an explanation of each factor of the research artefact.
7.2.
Introduction to General Systems Theory
As discussed in Chapter 1, General Systems Theory subscribes to the notion that the whole is made up of ‘more than the sum of its parts.’ This, in turn, introduces the notion of ‘the adaptive whole’ in terms of which the entity is able to adapt and survive within the limits of a changing environment (Checkland, 2000; Von Bertalanffy, 1968). Traditional systems theory involves both natural and design systems. Natural systems are biological in nature, while design systems are found in the engineering field (Checkland, 2000).
General Systems Theory subscribes to the notion that systems in the world may be engineered to achieve desirable objectives. Thus, the design systems approach is founded on identifying the correct solution while prescribing that, based on prior experience, it is possible to predict the future with a degree of accuracy, thereby reducing perceived uncertainty by making use of probability and likelihoods (Checkland, 2000). However, one of the limitations of this approach is the fact that the approach does not consider the possibility that human behaviour may cause the system to become unpredictable. In view of the fact that the public safety, participatory crowdsourcing system will be used by the citizens of East London, there is an element of human behaviour, or unpredictability, which would have to be considered when, implementing the crowdsourcing system (Checkland, 2000).
While Soft Systems thinking follows the traditional views on General Systems Theory, Soft Systems thinking also incorporates the principle of human behaviour as guided by conditions, boundaries and rules. Thus, Soft System thinking provides for a way in which to conceptualise the world and the unpredictable actions undertaken by humans (Checkland, 2000).
The relationships between the parts of a system and the events these parts produce through their interaction results in the system elements being rationally connected as regards to a shared purpose (Checkland, 2000). Mele, Pels and Polese (2010) further state that this focus on the interactions between the parts must be considered as the behaviour of a single, autonomous element. It is, thus, important to note that General Systems Theory argues that the researcher is not able to solve a problem by simply breaking the problem up into the basic parts and then reforming the problem. Instead, the research problem must be considered from a holistic perspective in order to fully understand the function of the parts in the whole (Mele et al., 2010). When this is done, it is possible to observe the emergent properties of the system. In this research project, the emergent property, a model to implement a public safety, participatory crowdsourcing, smart city project in a developing country, will enable the BCMM to make use of existing resources more efficient and effectively in order to improve public safety in East London.
When considering the relationships between the various elements in the model, it is important to consider whether the system in which these relationships exist is either open or closed. In open systems there are exchanges of energy, matter, people and information with the external environment while, in closed systems, there are no exchanges with the external environment (Mele et al., 2010). In this study, an open system was used to investigate the relationship between the city (BCMM), the citizens of East London and the smart city, public safety, participatory crowdsourcing system. The next section will briefly discuss the positioning of the research project in the BCMM service delivery process, making use of General Systems Theory.
7.3.
General Systems Theory and this Research Project
As discussed in Chapter 1, a system may be placed in a specific hierarchy within a research area (see Figure 7.1). The flow diagram in Figure 7.1 identified the various parts or subsystems that are involved in the decision of local government to become a smart city. The grey block labelled ‘Crowdsourcing’ represents the subsystem that wasinvestigated in this research project. As discussed in section 1.5.1, the subsystem, Crowdsourcing, is separated from the wider environment by a system boundary. The system consists of inputs which are the factors that must be in place in order to implement a public safety, participatory crowdsourcing system in a developing country. The process represents the actual implementation of the system, while the output represents the improved public safety in East London. The feedback loop represents the information that the BCMM would provide to the citizens about the information reported to the crowdsourcing system. The BCMM would use reports, statistics or graphs in order to provide this information to the citizens.
Figure 7.1: System Hierarchy for a Smart City Project
While this chapter provides an overview of the model, the various elements of the model have been discussed throughout the thesis. Thus, this section then forms the part of the whole that is presented as this research project, with the model to implement a public safety, participatory crowdsourcing, smart city project in a developing country, as the main contribution of this research. This model will be discussed in the next section.