Leiding geven in processen van co-evolutie: Over de co-evolutie van beleidsvoorkeuren binnen het Deltaprogramma

__Abstract__ This PhD-thesis presents the results of a study about leadership that promotes policy preferences of multiple actors with reciprocal interests to be of the same direction. The underlying assumption is that when preferences that consist of concrete measures will have more impact when they aim at realizing the same system state. The development of such policy preferences by different cooperating actors is conceptualized in this study as a process of social co-evolution. The multiple case study described and analyzed in this thesis is the Dutch Delta Program. To unravel the impact of leadership on the social co-evolution of these preferences this studies uses the term synchronization. We have defined synchronization as activities that contribute to developing preferences of the same direction. As a result of our case study we found that enabling leadership is the dominant type of leadership promoting synchronization of policy preferences. This corresponds to our theoretical expectations based on CLT. Based on the results of our case study we recommend further development of both theory and methods to study coevolution, leadership and synchronization concerning program management. We propose a specific conceptualization of administrative and enabling leadership for situations of program management within process systems. Our proposal is to consider administrative and enabling leadership as two ideal types stretching a continuum between maintaining existing boundary judgments (administrative leadership) and administratively applying adjusted boundary judgments that enable adaptations (enabling leadership)

In search of good water governance

Inleiding Voor u ligt het eindrapport van een verkenning van vormen van watergovernance buiten Nederland. RWS Waterdienst is de opdrachtgever voor het onderzoek. Op verzoek van DG Water van het Ministerie van Verkeer en Waterstaat gaf de Waterdienst de volgende doelstelling aan de onderzoekers mee: zoek naar inspirerende voorbeelden in het buitenland van de wijze waarop de bestuurlijke organisatie van het waterbeheer en beleid functioneert. De verkenning is vooral een zoektocht naar opvallende vraagstellingen en aanpakken in het buitenland, en biedt het kader om op een aantal zaken meer systematische, in de governance theorie verankerderde vergelijkende studies aan te vatten. De verkenning is uitgevoerd door onderzoekers van DHV, Grontmij en Indiana University. Om de verkenning te verbinden met de bestaande wetenschappelijke inzichten over watergovernance heeft een wetenschappelijke commissie onder leiding van hoogleraar Bestuurskunde, prof. Geert Teisman het onderzoek begeleid

Using knowledge for decision-making purposes

Abstract: Policy-related research in general, and Impact Assessments in particular, are too loosely connected to decision-making processes. The result is often sub-optimal or even undesirable, as one of two situations arises: 1) much research is done; however, those with the real power to make decisions do not make use of all of the resulting information, or 2) advocates of contrary opinions struggle with each other, using policy-related research as ammunition. To avoid these unwanted situations, the connection between the world of knowledge and the world of decisionmaking should be carefully constructed, by connecting the process of decision-making to the academic research and carefully developing research goals in response to the demands of decision-makers. By making these connections in a stepwise manner, knowledge may generate new insights and views for involved decision-makers and stakeholders, thus changing perceptions and problem definitions. In this way, these actors learn about the possibilities of several alternatives as well as each other’s perceptions, and thus can make educated decisions leading to the most desirable and socially acceptable solution. The way this proposed method works is illustrated using two cases in The Netherlands: the project “Mainport Rotterdam” (the enlargement of the port of Rotterdam), the project “A fifth runway for Amsterdam Airport (Schiphol)”

Carrying Ideas from Knowledge-Based Configuration to Software Product Lines

Software variability modelling (SVM) has become a central concern in software product lines -- especially configurable software product lines (CSPL) require rigorous SVM. Dynamic SPLs, service oriented SPLs, and autonomous or pervasive systems are examples where CSPLs are applied. Knowledge-based configuration (KBC) is an established way to address variability modelling aiming for the automatic product configuration of physical products. Our aim was to study what major ideas from KBC can be applied to SVM, particularly in the context of CSPLs. Our main contribution is the identification of major ideas from KBC that could be applied to SVM. First, we call for the separation of types and instances. Second, conceptual clarity of modelling concepts, e.g., having both taxonomical and compositional relations would be useful. Third, we argue for the importance of a conceptual basis that provides a foundation for multiple representations, e.g., graphical and textual. Applying the insights and experiences embedded in these ideas may help in the development of modelling support for software product lines, particularly in terms of conceptual clarity and as a basis for tool support with a high level of automation.Peer reviewe