Ch. 6. Critical Systems Heuristics: The Idea and Practice of Boundary Critique

Critical systems heuristics (CSH) is a framework for reflective professional practice organised around the central tool of boundary critique. This chapter, written jointly by the original developer, Werner Ulrich, and Martin Reynolds, an experienced practitioner of CSH, offers a systematic introduction to the idea and use of boundary critique. Its core concepts are explained in detail and their use is illustrated by means of two case studies from the domain of environmental planning and management. A particular focus is on working constructively with tensions between opposing perspectives as they arise in many situations of professional intervention. These include tensions such as ‘situation’ versus ‘system’, ‘is’ versus ‘ought’ judgements, concerns of ‘those involved’ versus ‘those affected but not involved’, stakeholders’ ‘stakes’ versus ‘stakeholding issues’, and others. Accordingly, boundary critique is presented as a participatory process of unfolding and questioning boundary judgements rather than as an expert-driven process of boundary setting. The paper concludes with a discussion of some essential skills and considerations regarding the practice of boundary critique

Investigating political brand reputation with qualitative projective techniques from the perspective of young adults

Capturing and understanding the images and reputations external stakeholders assign to brands can be confusing and challenging. This is reinforced by explicit calls for more pragmatic tools and methods to comprehend the external orientation of brands. We respond by investigating the applicability of qualitative projective techniques in exploration of the external current image and long-term reputation of the UK Conservative Party corporate brand from the perspective of young voters aged 18-24 years. This is achieved by comparing and contrasting the external brand images prior the 2015 UK General Election with the findings collected before the 2010 UK General Election. We demonstrate that qualitative projective techniques are useful applications to capture, deconstruct and understand current image and long-term reputation of political brands. Organisations including those beyond the political context will be able to use this paper as a guide to generate a deeper understanding of their brands image and consistency of their reputation

Atenção domiciliar como mudança do modelo tecnoassistencial Atención domiciliar como cambio del modelo tecnoasistencial Home care as change of the technical-assistance model

OBJETIVO: Analisar práticas de atenção domiciliar de serviços ambulatoriais e hospitalares e sua constituição como rede substitutiva de cuidado em saúde. PROCEDIMENTOS METODOLÓGICOS: Estudo qualitativo que analisou, com base na metodologia de caso traçador, quatro serviços ambulatoriais de atenção domiciliar da Secretaria Municipal de Saúde e um serviço de um hospital filantrópico do município de Belo Horizonte, MG, entre 2005 e 2007. Foram realizadas entrevistas com gestores e equipes dos serviços de atenção domiciliar, análise de documentos e acompanhamento de casos com entrevistas a pacientes e cuidadores. A análise foi orientada pelas categorias analíticas integração da atenção domiciliar na rede de saúde e modelo tecnoassistencial. ANÁLISE DOS RESULTADOS: A implantação da atenção domiciliar foi precedida por decisão político-institucional tanto com orientação racionalizadora, buscando a diminuição de custos, quanto com vistas à reordenação tecnoassistencial das redes de cuidados. Essas duas orientações encontram-se em disputa e constituem dificuldades para conciliação dos interesses dos diversos atores envolvidos na rede e na criação de espaços compartilhados de gestão. Pôde-se identificar a inovação tecnológica e a autonomia das famílias na implementação dos projetos de cuidado. As equipes mostraram-se coesas, construindo no cotidiano do trabalho novas formas de integrar os diferentes olhares para transformação das práticas em saúde. Foram observados desafios na proposta de integrar os diferentes serviços de caráter substitutivo do cuidado ao limitar a capacidade da atenção domiciliar de mudar o modelo tecnoassistencial. CONCLUSÕES: A atenção domiciliar possui potencial para constituição de uma rede substitutiva ao produzir novos modos de cuidar que atravessam os projetos dos usuários, dos familiares, da rede social e dos trabalhadores da atenção domiciliar. A atenção domiciliar como modalidade substitutiva de atenção à saúde requer sustentabilidade política, conceitual e operacional, bem como reconhecimento dos novos arranjos e articulação das propostas em curso.<br>OBJETIVO: Analizar prácticas de atención domiciliar de servicios de ambulatorio y hospitalarios y su constitución como red sustitutiva de cuidado en salud. PROCEDIMIENTOS METODOLÓGICOS: Estudio cualitativo que analizó, con base en la metodología de caso trazador, cuatro servicios de ambulatorio e atención domiciliar de la Secretaria Municipal de Salud y un servicio de un hospital filantrópico del municipio de Belo Horizonte, Sureste de Brasil, entre 2005 y 2007. Fueron realizadas entrevistas con gestores y equipos de los servicios de atención domiciliar, análisis de documentos y acompañamiento de casos con entrevistas a pacientes y cuidadores. El análisis fue orientado por las categorías analíticas integración de la atención domiciliar en la red de salud y modelo tecnoasistencial. ANÁLISIS DE LOS RESULTADOS: La implantación de la atención domiciliar fue precedida por decisión político-institucional tanto con orientación racionalizadota, buscando disminución de costos, como con miras a la reordenación tecnoasistencial de las redes de cuidados. Esas dos orientaciones se encuentran en disputa y constituyen dificultades para conciliación de los intereses de los diversos actores envueltos en la red y en la creación de espacios compartidos de gestión. Se puede identificar la innovación tecnológica y la autonomía de las familias en la implementación de los proyectos de cuidado. Los equipos se mostraron unidos, construyendo en el cotidiano del trabajo nuevas formas de integrar las diferentes visiones para transformación de las prácticas en salud. Fueron observados desafíos en la propuesta de integrar los diferentes servicios de carácter sustitutivo del cuidado al limitar la capacidad de atención domiciliar si se muda el modelo tecnoasistencial. CONCLUSIONES: La atención domiciliar posee potencial para constitución de una red sustitutiva al producir nuevos modos de cuidar que atraviesan los proyectos de los usuarios, de los familiares, de la red social y de los trabajadores de la atención domiciliar. La atención domiciliar como modalidad sustitutiva de atención a la salud requiere sustentabilidad política, conceptual y operacional, así como reconocimiento de los nuevos arreglos y articulación de las propuestas en curso.<br>OBJECTIVE: To analyze home care practices of outpatient and hospital services and their constitution as a substitute healthcare network. METHODOLOGICAL PROCEDURES: A qualitative study was carried out using tracer methodology to analyze four outpatient home care services from the Municipal Health Department and one service from a philanthropic hospital in the municipality of Belo Horizonte, Southeastern Brazil, between 2005 and 2007. The following procedures were carried out: interviews with the home care services' managers and teams, analysis of documents and follow-up of cases, holding interviews with patients and caregivers. The analysis was guided by the analytical categories home care integration into the healthcare network and technical-assistance model. RESULTS: Home care implementation was preceded by a political-institutional decision, both with a rationalizing orientation, intending to promote cost reduction, and also with the aim of carrying out the technical-assistance rearrangement of the healthcare networks. These two types of orientation were found to be in conflict, which implies difficulties for conciliating interests of the different players involved in the network, and also the creation of shared management spaces. It was possible to identify technological innovation and families' autonomy in the implementation of the healthcare projects. The teams proved to be cohesive, constructing, in the daily routine, new forms of integrating different perspectives so as to transform the healthcare practices. Challenges were observed in the proposal of integrating the different substitutive healthcare services, as the home care services' capacity to change the technical-assistance model is limited. CONCLUSIONS: Home care has potential for constituting a substitutive network by producing new care modalities that cross the projects of users, family members, social network, and home care professionals. Home care as a substitute healthcare modality requires political, conceptual and operational sustainability, as well as recognition of the new arrangements and articulation of ongoing proposals